Efter middagen diskar han och tvättar kläder.

After dinner he does the dishes and washes clothes.

Breakdown of Efter middagen diskar han och tvättar kläder.

• och: and
• middagen: the dinner
• kläderna: the clothes
• han: he

Questions & Answers about Efter middagen diskar han och tvättar kläder.

Why is it “diskar han” (verb before subject) instead of “han diskar”?

Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. When you front an adverbial like Efter middagen (“After dinner”), that fills the first slot, so the verb (diskar) comes next and the subject (han) follows: Efter middagen diskar han …. Without fronting, you’d have the neutral Han diskar ….

Would “Efter middagen han diskar …” be correct?

No. Because of V2, you can’t put the subject directly after the fronted adverbial. It must be verb-second: Efter middagen diskar han ….

Do I need a comma after “Efter middagen”?

Generally no. Swedish doesn’t usually put a comma after a short fronted adverbial. Efter middagen diskar han … is standard. A comma is only used for very long or complex fronted elements where a pause aids readability.

Why is it the definite form “middagen”? Why not “efter middag” or “efter en middag”?

• Time expressions with meals are often definite in Swedish when referring to “the dinner” in context (tonight’s, the usual one, etc.): efter middagen.
• Efter en middag means “after a dinner” (one unspecified occurrence).
• Bare efter middag is unidiomatic (it reads like “after noon-meal” with no article).
  You can also say efter maten (“after the food/meal”), which is very common.