Learn Hardcore Swedish: Efter festen lämnar de alla saker från presenterna i en låda i garaget. - After the party they leave all the things from the presents in a drawer in the garage.

The finite verb (here: lämnar) must normally be the second element in the sentence.
Whatever comes first (subject, adverb, time expression, etc.), the verb still has to be in second position.

So:

Efter festen lämnar de …
1st element: Efter festen (time expression)
2nd element: lämnar (finite verb)
3rd element: de (subject)

If you said “Efter festen de lämnar …”, the verb is in third position, which is ungrammatical in a neutral main clause.

Compare:

De lämnar alla saker … – “They leave all the things …” (subject first, verb second)
I garaget lämnar de … – “In the garage they leave …” (place first, verb second)

Why is “lämnar” (present tense) used here? In English I’d expect past or future: “left” / “will leave”.

Swedish present tense is used more broadly than in English. It can express:

Right now:
- De lämnar sakerna i lådan nu. – “They are putting the things in the box now.”
Habitual action:
- Efter varje fest lämnar de sakerna i en låda. – “After every party they (always) put the things in a box.”
Near future / scheduled future (often with a time expression):
- Efter festen lämnar de alla saker … – “After the party they will put all the things …”

With a clear time phrase like “efter festen”, Swedish can use the present tense to refer to the future, similar to English “Tomorrow we leave.”

You can make the future more explicit with kommer att or ska:

Efter festen kommer de att lämna alla saker …
Efter festen ska de lämna alla saker …

What is the difference between “de” and “dem”, and why is it “de” here?

Swedish has two main forms of the third-person plural pronoun:

de – subject form (like English they)
dem – object form (like English them)

In your sentence:

de is the subject of the verb lämnar → so de is correct.

Examples:

De lämnar sakerna. – They leave the things. (subject)
Jag ser dem. – I see them. (object)
Vi ger dem lådan. – We give them the box. (object)

In many dialects, people pronounce de and dem both as dom, but in writing you must distinguish them.

Why is it “alla saker” and not “alla sakerna” or “alla de sakerna”?

All three are grammatically possible but differ in definiteness and specificity:

alla saker – “all (the) things” in a general / indefinite sense
- Fits when you just mean all the things from the presents, not marked as “those specific, known things” in the grammar.
alla sakerna – “all the things” (definite plural)
- Implies we both know exactly which things we’re talking about.
alla de sakerna – “all those things” / “all of those things”
- Strongly specific and often contrastive, like pointing at them.

In your sentence, “från presenterna” already limits the meaning, so alla saker is natural and not too heavy. You could say:

Efter festen lämnar de alla sakerna från presenterna i en låda …
This is also correct and just slightly more specific/definite.

Why is it “från presenterna” and not “av presenterna”?

Both från and av can be translated as “from,” but they’re used differently:

från = “from” in a more literal, spatial, or source sense.
- Jag kommer från Sverige. – “I come from Sweden.”
- Han tog boken från bordet. – “He took the book from the table.”
av = “by / of / from” in agent, material, or cause meanings.
- Boken är skriven av henne. – “The book is written by her.”
- En tröja av ull. – “A sweater of wool.”
- Trött av resan. – “Tired from the trip.”

In “alla saker från presenterna”, we’re talking about things that come out of / originate in the presents (as a source). från is the natural choice.

“alla saker av presenterna” would sound wrong here.

Why is it “presenterna” and not just “presenter”?

Swedish marks definiteness on the noun with an ending (and sometimes with den/de/det).

en present – a present (indefinite singular)
presenter – presents (indefinite plural)
presenterna – the presents (definite plural)

You use the definite plural when the set of presents is known and specific:

It’s the presents from the party, not just any random presents.

So:

Efter festen lämnar de alla saker från presenterna …
→ “After the party they leave all the things from the presents …”

Why is it “i en låda i garaget” and not “i garaget i en låda”?

Both are grammatically possible, but “i en låda i garaget” is the natural order because it goes:

Smaller / contained place first: i en låda – in a box
Larger / containing place second: i garaget – in the garage

So you get a nested structure:

put them in a box, and that box is in the garage.

Saying “i garaget i en låda” is understandable, but it sounds less natural and slightly awkward. Swedish typically orders locations from more specific → more general (at least in this type of phrase).

Why is it “garaget” (definite) and not “i ett garage” or just “i garage”?

Swedish almost always requires an article or definite form for countable nouns:
- You can’t say “i garage” like English “in garage.” You must say:
  - i ett garage – in a (some) garage
  - i garaget – in the garage
garaget is definite singular:
- ett garage – a garage
- garaget – the garage

We use the form when both speaker and listener know which garage is meant—probably their own garage at home.

So:

i garaget = in the (known, specific) garage.
i ett garage = in some/any garage (new information, not specific).

Can I move “alla”? What’s the difference between “alla saker” and “sakerna alla”?

The normal placement is “alla” + noun:

alla saker – all (the) things
alla böcker – all (the) books

You generally do not say “sakerna alla” in standard Swedish. That kind of post‑position (adjective or determiner after the noun) is unusual and would sound poetic or archaic at best.

Use:

alla saker (indefinite)
alla sakerna (definite: all the things)
alla de sakerna (very specific: all those things)

But always “alla” before the noun (or before “de + noun”), not after.

How do the forms of “sak” and “present” work in singular and plural?

Both sak and present are en-words (common gender) and follow common plural patterns.

sak (thing):

en sak – a thing
saken – the thing
saker – things
sakerna – the things

present (present/gift):

en present – a present
presenten – the present
presenter – presents
presenterna – the presents

So in your sentence:

alla saker – all (the) things
från presenterna – from the presents (definite plural)

Why is the preposition “i” used in “i en låda” and “i garaget”? Could it be “på”?

For inside something, Swedish uses i (“in”).

i en låda – in a box (inside the box)
i garaget – in the garage (inside the garage)

på (“on”) is used when something is on the surface of something:

på bordet – on the table
på hyllan – on the shelf

Here we clearly mean that the things are inside the box and inside the garage, so i is correct.

Using på en låda would mean “on top of a box,” which is a different meaning.

Could I say “Efter festen kommer de att lämna alla saker …” instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Efter festen kommer de att lämna alla saker från presenterna i en låda i garaget.

This uses kommer att + infinitive (kommer att lämna) to express the future more explicitly.

Meaning difference:

lämnar: can be present or scheduled/near future, context decides.
kommer att lämna: clearly future; “will leave / will put.”

In everyday speech, both are fine. Using the plain present with a time expression (Efter festen lämnar de …) is very natural Swedish.