Learn Hardcore Swedish: När vi kommer till flygplatsen är passkontrollen ibland långsam. - When we arrive at the airport, the passport control is sometimes slow.

In Swedish, clauses introduced by conjunctions like när are subordinate clauses and use the normal subject-verb (S-V) word order. Only main clauses follow the V2 (verb-second) rule or invert for questions. So you say När vi kommer …, not När kommer vi … in a subordinate clause.

Why does the main clause put är (the verb) before passkontrollen (the subject)?

Swedish follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb must be the second element. Since the entire subordinate clause “När vi kommer till flygplatsen” occupies the first position, är must come immediately after, pushing the subject passkontrollen into the third position.

Why is the preposition till used in “kommer till flygplatsen” instead of på or vid?

till denotes movement toward a destination (“to the airport”).
på flygplatsen would mean “at the airport” (a static location).
vid flygplatsen means “by/near the airport.”
To express “arrive at the airport,” you use komma till.

What does the -en suffix on flygplatsen do? Why isn’t there a separate word for “the”?

Swedish nouns form definiteness by adding a suffix.
• flygplats = “airport” (indefinite)
• flygplatsen = “the airport” (definite)
You don’t need a separate article like the because the -en ending serves that function.

Why is passkontrollen written as one word?

Swedish commonly makes compound nouns by joining words:
pass (passport) + kontroll (control/check) → passkontroll (“passport control”).
Definite form adds -en, giving passkontrollen (“the passport control”).

Why is the adverb ibland placed after the subject passkontrollen and before the adjective långsam?

In Swedish main clauses (with V2 satisfied), adverbs of frequency like ibland typically occupy the mid-position, which is after the subject but before the main verb complement or adjective. Here the structure is: Verb (är) – Subject (passkontrollen) – Adverb (ibland) – Predicate adjective (långsam).

Why is långsam used here instead of långsamt?

långsam is an adjective describing the noun passkontrollen (“passport control is slow”). långsamt is an adverb meaning “slowly” and would describe how an action is performed (e.g. vi går långsamt – “we walk slowly”).

Could you use a different verb than komma for “arrive,” for example anlända?

Yes. anlända is a more formal verb for “arrive.” You could say När vi anländer till flygplatsen or När vi anländer på flygplatsen, though komma till is more common in everyday speech.