Learn Hardcore Swedish: Lyssna på henne, och svara honom sedan.

Group 1 (present ends in -ar): imperative = infinitive form, e.g., lyssna!, svara!, prata!
Group 2 (present ends in -er): drop the final -a, e.g., köp! (köpa), stäng! (stänga)
Group 3: keep the infinitive form, e.g., bo!, tro!
Some common irregulars: kom! (komma), var! (vara), gå! (gå)

Why is it lyssna på henne and not lyssna henne?

Because lyssna requires the preposition på before its object: lyssna på någon/något. That’s the default pattern. Lyssna till also exists but is more formal/poetic (e.g., lyssna till hjärtat). If you mean “hear,” use höra without a preposition: Jag hör henne.

Why is it svara honom without a preposition? When do I use på with svara?

Answering a person: svara
- indirect object (no preposition): svara honom/henne/mig.
Answering a thing (question, email, post): svara på
- noun: svara på frågan, svara på mejlet.
Avoid svara till for this meaning; svara till means “correspond to/fit” (svarar till förväntningarna).

What’s the difference between henne/honom and hon/han?

hon / han / hen = subject forms (she / he / they[singular])
henne / honom / hen = object forms (her / him / them[singular])
Possessives: hennes (her), hans (his), hens (their[singular]) This sentence needs the object forms: henne, honom.

Can I use the gender‑neutral pronoun hen here?

Yes. hen works for both subject and object. You could say: Lyssna på hen, och svara hen sedan. A nonstandard object form henom exists but the recommended form is hen.

Where can I place sedan? Is svara honom sedan the only option?

You have several natural options:

… och svara honom sedan.
… och svara sedan honom.
… och sedan svara honom. All are fine. In imperatives, time adverbs like sedan are flexible. Fronting (och sedan …) highlights the sequence.

Is sen the same as sedan?

Yes. sen is the common colloquial form of sedan. Both are standard; sen is more informal. Alternatives: därefter (more formal) and efteråt (“afterwards”).

Could I use då instead of sedan?

Usually no. då refers to a specific, previously mentioned time (“at that time”), while sedan/sen marks simple sequence (“after that”). Without a clear time reference, … svara honom då sounds odd.

Is the comma before och necessary or correct?

It’s optional. Modern Swedish typically omits the comma before och when linking short, closely related clauses: Lyssna på henne och svara honom sedan. You may add a comma for a pause or clarity, but many style guides would leave it out here.

How would I make this negative?

Place inte after the imperative verb:

Lyssna inte på henne, och svara inte honom sedan. With pronoun objects you may also hear Svara honom inte; both orders exist, but Svara inte honom is a neutral default.

Can I say hör på instead of lyssna på?

Yes. Hör på! means “listen!” You can say Hör på henne … It’s a bit more old‑fashioned/regional; Lyssna på is the safest default. Note höra without på means “hear”: Jag hör henne.

Is besvara a synonym of svara?

Partly. besvara usually takes a thing, not a person: besvara en fråga/ett mejl. You don’t say besvara honom. For people, use svara någon.

Does the imperative sound too direct? How can I soften it?

Yes, bare imperatives can sound blunt. Softer options:

Kan du lyssna på henne och sedan svara honom?
Skulle du kunna …? (politer)
Add gärna: … och svara honom gärna sedan.
Formal writing: Vänligen lyssna på henne och svara honom sedan.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

och is often just [o] in fluent speech.
Lyssna has a long s sound: [ˈlʏsːna].
svara has long a: [ˈsvɑːra].
sedan often sounds like sen [seːn] in everyday speech. A natural, colloquial flow: “LYSS-na på HEN-ne o SVÅ-ra HON-om sen.”