Hennes efternamn stavas ofta fel.

Her last name is often spelled wrong.

Breakdown of Hennes efternamn stavas ofta fel.

• ofta: often
• hennes: her
• efternamnet: the last name
• stavas: to be spelled

Questions & Answers about Hennes efternamn stavas ofta fel.

What does the -s in stavas do? Is this the passive?

Yes. The -s marks the Swedish s-passive.

• stava = to spell (active)
• stavar = spell(s) (present active)
• stavas = is/are spelled (present passive) The agent (the speller) is left unspecified, which fits well here because we care about the result, not who does it.

Can I say the same thing in active voice?

Yes. Common active paraphrases are:

• Man stavar ofta hennes efternamn fel. (People often spell her last name wrong.)
• Folk stavar ofta hennes efternamn fel.
• De stavar ofta hennes efternamn fel. The passive stavas version is slightly more neutral/impersonal and very idiomatic.

Where should ofta go? Can I put it at the start?

In a main clause, adverbs like ofta usually come after the finite verb:

• Hennes efternamn stavas ofta fel.

You can also front the adverb for emphasis; Swedish then keeps verb-second (V2) order:

• Ofta stavas hennes efternamn fel.

Why is there no article before efternamn after hennes?

Swedish does not use an article with possessives. So you say:

• Hennes efternamn (not: det/ett hennes efternamn) This is a general rule: possessive + noun, no article.