Båda barnen vill leka i parken.

Both children want to play in the park.

Breakdown of Båda barnen vill leka i parken.

• i: in
• vilja: to want
• parken: the park
• barnet: the child
• leka: to play
• båda: both

Questions & Answers about Båda barnen vill leka i parken.

Why is it båda barnen, not båda barn?

In Swedish, båda normally goes with a definite plural noun: båda barnen (both the children). You can also use båda with a determiner:

• båda mina barn (both my children)
• båda dessa barn (both these children) But plain båda barn is ungrammatical in standard Swedish.

Can I say både barnen instead of båda barnen?

Prefer båda barnen. Use både to pair two separate items with och:

• Både Lisa och Kalle vill leka. Colloquial både barnen occurs, but stick to båda barnen as the standard form.

Why is it vill leka and not vill att leka or vill leker?

After modal verbs (like vill, kan, ska, måste, får, bör), Swedish uses the bare infinitive without att:

• Correct: båda barnen vill leka
• Not correct: vill att leka Also, leker is a finite present form used on its own: Barnen leker i parken (The children are playing in the park).

Why do we say i parken and not på parken?

Swedish typically uses:

• i for being inside or within an area: i parken, i skogen, i trädgården
• på for surfaces, institutions, and set expressions: på torget, på lekplatsen, på stranden, på jobbet So it’s i parken.

Why is parken definite here? Could I say i en park?

i parken implies a specific, known park (from context). If you mean any park, say i en park:

• Specific: Båda barnen vill leka i parken.
• Non‑specific: Båda barnen vill leka i en park.

What’s the difference between leka and spela?

• leka = to play in the sense of children’s free play or pretend play: leka i parken, leka med Lego
• spela = to play games, sports, or instruments: spela fotboll, spela schack, spela piano

How do I say “play with” something or someone?

Use leka med:

• leka med bollen
• leka med sin syster

Is barn singular or plural? It looks the same.

It’s an irregular neuter noun:

• one child: ett barn
• the child: barnet
• children: barn
• the children: barnen

Do verbs change with person/number? Should it be vill or something else with a plural subject?

Swedish verbs don’t conjugate for person or number. It’s vill for all subjects:

• jag vill, hon vill, vi vill, de vill

How do I put this in the past or future?

• Past (wanted): Båda barnen ville leka i parken.
• Planned/arranged future: Båda barnen ska leka i parken.
• Intended future: Båda barnen tänker leka i parken.
• Neutral future: Båda barnen kommer att leka i parken.

Can I move i parken to the front?

Yes. Swedish main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in second position):

• I parken vill båda barnen leka. Here, vill stays in the second slot after the fronted phrase.

What’s the difference between båda barnen and de båda barnen?

Both are correct. de båda barnen has the preposed definite article de (double definiteness) and often sounds a bit more formal/emphatic. In everyday speech, båda barnen is very common.

How do I say “Neither child wants to play in the park”?

Use:

• Ingen av barnen vill leka i parken. If naming them: Varken Lisa eller Kalle vill leka i parken. Avoid Båda barnen vill inte… if you mean “neither,” because it can be ambiguous.

English says “at the park.” Should I say vid parken?

No. Swedish prefers i parken for the activity happening inside the park. vid parken means “by/next to the park,” not inside it.

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• å in Båda sounds like the vowel in English “bore” (more rounded): [boh‑da].
• leka has a long e: léka.
• vill has a short i (like in “bit”).
• barnen has an open a (like “father”); many speakers pronounce rn as a retroflex sound.
• parken stress on the first syllable: PAR‑ken. Stress pattern: BÅ‑da BARN‑en vill LÉ‑ka i PÁR‑ken.

Does “both” imply they play together? How would I say that explicitly?

“Both” doesn’t guarantee “together.” Say:

• Båda barnen vill leka tillsammans i parken.

Is there a nuance between båda barnen and de två barnen?

• båda barnen emphasizes that both members of the known pair share the property.
• de två barnen is a neutral way to refer to “the two children” (just counting). Often they’re interchangeable in context.

Is bägge a valid alternative to båda?

Yes. bägge is a synonym, a bit more common in some regions and styles:

• Bägge barnen vill leka i parken.
• De bägge barnen vill leka i parken.

Where do adverbs like inte, gärna, ofta go?

In main clauses, they usually come right after the finite verb (vill):

• Båda barnen vill inte leka i parken.
• Båda barnen vill gärna leka i parken.
• I parken vill båda barnen ofta leka.