Breakdown of Passkontrollen är snabb på kvällen men långsam på morgonen.
vara
to be
men
but
snabb
fast
kvällen
the evening
på
in
morgonen
the morning
passkontrollen
the passport control
långsam
slow
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Questions & Answers about Passkontrollen är snabb på kvällen men långsam på morgonen.
Why is Passkontrollen written as one word and why does it end with -en?
In Swedish you often form compound nouns by sticking words together. Here pass + kontroll becomes passkontroll. The -en at the end is the definite suffix (“the”), so passkontroll + en = passkontrollen (“the passport control”).
Why is there only one är instead of two, even though there are two descriptions?
This is a single sentence with one linking verb (är) and two coordinated predicate phrases (“snabb på kvällen” and “långsam på morgonen”) joined by men. The second är is implied, just like in English you say “The passport control is quick in the evening but slow in the morning” without repeating “is”.
Why are the adjectives snabb and långsam in their base forms, without any endings?
They appear predicatively (after the verb är), and predicative adjectives in Swedish never take extra endings for gender or number. Whether the subject is en-word, ett-word or plural, the adjective stays in its base form: är snabb, är långsam, är snabba, etc.
Why do we say på kvällen and på morgonen, and how is that different from i kväll or i morgon?
- på kvällen/morgonen expresses a general or habitual time of day (“in the evening”, “in the morning” as a routine).
- i kväll means “this evening” (a specific upcoming or current evening).
- i morgon means “tomorrow”.
Since the sentence describes a habitual pattern, på + definite form is used.
Why are kvällen and morgonen in the definite form here?
When you use på with parts of the day to indicate “during the evening/morning” in a general sense, Swedish requires the definite form: på kvällen = “in the evening,” på morgonen = “in the morning.”
Why is men used instead of och, and does it change the word order?
men means “but” and introduces a contrast. In Swedish, coordinating conjunctions like men don’t trigger inversion; you keep the normal main-clause word order (subject–verb–predicate) after men.
Do you need a comma before men in this sentence?
A comma before men is optional in Swedish. In short, simple sentences like this one, writers often omit the comma. You could write a comma if you want a clearer pause: “…kvällen, men långsam…” but it isn’t required.
Could you start the sentence with the time phrase instead, and how would that affect word order?
Yes. If you begin with an adverbial like på kvällen, you must obey the V2 rule (verb-second). For example:
På kvällen är passkontrollen snabb, men på morgonen är den långsam.
Notice the verb är comes right after the time expression.