Learn Hardcore Swedish: På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag. - In the summer we often sit outside and eat dinner.

Be aware of the separate expression i sommar (without the -en), which means this coming summer (future), not in the summer (generally).

Why is sommaren in the definite form? Could I say på sommar?

You say på sommaren (definite form) to talk about summer in general, as a recurring season:

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute… – Every summer / in summer (as a general habit).

Using indefinite sommar here is not correct; på sommar on its own does not work.

Some related forms:

på sommaren – in the summer (generally)
på somrarna – in the summers (plural, also general/habitual)
en sommar – a (particular) summer
under sommaren 2024 – during the summer of 2024 (a specific one)

Why is the word order sitter vi and not vi sitter after På sommaren?

Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position in the sentence.

In På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag:

På sommaren = first element (time adverbial)
sitter = verb (must come second)
vi = subject

If you start with the subject instead, the order changes accordingly:

Vi sitter ofta ute och äter middag på sommaren.

Both are correct; the difference is which element you put first, but the verb still stays second.

Can ofta go in a different place, like På sommaren sitter vi ute ofta?

The most natural placement here is exactly as in the sentence:

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag.

General guidelines:

Frequency adverbs such as ofta, alltid, aldrig usually come after the verb and the subject, but before many other elements.

Some alternatives and how they feel:

Vi sitter ofta ute på sommaren och äter middag. – Also natural.
På sommaren sitter vi ute och äter ofta middag. – Emphasises how often you eat dinner (not so much the sitting outside); sounds a bit marked.
På sommaren sitter vi ute ofta och äter middag. – Possible but clunky; Swedes would rarely say it like this.

So the original placement of ofta is the most idiomatic.

Why is sitter used instead of är (are), as in är ute?

Swedish often uses posture verbs to describe how someone is positioned while doing something:

sitter – is sitting
står – is standing
ligger – is lying

Using sitter here expresses both:

That the people are outside.
That they are specifically sitting (e.g. on chairs on a patio).

På sommaren är vi ofta ute och äter middag is grammatically correct and understandable, but less specific. sitter feels more vivid and natural if you literally mean that you sit.

Could I use brukar instead of ofta, like På sommaren brukar vi sitta ute och äta middag?

Yes, that is perfectly correct, but the meaning changes slightly.

ofta = often, many times; focuses on frequency.
brukar
- infinitive = usually / tend to; focuses on a habitual pattern.

Compare:

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag.
– We often do this; it happens many times.
På sommaren brukar vi sitta ute och äta middag.
– We usually do this; it’s our normal habit in summer.

Both are natural; brukar is slightly stronger as a statement about what typically happens.

What is the difference between ute and ut? Why sitter vi ofta ute, not ut?

Swedish distinguishes between location and movement:

ut = motion out(wards) (from inside to outside)
- Vi går ut. – We go out.
- Han gick ut i trädgården. – He went out into the garden.
ute = being outside (state, location)
- Vi är ute. – We are outside.
- Vi sitter ute. – We are sitting outside.

In the sentence, sitter describes a state (how and where you are), not a movement, so it must be ute, not ut.

Why don’t we repeat vi before äter, like …sitter vi ofta ute och vi äter middag?

When two verbs share the same subject and are linked with och, Swedish normally mentions the subject only once:

Vi sitter ute och äter middag. – We sit outside and eat dinner.

Repeating the subject is possible but usually unnecessary and can sound heavy or emphatic:

Vi sitter ute, och vi äter middag. – Feels like you’re stressing them as two separate statements.

So you drop the second vi because the subject is clearly the same for both sitter and äter.

Why do you say äter middag rather than just middag as a verb-like word?

In Swedish, names of meals usually need a verb, most often äta:

äta frukost – eat breakfast
äta lunch – eat lunch
äta middag – eat dinner

You cannot say Vi middag ute; middag is only a noun.

There is also ha middag, but that means something like host a dinner / have people over for dinner, not simply eating your normal evening meal. For the neutral idea of having your evening meal, äta middag is the standard expression.

Does middag always mean “dinner” (evening meal), or can it also mean lunch?

In modern standard Swedish (especially in Sweden):

frukost – breakfast
lunch – lunch (midday meal)
middag – main evening meal (dinner, supper)

Historically and in some dialects, middag could mean the midday main meal, but for a learner of contemporary Swedish, it is safest to understand middag as the normal evening main meal. Context can sometimes shift it slightly, but that’s the default.

Why is the present tense (sitter, äter) used if this is about something that happens repeatedly every summer?

Swedish present tense is used both for:

Actions happening right now.
Habits and things that are generally true, including repeated events.

So:

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag.
– Describes a general habit every summer.

If you wanted to talk about last summer, you would switch to the past:

I somras satt vi ofta ute och åt middag. – Last summer we often sat outside and ate dinner.

Could I say På sommaren äter vi ofta middag ute instead? Is it correct, and does it mean the same?

Yes, På sommaren äter vi ofta middag ute is correct and natural.

Both sentences are close in meaning, but there is a small nuance:

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag.
– Slight emphasis on the whole scene of sitting outside and (there) eating dinner.
På sommaren äter vi ofta middag ute.
– Slight emphasis on the fact that we eat dinner outside (location of the meal).

Both describe the same kind of situation; the difference is more about style and what you highlight than about content.

Can I use under sommaren instead of på sommaren, and what is the difference?

You can say under sommaren, but it usually refers to one particular summer period rather than a general, recurring habit.

På sommaren sitter vi ofta ute och äter middag.
– In (the) summer(s), we often do this; it’s a general habit every summer.
Under sommaren satt vi ofta ute och åt middag.
– During that (specific) summer, we often did this.

With under sommaren you often add something specific, like a year:
Under sommaren 2024 satt vi ofta ute och åt middag. – During the summer of 2024 we often sat outside and ate dinner.