Learn Hardcore Swedish: Han glömmer ibland smöret på bordet, men hon ställer alltid in det i kylskåpet. - He sometimes forgets the butter on the table, but she always puts it in the fridge.

In this sentence, we are talking about a particular butter that is already known in the situation (for example, the butter they have on the table at home), so Swedish uses the definite form smöret.

Even though smör is a mass noun, it can still take a definite form in Swedish when it’s specific.

Why is it smöret, bordet, and kylskåpet all with -et at the end?

All three are “ett-words” (neuter nouns), so their definite singular form ends in -et:

ett smör → smöret (the butter)
ett bord → bordet (the table)
ett kylskåp → kylskåpet (the fridge)

Pattern for neuter nouns:

Indefinite singular: ett bord
Definite singular: bordet

For en-words (common gender), the definite singular usually ends in -en:

en bok → boken (the book)
en stol → stolen (the chair)

So the -et here is just the regular definite ending for neuter nouns.

Why is the pronoun det used, and not den?

The pronoun must agree with the grammatical gender of the noun it refers to.

smör is an ett-word (neuter).
The neuter pronoun is det.
The common-gender pronoun is den.

So:

smöret → det (it)
boken → den (it)

In the sentence, det clearly refers back to smöret, so det is correct, not den.

Why don’t we just repeat smöret instead of using det?

Swedish works like English here: you usually avoid repeating a noun if it’s clear what you mean and use a pronoun instead.

Han glömmer ibland smöret på bordet, men hon ställer alltid in det i kylskåpet.
= “He sometimes forgets the butter on the table, but she always puts it in the fridge.”

You could say:

...men hon ställer alltid in smöret i kylskåpet.

Grammatically that’s fine, but it sounds heavier and more repetitive. Using det is more natural in normal speech and writing.

Why is it på bordet but i kylskåpet? How do på and i work here?

The difference is about the type of location:

på = on, on top of a surface
- på bordet = on the table (on its surface)
i = in, inside something
- i kylskåpet = in the fridge (inside it)

So:

You leave something på bordet (on top of the table).
You put something i kylskåpet (inside the fridge).

Using på kylskåpet would mean “on top of the fridge”, which would be a different image.

Why do we say bordet and kylskåpet with the definite ending? Could we say just på bord or i kylskåp?

With locations like this, Swedish very often uses the definite form, because you’re usually talking about a specific, known item:

på bordet = on the (specific) table (e.g. the kitchen table)
i kylskåpet = in the (specific) fridge (the one at home)

If you said:

på bord = on a table (not a specific one)
i kylskåp = in a fridge (some fridge, not clearly identified)

That would sound strange in most everyday contexts unless you’re speaking very generally or abstractly. In a typical home situation, there is a particular table and a particular fridge, so Swedish naturally uses the definite forms.

Where can I put adverbs like ibland (“sometimes”) and alltid (“always”) in Swedish sentences?

In a main clause with normal word order (subject first), the rule is:

Subject – finite verb – sentence adverb – (rest)

Sentence adverbs include inte, ibland, alltid, ofta, etc.

So:

Han glömmer ibland smöret...
subject = Han
finite verb = glömmer
sentence adverb = ibland
Hon ställer alltid in det...
subject = Hon
finite verb = ställer
sentence adverb = alltid

You can also move the adverb to the start for emphasis:

Ibland glömmer han smöret på bordet.
Alltid ställer hon in det i kylskåpet. (more emphatic, a bit stylised)

But then word order changes because the finite verb must still be in second position (the V2 rule), so the subject comes after the verb.

Why is in separated from ställer? Is ställer in one verb or two words?

Ställa in is a particle verb in Swedish:

basic verb: ställa = to put/stand (something upright)
particle: in = in/inside
ställa in = to put something in / to put something away (into a space)

Grammatically it’s one lexical unit, but it’s written as two words, and in main clauses a sentence adverb usually goes between the verb and the particle:

Hon ställer alltid in det i kylskåpet.
(verb – adverb – particle)

Compare:

Hon ställer inte in mjölken. = She doesn’t put the milk in.
Vi hämtar snart upp dig. = We’ll pick you up soon.

In subordinate clauses, the order can be different (verb final), but for this sentence you just need to know that alltid comes between ställer and in.

Why is it ställer in and not lägger in or just ställer?

Swedish distinguishes several “put” verbs:

ställa – to put/place something so it stands upright (bottles, jars, cartons, etc.)
lägga – to put/place something so it lies (horizontally, or flat objects)
sätta – to make something sit or put in a sort of “sitting” position (people, some objects)

Then you combine them with particles like in (in), upp (up), fram (out), etc.

In the fridge, we often imagine items like milk cartons, jars, and butter packs as standing, so:

ställa in något i kylskåpet = to put something in the fridge (so it stands there)

You could sometimes say lägga in (e.g. if you’re literally laying something down), but ställa in is the most natural “put (food) in the fridge” verb in many contexts.

Why is the verb in the present tense (glömmer, ställer) when it describes something they do repeatedly?

Swedish present tense is quite flexible. It is used for:

actions happening now
habits and repeated actions
general, timeless truths

So:

Han glömmer ibland smöret...
Hon ställer alltid in det...

means that these are habitual actions: something that happens from time to time / regularly. This is the same use of the present simple that English has in:

“He sometimes forgets the butter...”
“She always puts it in the fridge.”

You don’t need any extra word like brukar here; the adverbs ibland and alltid already show the habitual nature.

Could Swedish omit han or hon like some other languages do (e.g. Spanish)?

No. Swedish is not a “pro‑drop” language. You normally must include the subject pronoun:

Han glömmer ibland smöret... ✔
Glömmer ibland smöret... ✖ (wrong/only possible as a very marked note, headline, etc.)

Similarly:

Hon ställer alltid in det... ✔
Ställer alltid in det... ✖ (ungrammatical in normal speech)

The only common case without a subject pronoun is in imperatives:

Ställ in det i kylskåpet! = Put it in the fridge!

Why is the conjunction men (“but”) used instead of och (“and”)?

men introduces a contrast or opposition:

Han glömmer ibland smöret på bordet, men hon ställer alltid in det i kylskåpet.

Meaning: he does one (sloppy) thing, but she does the opposite (careful) thing.

If you used och (“and”), it would simply list two actions without highlighting the contrast:

Han glömmer ibland smöret på bordet, och hon ställer alltid in det i kylskåpet.

This sounds more neutral, as if both are just facts placed side by side. With men, the sentence points out that her behavior contrasts with his.