Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.

I go home directly after work.

Breakdown of Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.

• jag: I
• gå: to go
• efter: after
• jobbet: the work
• hem: home
• direkt: immediately

Questions & Answers about Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.

Why is it går used here and not a verb that means “go” more generally, like English?

In Swedish, gå mainly means “to walk (on foot)”.

So Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet usually implies:

• I’m walking home straight after work.

If you mean going by car, bus, train, etc., Swedes normally use åka:

• Jag åker hem direkt efter jobbet. – I go (travel) home directly after work.

However, går in the present tense can also be used in a more general sense in fixed expressions and can cover a near-future meaning, like:

• Jag går hem nu. – I’m going home now.
• Jag går hem sen. – I’ll go home later.

But the default image with gå is walking.

Why is it hem and not hemma, or till hem?

Swedish keeps direction and location separate:

• hem = “(to) home” – direction, movement towards home
• hemma = “(at) home” – location, being at home

So:

• Jag går hem. – I’m going (walking) home.
• Jag är hemma. – I am at home.

You do not say till hem. Swedish uses hem by itself to mean “to home”:

• Correct: Jag går hem.
• Incorrect: Jag går till hem.

But with other places you do use till:

• Jag går till skolan. – I walk to school.
• Jag går till jobbet. – I walk to work.

Can the word order change, for example Jag går direkt hem efter jobbet?

Yes, that is perfectly correct, and it’s very natural:

• Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.
• Jag går direkt hem efter jobbet.

Both are fine.

General pattern:

• Adverbs like direkt can go:
  • after the verb: Jag går direkt hem...
  • or after the place: Jag går hem direkt...

The differences are subtle.
Jag går direkt hem efter jobbet slightly emphasizes that you go straight home (no stop on the way).
Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet emphasizes more the timing (immediately after work).

Could I also say Direkt efter jobbet går jag hem? Is that still correct?

Yes, that’s also correct and common:

• Direkt efter jobbet går jag hem.

Here, Direkt efter jobbet is moved to the beginning for emphasis (“Right after work, I go home”).

Swedish has the V2 rule: in a main clause, the finite verb (here går) must come in second position, no matter what comes first. So the order is:

1. Direkt efter jobbet (time phrase)
2. går (verb)
3. jag (subject)
4. hem (place)

This word order is normal and often used when you want to highlight the time expression.

Why is it jobbet and not just jobb?

Jobb is an ett-word (neuter noun):

• Indefinite singular: ett jobb – a job
• Definite singular: jobbet – the job / work (today’s work)

In efter jobbet, jobbet means “after the work / after work (today)”, i.e. after my workday / shift is finished.

Saying efter jobb (without the definite ending) is not natural in this context. You almost always say:

• efter jobbet – after work
• innan jobbet – before work

What is the difference between jobb and arbete?

Both can mean “work”, but there is a nuance:

• jobb

  • more informal, everyday
  • often “job/position/shift”
  • very common in speech
  • efter jobbet feels very natural.

• arbete

  • more formal or written
  • can sound more like “labour/work” in a general sense
  • efter arbetet is correct but sounds more formal or literary.

In everyday speech about your workday, jobb is the default choice.

Is efter jobbet literally “after the job” or “after work”?

Grammatically it is “after the job”, but in normal usage it means “after work (is finished)” or “after my workday / shift”.

You don’t need to say efter att jobbet är slut (“after work is finished”) because that is understood. Efter jobbet is the standard short way to say “after work” in Swedish.

Can I say Jag går hem direkt från jobbet instead? Does it mean the same?

Yes, you can, and it’s also natural:

• Jag går hem direkt från jobbet. – I go (walk) straight home from work.

Nuance:

• efter jobbet focuses on time: after your workday ends.
• från jobbet focuses on place/origin: from your workplace.

In real life, they usually describe the same situation, and both are common.
If you want to stress that you leave the workplace and don’t go anywhere else, från jobbet makes that a bit clearer.

Why is direkt used here? Is it necessary, and what are alternatives?

Direkt means “directly / straight / immediately” and adds the idea of no delay, no stops.

• Without it: Jag går hem efter jobbet. – I go home after work.
• With it: Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet. – I go straight home right after work.

It’s not grammatically necessary; it just adds detail.

Common alternatives with a similar meaning:

• genast – immediately
• med en gång – right away

Examples:

• Jag går hem genast efter jobbet.
• Jag går hem med en gång efter jobbet.

However, direkt is the most neutral and frequent choice here.

Can går here also refer to a regular habit, like “I usually go home right after work”?

Yes. Swedish present tense covers:

1. What is happening now:
   
   • Jag går hem nu. – I’m going home now.
2. Regular habits:
   
   • Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet. – I (usually) go straight home after work.
3. Near future (scheduled/intended):
   
   • Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet (i dag). – I’ll go straight home after work (today).

Context decides if it’s about a habit, a plan, or just a specific situation.

How do you pronounce each word in Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish standard, in simple English terms):

• Jag – often like “yah” (the g is weak or almost silent in many accents).
• går – like “gohr”, with a long å (similar to the vowel in British “caught” or “law”).
• hem – like “hem” in English “hem”, short e as in “bed”.
• direkt – di-REKT, with a short i (like “bit”) and short e (like “bed”).
• efter – EF-ter, both vowels short (like “bed”).
• jobbet – roughly “YOB-bet”:
  • initial j like English y in “yes”
  • o somewhat like “o” in “job” but a bit more rounded
  • double bb gives a short, strong b
  • -et like “ett” with short e.

Natural speech will connect the words quite smoothly:
Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.

Could I say Jag går hem direkt efter mitt jobb instead of efter jobbet?

You could, but it sounds odd in this context.

• mitt jobb = “my job” (my position, my employment)

Efter mitt jobb would be understood more as “after my (career) job”, which is not the usual way to talk about the end of today’s work shift.

For “after work (today)”, Swedish almost always uses:

• efter jobbet – after work
• efter jobbet i dag – after work today

So efter jobbet is the natural choice, not efter mitt jobb.

Is there any difference between Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet and Efter jobbet går jag direkt hem?

They mean the same thing; the difference is focus and style:

• Jag går hem direkt efter jobbet.
  
  • Neutral order: Subject (Jag) first.
• Efter jobbet går jag direkt hem.
  
  • Time phrase (Efter jobbet) moved to the front, often to highlight when it happens.

Both follow normal grammar (verb in second position), and both are natural. The second version puts more emphasis on “After work is when I go straight home”.