Learn Hardcore Swedish: Utanför huset står två stora träd. - Outside the house there are two big trees.

The finite verb (here står) must be the second element in the sentence.
The first element can be the subject, or some other element (time, place, etc.).

In your sentence:

Utanför huset = 1st element (a place expression)
står = 2nd element (the verb – obeys the V2 rule)
två stora träd = the subject (placed after the verb because something else came first)

The more “neutral” order, without a fronted place phrase, would be:

Två stora träd står utanför huset.

Both are correct; the original version just emphasizes the location by putting it first.

Can I also say Två stora träd står utanför huset? Does it mean the same thing?

Yes, that sentence is perfectly correct and means essentially the same thing: “Two big trees stand outside the house.”

Difference in nuance:

Två stora träd står utanför huset.
– More neutral; focus starts on the trees.
Utanför huset står två stora träd.
– Slightly more emphasis on the location (“Outside the house …”) and then introduces what is there.

Grammatically, both follow the verb-second rule:

Två stora träd (subject) + står (verb) + utanför huset (place)
Utanför huset (place) + står (verb) + två stora träd (subject)

Why is it huset and not just hus or something with a separate word for “the” like in English?

Swedish usually does not use a separate word like “the”. Instead, it adds a definite ending to the noun.

hus = a house / house (indefinite)
huset = the house (definite singular)

Pattern for many ett-words (neuter nouns):

ett hus = a house
huset = the house
hus = houses (indefinite plural)
husen = the houses (definite plural)

So in utanför huset, the -et at the end of huset is the definite article (“the”).

Why is it två stora träd and not två stor träd?

The form of the adjective stor (“big”) changes depending on gender, number, and definiteness.

Basic forms of stor:

stor – common gender singular: en stor bil (a big car)
stort – neuter singular: ett stort hus (a big house)
stora – all plurals, and also with definite nouns:
- två stora träd (two big trees)
- de stora träden (the big trees)
- det stora huset (the big house)

In två stora träd:

träd is plural.
For plural, the adjective must be stora, regardless of gender.

So två stor träd is ungrammatical; it must be två stora träd.

Why is träd the same in singular and plural? How do I know if it means “tree” or “trees”?

Träd is an ett-word (neuter noun) that has the same form in indefinite singular and indefinite plural.

Forms:

ett träd = a tree
träd = tree / trees (indefinite)
trädet = the tree
träden = the trees

How do you know if it’s singular or plural?

You look at the context, especially numbers and adjectives:

ett stort träd = one big tree → singular
två stora träd = two big trees → plural
många träd = many trees → plural

Here, två (two) tells you it must be plural: träd = trees.

Why is it står and not är in this sentence?

Swedish often prefers position verbs instead of a general “to be” (är) when talking about how things are located:

stå = to stand
ligga = to lie (be lying)
sitta = to sit
hänga = to hang

For inanimate objects, Swedes still use these:

Boken ligger på bordet. = The book is lying on the table.
Lampan hänger i taket. = The lamp is hanging in the ceiling.
Utanför huset står två stora träd. = Outside the house stand two big trees.

You can say Utanför huset är två stora träd, but it sounds odd or non‑native. Står is the natural choice because trees are conceptualized as “standing.”

How is står formed from the verb stå? Is it the same for all persons?

Yes, present tense is the same for all persons in Swedish.

Infinitive: att stå = to stand
Present tense: står = stand(s)

Examples:

jag står = I stand / am standing
du står = you stand
han/hon står = he/she stands
vi står = we stand
ni står = you (plural) stand
de står = they stand

So in Utanför huset står två stora träd, står is present tense and doesn’t change with the subject.

What exactly does utanför mean, and how is it different from just ute or vid?

Utanför is a preposition/adverb meaning “outside (of)”, often with a sense of outside the boundary of something.

Comparisons:

utanför = outside (the outside of something):
- utanför huset = outside the house (not inside its area/walls)
ute = out / outdoors, more general:
- Jag är ute. = I am outside / outdoors.
vid = at / by / near:
- vid huset = by the house / next to the house (but could still be on the property, right up against it)

In your sentence, utanför huset clearly means the trees are outside the house (not inside it). Vid huset would focus more on by the house, not specifically “outside vs. inside.”

Is the order två stora träd fixed, or could I say stora två träd?

The order is fixed: in Swedish, the normal order is:

Number / quantity (e.g., två)
Adjective (e.g., stora)
Noun (e.g., träd)

So:

två stora träd = correct
stora två träd = incorrect

More examples with the same pattern:

tre små hus = three small houses
fem röda bilar = five red cars

How do you pronounce the special vowels å and ä in this sentence (står, träd)?

Very roughly:

å (as in står)
- Similar to the vowel in British English “law” or “taught”, but usually a bit shorter and more rounded.
- står is roughly like “stor” in English “story” but with a more open, rounded vowel.
ä (as in träd)
- Often similar to the vowel in English “bed” or “met”, but sometimes a bit more fronted.
- träd is roughly like “trehd” (one syllable), not like English “trade.”

So, very approximately:

står ≈ stor (with a “law”-type vowel)
träd ≈ trehd (short e sound, one syllable)