Learn Hardcore Swedish: På helgen har barnen en liten tävling efter träningen. - On the weekend the children have a small competition after practice.

På helgen = on the weekend as a habitual time, a general routine.
- På helgen har barnen en liten tävling… = On weekends, the children have a little competition…
I helgen usually refers to one specific weekend (past or coming), like:
- Vad gjorde du i helgen? = What did you do this past weekend?
- Vad ska du göra i helgen? = What are you going to do this coming weekend?

So the sentence uses på helgen because it describes a regular activity, not just one particular weekend.

Why does the verb come before the subject: har barnen instead of barnen har?

Swedish is a V2 language (verb-second). This means that in a main clause, the finite verb must come in second position, no matter what comes first.

The sentence is:

På helgen (time expression) – first position
har (finite verb) – second position
barnen (subject) – third position

So:

På helgen har barnen en liten tävling… ✅ (correct V2 order)
På helgen barnen har en liten tävling… ❌ (verb is not second)

If the sentence starts with the subject instead, then you get:

Barnen har en liten tävling på helgen efter träningen. ✅
Here the subject barnen is first, so the verb har is still in second position.

Why is it barnen and not just barn?

barn = children (indefinite, “children” in general)
barnen = the children (definite, a known group of children)

In this sentence, barnen suggests we are talking about a specific group of children that both speaker and listener know about (for example, the children on a particular team).

If you said:

På helgen har barn en liten tävling…

it would sound like “children (in general) have a little competition…”, which is much less natural here. We usually expect this to be about some particular kids, so barnen is the natural choice.

How does the adjective work in en liten tävling? Why liten and not litet or lilla?

Adjectives in Swedish agree with the gender and definiteness of the noun.

tävling is an en-word (common gender): en tävling
With an indefinite en-word noun, the basic adjective form is used:
- en liten tävling = a small competition
- en stor tävling = a big competition

Compare with other forms of liten:

ett litet hus – hus is an ett-word, so the adjective takes the -t form.
den lilla tävlingen – definite: “the small competition”
de små tävlingarna – plural definite: “the small competitions”

So in the sentence, the noun is indefinite singular, en-word, therefore liten is the correct form.

Why is it en liten tävling and not den lilla tävlingen?

en liten tävling = a small competition (indefinite)
den lilla tävlingen = the small competition (definite, a particular one)

In the sentence, we’re talking about what they usually do after training on weekends: they have a little competition as an activity, not one specific, previously identified competition.

Using the definite form would sound like:

På helgen har barnen den lilla tävlingen efter träningen.

This would imply a specific, already known competition, maybe one that has been mentioned before. That’s not the neutral way to describe a routine activity, so en liten tävling is the natural choice.

Why is it efter träningen and not just efter träning?

träning (indefinite) = training / practice in general
träningen (definite) = the training / practice (a specific session)

In this context, efter träningen refers to the particular practice session that just took place:

On weekends, the children have a little competition after the training (session).

If you said:

efter träning

it would sound like “after training (in general)” and is not idiomatic in this sense. Swedish almost always uses the definite form for a specific, scheduled session:

efter mötet – after the meeting
efter lektionen – after the lesson
efter träningen – after the training/practice

So träningen is definite because it’s that particular practice they just had.

Could you say efter att ha tränat instead of efter träningen?

You could, but the nuance changes slightly:

efter träningen = after the practice session
Focus on the event as a scheduled activity.
efter att ha tränat = after having trained / after they have trained
Focus more on the action of training itself.

A natural rewrite would be:

På helgen har barnen en liten tävling efter att de har tränat.
or a bit more compact:
På helgen har barnen en liten tävling efter att ha tränat.

The original efter träningen is simpler and very typical when talking about organized sports practices.

Why is it just har and not something like brukar ha to show a habit?

Swedish present tense (here: har) can already express habitual actions, similar to English:

På helgen har barnen en liten tävling…
= On weekends, the children (usually) have a little competition…

Context (the time expression på helgen) makes it clear that this is a repeated habit.

You can add brukar to emphasize that it’s typical or usual:

På helgen brukar barnen ha en liten tävling efter träningen.
= On weekends, the children usually/typically have a little competition after practice.

Both are correct; har alone is enough to convey a regular activity here.

Can I move på helgen or efter träningen to different positions in the sentence?

Yes. Swedish allows some flexibility with adverbials (time/position phrases), as long as the V2 rule is respected. Some options:

Original:
- På helgen har barnen en liten tävling efter träningen.
Start with the subject:
- Barnen har en liten tävling på helgen efter träningen.
Put both time expressions at the end:
- Barnen har en liten tävling efter träningen på helgen.
  (still understandable, but sounds a bit less natural; Swedes might prefer to keep på helgen early.)
Emphasize “after practice”:
- Efter träningen har barnen en liten tävling på helgen.
  (grammatically fine; the rhythm is just a bit unusual, so context would decide if this sounds natural.)

Key point: whatever you put first, the finite verb (har) must still be second.

Why does på helgen look singular (“the weekend”) but mean something like “on weekends” in English?

Swedish often uses the singular definite form to talk about general, repeated times:

på helgen – on the weekend / at weekends (habitually)
på morgonen – in the morning (as a routine)
på kvällen – in the evening (generally)

If you want to make the repetition clearer, you can also say:

på helgerna = on weekends (literally “on the weekends” in plural)

So:

På helgen har barnen en liten tävling…
≈ På helgerna har barnen en liten tävling…

Both are fine. På helgerna makes the “every weekend / most weekends” idea slightly more explicit, but på helgen is very natural and common for describing a routine that happens on weekends.