Learn Hardcore Swedish: Ibland äter vi fisk med ris och en enkel sås. - Sometimes we eat fish with rice and a simple sauce.

Whatever comes first (subject, adverb, object, etc.), the conjugated verb still has to be in second place.
Here, "Ibland" is in first position, so the verb "äter" must be second.
The subject "vi" then comes third.

So:

Ibland (1) äter (2) vi (3) ...
But if the subject is first: Vi (1) äter (2) ibland (3+) ...

You can’t say "Ibland vi äter ..." in Swedish; that breaks the V2 rule.

Why is it "äter" and not something like “are eating” in Swedish?

Swedish normally uses one simple present tense for both English “eat” and “are eating”:

Vi äter fisk = We eat fish / We are eating fish (context decides).

In this sentence, "äter" expresses a habitual action (“sometimes we do this”), which in English is usually “eat” (simple present), but Swedish doesn’t need a different form. There is no regular progressive form (are eating) in normal Swedish grammar.

Why is there no article before "fisk" and "ris", but there is "en" before "enkel sås"?

This is mainly about countable vs uncountable (mass) nouns and how Swedish uses articles with them.

fisk – can be countable (a fish) or uncountable (fish as food).
In food contexts, Swedish often treats it as a mass noun, so you can say:
- Vi äter fisk = We eat fish (some fish, not a specific one). No article is needed.
ris – normally uncountable (rice).
- Vi äter ris = We eat rice. Again, no article.
sås – usually countable in this food context (a sauce).
- en sås = a sauce. That’s why we get "en enkel sås" = a simple sauce.

So: no article for fish and rice as general food, indefinite article for a sauce as a separate item.

Why is it "en enkel sås" and not "en enkla sås" or "ett enkel sås"?

Two things are happening: noun gender and adjective agreement.

Gender of “sås”
- sås is an en-word (common gender).
- So its indefinite singular form is en sås, not ett sås.
Adjective agreement with “en sås”
The adjective "enkel" (simple) changes form depending on the noun:
- en enkel sås – en-word, singular, indefinite
- ett enkelt recept – ett-word, singular, indefinite
- enkla såser – plural, or definite: den enkla såsen (the simple sauce)

So:

en enkel sås = correct combination: en-word + singular + matching adjective form.

Why is the adjective "enkel" placed before "sås"? Can it come after like in some other languages?

In Swedish, attributive adjectives (those directly describing a noun) almost always come before the noun:

en enkel sås = a simple sauce
en röd bil = a red car
ett stort hus = a big house

Adjectives only come after the noun in certain special structures, usually with the verb “vara” (to be) or “bli” (to become):

Såsen är enkel. = The sauce is simple.
Bilen är röd. = The car is red.

So in this sentence, "enkel" must go before "sås".

Why is it "en sås" and not a definite form like "såsen"?

"såsen" would mean "the sauce" (a specific one both speaker and listener already know about).

Here we are talking about any simple sauce, not one that has been identified before:

en enkel sås = a simple sauce (non-specific, one of potentially many)
den enkla såsen = the simple sauce (that specific one we are talking about)

Since the English meaning here is with rice and a simple sauce, the indefinite form "en enkel sås" is the natural choice.

Why is it "med ris" and not "och ris"? What’s the difference between "med" and "och" here?

med means with – it often describes an accompaniment, side dish, or ingredient:
- fisk med ris = fish with rice (rice as a side to the fish)
- pasta med tomatsås = pasta with tomato sauce
och means and – simply listing separate items:
- fisk och ris = fish and rice (two separate things on the list)

In practice, "fisk med ris" feels more like a dish where rice goes with the fish, while "fisk och ris" can sound a bit more like listing two equal elements on a menu or shopping list. In everyday talk about meals, "med" is more natural in this context.

Does the verb "äter" change with the subject like in English (I eat, he eats)?

No. Swedish has the same present tense form for all persons:

jag äter – I eat
du äter – you eat
han/hon/den/det äter – he/she/it eats
vi äter – we eat
ni äter – you (plural) eat
de äter – they eat

There is no -s ending like English "he eats". So here, "äter" stays the same with "vi".

Can you drop the subject "vi" and just say "Ibland äter fisk..."?

No, you normally cannot drop subject pronouns in Swedish. You need to say:

Ibland äter vi fisk ...

If you say "Ibland äter fisk ...", it sounds like "Sometimes fish eats ...", i.e., the fish is the subject, which is not what you mean.

Swedish is not a “pro-drop” language like Spanish or Italian; the subject pronoun is required in normal sentences.

Why is "fisk" singular in Swedish when the English idea is more like “some fish” (uncountable)?

In Swedish, when talking about food in general, you often use the bare singular form of the noun as a kind of mass noun:

Vi äter fisk. = We eat fish. (some fish, not necessarily one fish)
Vi äter kyckling. = We eat chicken.
Vi äter glass. = We eat ice cream.

English tends to mark this with no article and/or different plural patterns (“fish / fishes”). Swedish simply uses the bare singular to express some amount of that food, which is what happens with "fisk" here.

How do you pronounce "Ibland äter vi fisk med ris och en enkel sås"? Especially "ibland", "äter", and "sås"?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish standard, simplified):

Ibland – [i-BLAND]
- i like English ee in see
- bland like blund with a clearer a (as in father but shorter)
äter – [EH-ter]
- ä like e in bet but usually a bit more open
- ter like tehr
sås – [SOHS]
- å like the vowel in British saw (rounded “aw”)
- final s like English s

Roughly:
[i-BLAND EH-ter vi fisk med ris ok en EN-kel sohs]

(This is only approximate; real Swedish has specific vowel qualities and stress patterns.)