Learn Hardcore Swedish: Han upptäcker ofta nya promenadstigar i skogen när han går själv. - He often discovers new walking paths in the forest when he walks alone.

hitta = “find” in a more neutral, practical sense
Han hittar en ny stig. – He finds a new path.
upptäcka = “discover,” often with a nuance of exploring, noticing something new, or making a new discovery for yourself
Han upptäcker en ny stig. – He discovers a new path (new to him, maybe after exploring).

In Han upptäcker ofta nya promenadstigar i skogen …, upptäcker suggests that he is exploring and discovering new paths, not just accidentally coming across them once.

Why is ofta placed after upptäcker and not at the very beginning or end of the sentence?

Swedish has quite strict word order rules, especially in main clauses. A key pattern is:

Subject – Finite verb – Sentence adverb – Rest of the sentence

Ofta (often) is a typical sentence adverb, so it usually comes after the conjugated verb:

Han upptäcker ofta nya promenadstigar …

Other common sentence adverbs: inte (not), alltid (always), sällan (seldom), kanske (maybe).

You can move ofta to the front for emphasis:

Ofta upptäcker han nya promenadstigar i skogen.

But even then, the finite verb (upptäcker) must be in second position (the V2 rule), and ofta will not normally be moved to the very end like in English “He discovers new walking paths in the forest often.”

Why is it nya promenadstigar and not ny promenadstig?

Because we are talking about more than one walking path.

en promenadstig – a walking path (singular, indefinite)
promenadstigen – the walking path (singular, definite)
promenadstigar – walking paths (plural, indefinite)
promenadstigarna – the walking paths (plural, definite)

The adjective must agree with the noun in number (singular/plural) and definiteness.

en ny promenadstig – a new walking path
nya promenadstigar – new walking paths (plural indefinite)

So nya promenadstigar is the natural way to say “new walking paths” in general.

What exactly does promenadstigar mean, and how is this compound formed?

Promenadstigar is a compound noun:

promenad = walk, stroll
stig = path, trail
stig → stigar (plural form)

Combine them: promenad + stigar → promenadstigar = “walking paths” / “paths for walking”.

This kind of compound is extremely common in Swedish. The last part (stig) is the main word, and the first part (promenad) describes what kind of path it is. Other examples:

cykelväg – cycle path (bike + road)
skogsstig – forest path (forest + path)

Why is it i skogen and not i en skog or just i skog?

Skog is an en-word:

en skog – a forest
skogen – the forest (definite form)

In Swedish, the definite form is usually made by adding an ending to the noun, not by adding a separate article like “the”. So skogen literally means “the-forest”.

i skogen often implies a specific or familiar forest, or “in the forest” as a kind of general environment, similar to talking about “the forest” as a concept.

Alternatives:

i en skog – in a forest (some unspecified forest, not particular)
i skogar – in forests (plural)
i skog – not idiomatic in this context; i skog isn’t used the way English uses “in forest” as a general idea.

In everyday Swedish, i skogen is the default way to say “in the forest” when you mean forest as a place or environment.

Why is it när han går själv and not simply när han går?

The phrase själv adds the idea that he is walking alone / by himself, not with other people.

när han går – when he walks (neutral, could be alone or with others)
när han går själv – when he walks by himself / alone

So själv here adds an important nuance: his solitary walking is connected to the fact that he discovers new paths.

What is the difference between själv and ensam in this sentence? Could I say när han går ensam?

Both själv and ensam can relate to being alone, but their use and nuance differ.

själv = “himself / by himself / on his own”
- Often emphasizes that the person is not with anyone else, or that they are doing something independently.
- In när han går själv, it sounds natural and neutral: “when he walks by himself”.
ensam = “alone, lonely”
- Can focus more on the state of being alone, sometimes with an emotional nuance (lonely), though not always.

You can say:

när han går ensam – when he walks alone

This is grammatically correct. In many contexts it means almost the same, but själv often feels a bit more neutral/colloquial and can sound slightly more natural here. Ensam can sometimes hint more at emotional loneliness, depending on context.

Why is går used here and not promenerar?

Both verbs are possible, but they have different nuances:

gå = to go / to walk
Very general; used in many contexts: walking, going somewhere, leaving, etc.
- Han går till skolan. – He walks/goes to school.
promenera = to go for a walk / to stroll
More specific; emphasizes the activity of walking, often for pleasure or exercise.
- Han promenerar i parken. – He goes for a walk in the park.

In när han går själv, går is the neutral choice: “when he walks (by himself)”.
You could say när han promenerar själv, which would highlight that he’s out walking for pleasure or exercise. The original sentence keeps it simple and very common-sounding with går.

Why is the verb in när han går själv simple present and not some continuous form like “is walking”?

Swedish does not have a separate continuous tense (like English “is walking”). The simple present går covers both:

“he walks” and
“he is walking”

So:

när han går själv
can correspond to
- “when he walks by himself” (habitual) or
- “when he is walking by himself” (at that time)

The context of the whole sentence (“He often discovers … when he walks alone”) is habitual, so present simple går is exactly what Swedish uses.

Why is han repeated in när han går själv? Could it be just när går själv?

In Swedish, you normally must include the subject in a clause; it cannot be dropped the way it can in some other languages.

när han går själv – when he walks by himself
✗ när går själv – incorrect (no subject)

Each clause needs a subject:

Main clause: Han upptäcker ofta nya promenadstigar i skogen …
Subordinate clause: när han går själv.

Even though it’s the same person, you still repeat han in the subordinate clause.

Could I say Han upptäcker nya promenadstigar i skogen ofta instead? Where can ofta go?

The normal and most natural position is after the finite verb:

Han upptäcker ofta nya promenadstigar i skogen.

Some other word orders are possible, but they sound marked or less natural in everyday speech:

Ofta upptäcker han nya promenadstigar i skogen. – Fronting ofta for emphasis is fine.
Han upptäcker nya promenadstigar i skogen ofta. – Understandable, but feels unusual/awkward to many native speakers.

As a rule of thumb for main clauses:

Put sentence adverbs like ofta, inte, alltid directly after the conjugated verb. This will almost always sound correct and natural:
- Han går ofta i skogen.
- Han hittar inte stigen.
- Han är alltid trött.