Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hon spenderar pengar på ett nytt projekt.

Spenderar is present tense. Swedish present covers both simple and progressive meanings, so Hon spenderar pengar ... can mean either “She spends money ...” or “She is spending money ...”. If you want to stress “right now,” add an adverb like just nu: Hon spenderar just nu pengar ...

Why is the preposition på used here? Could it be i or för?

With money, Swedish says spendera pengar på [något] (spend money on something). Alternatives:

investera i [något] (invest in something): Hon investerar i ett projekt.
satsa på [något] (back/bet on something): Hon satsar på ett projekt.
för means “for/for the sake of”: Vi samlar in pengar för ett projekt (we’re raising money for a project), not spending them on it.

Why ett nytt projekt and not en ny projekt?

Because projekt is a neuter noun (an “ett-word”), so it takes the article ett. The adjective agrees with the noun: in neuter singular indefinite, adjectives take -t, hence nytt.

en-ord: en ny bil
ett-ord: ett nytt projekt

Why is pengar plural and why no article?

In Swedish, “money” is usually the plural-only noun pengar (no singular in normal use). You don’t use an article for indefinite “money”: Hon har pengar. If you mean specific money, use the definite plural: pengarna (the money).

How do you conjugate spendera?

It’s a regular -a verb:

infinitive: spendera
present: spenderar
preterite (past): spenderade
supine (used with har/hade): spenderat
imperative: spendera!

Is spendera always the most natural verb? What are common alternatives?

Spendera is fine and common with money. Very idiomatic alternatives include:

lägga pengar på [något] (put money into/on): Hon lägger pengar på ett projekt.
satsa pengar på [något] (stake/back): more risk-flavored.
investera i [något] (invest in): financial/long-term nuance. Colloquial: bränna pengar på [något] (burn money on), informal.

What’s the basic word order here? Any V2 rules to remember?

Main clauses are SVO, and Swedish is V2 (the finite verb must be in second position):

Neutral: Hon spenderar pengar på ett nytt projekt.
If you front something, the verb stays second: I år spenderar hon pengar på ett nytt projekt.

Where do negation and adverbs go?

Place them after the finite verb in main clauses:

Negation: Hon spenderar inte pengar på ...
Frequency: Hon spenderar ofta/mycket pengar på ...
Also: Hon spenderar också pengar på ...

Can I drop the subject Hon like in some languages?

No. Swedish is not a pro-drop language. You need an explicit subject pronoun: Hon spenderar ... (not just Spenderar ...). Dummy subjects like det are also used when needed: Det regnar.

Can I omit pengar and just say Hon spenderar på ...?

Normally you include what is being spent. You can omit pengar if the amount is clear:

Natural: Hon spenderar mycket på resor.
Odd: Hon spenderar på resor. (feels incomplete)

What if I mean a specific new project we’ve already mentioned?

Use the definite forms for both the determiner and noun, and the definite form of the adjective:

på det nya projektet (on the new project) Indefinite vs definite:
Indefinite: ett nytt projekt
Definite: det nya projektet

How do I pronounce the tricky parts (quick tips)?

spenderar: stress on -de-: [spen-DE-raːr].
pengar: ng = [ŋ] (like sing): [PENG-ar], not a hard [g].
projekt: j = [j] (English y): [pro-YEKT].
nytt: short [ʏ] (like German ü), double tt makes the vowel short.

How do I say “spend time on a project”?

Use different verbs:

tillbringa tid med [något/någon]: Hon tillbringar tid med projektet.
lägga tid på [något]: Hon lägger tid på ett projekt. You can say spendera tid, but many prefer the two options above in careful style.

What are the forms of projekt?

Indefinite singular: ett projekt
Definite singular: projektet
Indefinite plural: projekt
Definite plural: projekten

Can I front the prepositional phrase for emphasis?

Yes. Keep V2:

På ett nytt projekt spenderar hon pengar. (emphasizes the project) Neutral version remains: Hon spenderar pengar på ett nytt projekt.