Learn Hardcore Swedish: Vi är inte i samma ålder, men vi har lika många intressen som varandra. - We are not the same age, but we have as many interests as each other.

Vi är inte i samma ålder, men vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

We are not the same age, but we have as many interests as each other.

Breakdown of Vi är inte i samma ålder, men vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

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Questions & Answers about Vi är inte i samma ålder, men vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

Why is it Vi är inte and not Vi inte är? How does the word order with inte work?

In a main clause in Swedish, the finite verb must be in second position (the “V2 rule”). The normal order is:

Subject – finite verb – inte – rest of the sentence

So we get:

Vi är inte i samma ålder.
Vi (subject) – är (finite verb) – inte (negation)

Putting inte before the verb (Vi inte är …) breaks that rule and sounds ungrammatical in a main clause.

But in a subordinate clause, the word order changes, and inte normally comes before the verb:

… att vi inte är i samma ålder
(… that we are not the same age)

What does i samma ålder literally mean, and is it the most natural way to say “the same age”?

Literally, i samma ålder means “in the same age”.

It is correct and idiomatic, but if you simply want to say “we are not the same age”, the most natural everyday version is:

Vi är inte lika gamla.
(We are not equally old.)

So you can think of these as near-equivalents:

Vi är inte i samma ålder.
Vi är inte lika gamla.

Both are correct; Vi är inte lika gamla is more common and sounds a bit more natural in casual speech.

Why is the preposition i used in i samma ålder and not something like på or av?

Swedish often uses i (in) with states or conditions you are “in”:

i den här åldern – at this age
i min ålder – at my age
i samma ålder – the same age

Prepositions are very idiomatic and don’t always match English:

English: at this age → Swedish: i den här åldern (literally “in this age”)

Using på (på samma ålder) or av (av samma ålder) is not idiomatic Swedish and would sound wrong.

How does the structure lika många intressen som varandra work grammatically?

It’s built from a common comparison pattern:

lika många + [plural count noun] + som + [thing/person compared to]

So:

lika många intressen = as many interests
som varandra = as each other

Together:

Vi har lika många intressen som varandra.
= We have as many interests as each other
(more natural English: We have the same number of interests.)

You could also plug in other nouns:

Vi har lika många böcker som ni. – We have as many books as you.
De har lika många barn som oss. – They have as many children as us.

What is the difference between lika många and lika mycket?

Both mean “as many / as much”, but they are used with different types of nouns:

lika många
- countable, plural nouns
- lika många intressen – as many interests
- lika många böcker – as many books
lika mycket
- uncountable / mass nouns
- lika mycket tid – as much time
- lika mycket kaffe – as much coffee

So intressen (interests) is countable and plural → lika många intressen is correct.
Lika mycket intressen would be wrong here.

What exactly does varandra mean here, and how is it different from oss?

Varandra is a reciprocal pronoun, meaning “each other / one another.”

Vi älskar varandra. – We love each other.
De hjälper varandra. – They help each other.

In the sentence:

Vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

som varandra means “as each other”. It emphasizes that within the group “vi”, each person has as many interests as the others.

Oss just means “us” and doesn’t carry the “each other” meaning.

som oss = “as us”
som varandra = “as each other”

They are not interchangeable here; som varandra is the right choice for the idea “as each other”.

Can I leave out varandra and just say Vi har lika många intressen?

Yes, you can say:

Vi har lika många intressen.

Grammatically, that’s fine. However, it’s then a bit less clear who you are comparing yourselves to. It might suggest:

“We have as many interests (as someone else already mentioned).”

With som varandra, the comparison is inside the group “we”:

Vi har lika många intressen som varandra.
→ We (you and I / we in the group) have as many interests as each other.

So varandra makes the meaning more explicit: it’s about mutual comparison within the group.

Why is intresse pluralized as intressen and not something like intresser?

Intresse is a neuter noun (ett intresse). Many neuter nouns ending in -e form their indefinite plural with -n:

ett intresse → flera intressen (interests)
ett ärende → flera ärenden (cases, errands)

So the pattern is:

singular: ett intresse
plural, indefinite: (flera) intressen

Using intresser would be incorrect.

Is Vi har intressen a natural way to say “we have interests” in Swedish?

Yes, har intressen is natural. A few examples:

Jag har många intressen. – I have many interests.
Vi har liknande intressen. – We have similar interests.

In your sentence:

Vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

this is perfectly idiomatic Swedish.

There is also dela intressen (“share interests”):

Vi delar många intressen. – We share many interests.

Both are fine; they just focus on different things (having vs sharing).

Could you omit the second vi and say Vi är inte i samma ålder, men har lika många intressen som varandra?

Yes, that is possible and understandable:

Vi är inte i samma ålder, men har lika många intressen som varandra.

In Swedish, the subject can be dropped in the second clause when it is clearly the same as in the first clause, especially in speech and informal writing.

However, keeping vi:

…, men vi har lika många intressen som varandra.

is slightly clearer and more neutral, so many speakers prefer to keep it in standard written Swedish.