Learn Hardcore Swedish: Våra grannar hjälper varandra med soporna. - Our neighbors help each other with the trash.

Varandra means “each other/one another.” Use it as an object when the subject is plural and the action is mutual: De hjälper varandra (They help each other). It cannot be the subject. For non-reciprocal reflexive meaning (“themselves”), use sig (själv/själva): De hjälper sig själva.

How is varandra different from varandras?

Varandra is the object form (“each other”). Varandras is the possessive (“each other’s”).

Våra grannar hjälper varandra med soporna = Our neighbors help each other with the trash.
Våra grannar tar ut varandras sopor = Our neighbors take out each other’s trash.

Also note:

sina = “their (own)” referring back to the subject.
deras = “their” referring to someone else (not the subject).

Why do we use med after hjälpa?

With a noun, Swedish uses hjälpa (någon) med + noun:

De hjälper varandra med soporna (They help each other with the trash).

With a verb, use hjälpa (någon) att + infinitive; the att is often omitted in modern usage:

De hjälper varandra (att) ta ut soporna (… help each other take out the trash).

You’ll also hear hjälpa till (med/att …) to emphasize “pitch in”:

De hjälper till med soporna (They pitch in with the trash).

Why is soporna in the definite plural?

Sopor is a plural-only noun (“trash/garbage”). Soporna (definite plural) refers to a specific, contextually known set—here, the household/building’s trash. Using indefinite sopor sounds general/unspecified:

Han jobbar med sopor = He works with trash (as a job).
De hjälper med soporna = They help with the (regular) trash.

What are the forms of sopor?

Indefinite plural: sopor
Definite plural: soporna
There’s no normal singular “a trash.” Use count nouns like en soppåse (a trash bag), en sopkorg (a bin), en soptunna (a trash can).

Why isn’t it Våra grannarna?

With possessives, Swedish does not add the definite suffix to the noun:

Correct: våra grannar (our neighbors)
Incorrect: våra grannarna

Compare:

With adjective + definite noun you get “double definiteness”: de snälla grannarna (the nice neighbors).
With a possessive + adjective you do not add the suffix: mina snälla grannar (my nice neighbors).

How does våra agree with the noun?

vår = our (singular common gender): vår granne
vårt = our (singular neuter): vårt hus
våra = our (plural): våra grannar, våra hus

Does hjälper change with person or number?

No. Swedish verbs do not agree with person/number. Present tense is hjälper for all subjects: jag/du/han/vi/de hjälper. Principal parts: hjälpa – hjälper – hjälpte – hjälpt.

What word order rules apply here? Where would inte go?

Main clauses are V2: the finite verb is in second position.

Ibland hjälper våra grannar varandra med soporna (fronted adverb → verb still second).

Negation inte goes after the finite verb (and after the subject if the subject is before the verb):

Våra grannar hjälper inte varandra med soporna. With an infinitive:
Våra grannar hjälper inte varandra att ta ut soporna.

What are the forms of granne/grannar?

en granne (a neighbor)
grannen (the neighbor)
grannar (neighbors)
grannarna (the neighbors) With a possessive, use the indefinite form: vår granne, våra grannar.

Can I say varann instead of varandra?

Yes. Varann is a common informal contraction. Fine in speech and casual writing:

Våra grannar hjälper varann med soporna. In formal writing, prefer varandra.

How do I say “with their own trash” vs “with each other’s trash”?

… med sina sopor = with their own trash (refers back to the subject).
… med varandras sopor = with each other’s trash (explicitly reciprocal possession).
… med deras sopor = with their trash (belongs to some other “they,” not the subject).

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Våra: å like English “aw” in “law”; stress first syllable.
hjälper: initial h is silent; j = English “y”; ä like “e” in “bed”.
grannar: double nn makes preceding a short; stress on the first syllable.
Final r is pronounced (often a light flap/trill).