Questions & Answers about Barnen leker ofta i parken.
In Swedish, the definite article (the) is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front of it.
- barn = child / children (the word is the same in singular and plural)
- barnet = the child
- barnen = the children
So barnen literally means “the children”.
Using just barn would mean “child/children” without “the”.
Leka is the infinitive form, like “to play”.
In the present tense, Swedish verbs usually add -r (or -er) and don’t change for person:
- att leka = to play
- jag leker = I play
- du leker = you play
- han/hon leker = he/she plays
- vi leker = we play
- ni leker = you (plural) play
- de leker = they play
So with barnen (the children), you still use leker:
Barnen leker … = The children play …
Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here: leker) usually comes in second position in the sentence.
In Barnen leker ofta i parken:
- Barnen (subject) = first position
- leker (finite verb) = second position
- ofta (adverb) comes after the verb
So the normal word order is:
Subject – Verb – (Adverb) – Other information
→ Barnen leker ofta i parken.
You can start with Ofta (for emphasis), but then the verb must still be second:
- Ofta leker barnen i parken. = Often, the children play in the park.
No, that word order is not correct in standard Swedish.
Because of the V2 rule, the verb must be in second place:
❌ Barnen ofta leker i parken (adverb breaks the subject–verb order)
✅ Barnen leker ofta i parken (Subject–Verb–Adverb)
If you move ofta to the front, you must move the subject after the verb:
✅ Ofta leker barnen i parken.
Barnen leker i parken ofta is understandable but sounds less natural than Barnen leker ofta i parken.
Neutral and most common:
- Barnen leker ofta i parken.
Placing ofta at the end can sound like you are adding it as an afterthought or giving it special emphasis. It’s not wrong, but it’s not the default everyday word order.
Both i and på can translate as “in” or “at/on”, but they’re used with different types of places.
i = in/inside something, inside an area
- i huset (in the house)
- i skolan (at/in school)
- i parken (in the park – within the park area)
på = on/on top of, or at certain fixed locations
- på bordet (on the table)
- på jobbet (at work)
- på stranden (at the beach)
A park is thought of as an enclosed or defined area you are inside, so you say:
Barnen leker ofta i parken.
Again, Swedish uses a suffix to express the definite article “the”:
- (en) park = a park
- parken = the park
In the sentence, we mean “in the park”, not just “in a park”, so we use the definite form: parken.
If you wanted “in a park”, you would say:
- Barnen leker ofta i en park.
Nouns in Swedish have two grammatical genders:
- en-words (common gender) → definite singular ends in -en
- ett-words (neuter) → definite singular ends in -et
park is an en-word:
- en park → parken
You largely have to memorize whether a noun is en or ett, but many words referring to people, animals, and many concrete objects are en-words. Dictionaries always mark this: park (en).
Yes, both can translate as “to play”, but they’re used in different contexts:
leka = to play in a childlike, free, imaginative way
- Barnen leker i parken. (The children are playing in the park.)
- De leker med sina leksaker. (They’re playing with their toys.)
spela = to play a game with rules, a sport, or a musical instrument
- spela fotboll (play football)
- spela kort (play cards)
- spela piano (play piano)
So in your sentence, because it’s children playing freely in a park, leka is the natural choice:
Barnen leker ofta i parken.
No. In modern Swedish, verbs do not change for person or number in the present tense:
- Jag leker (I play)
- Du leker (You play)
- Han/Hon leker (He/She plays)
- Vi leker (We play)
- Ni leker (You plural play)
- De leker (They play)
So you always use leker for the present tense, no matter who is doing the action.
Approximate pronunciation in IPA:
- Barnen → [ˈbɑːɳɛn]
- r+n often becomes a retroflex sound [ɳ], a bit like “rn” fused together.
- leker → [ˈleːkɛr]
- ofta → [ˈɔfːta] (double f gives a longer /f/ sound)
- i → [iː]
- parken → [ˈparkɛn]
Said smoothly:
[ˈbɑːɳɛn ˈleːkɛr ˈɔfːta iː ˈparkɛn]
Main stress falls on BÁR-nen, LÉ-ker, ÓF-ta, PÁR-ken.
Yes, that’s very natural if you want to emphasize how often it happens:
- Ofta leker barnen i parken. = Often, the children play in the park.
Note how the V2 rule still applies:
- Ofta = first element
- leker (verb) = second position
- barnen (subject) comes after the verb
You cannot say Ofta barnen leker i parken in standard Swedish.
Ofta primarily means “often”, but in context it can feel close to “frequently” or even “usually” depending on tone and situation.
- Barnen leker ofta i parken.
→ They play there often / frequently.
For a more explicit “usually”, Swedish often uses brukar:
- Barnen brukar leka i parken.
→ The children usually play in the park.