Learn Hardcore Swedish: På lördagen vill vi slappna av hemma.

På lördag = this coming Saturday / on Saturday (in the near future)
- Used for plans in everyday speech:
  - På lördag ska vi åka till Stockholm. – “On Saturday we’re going to Stockholm.”
På lördagen = on the Saturday / that Saturday
- Often used when:
  - You’re talking about a specific Saturday that is already known from context (e.g. in a story: På fredagen jobbade jag. På lördagen vilade jag hemma. – “On Friday I worked. On the Saturday I rested at home.”)
  - You’re going through a schedule or sequence of days.

So lördagen is the definite form: “the Saturday.”
If the intended meaning were “this coming Saturday,” på lördag would normally be more natural in spoken Swedish.

What exactly does the ending -en in lördagen mean?

The -en is the definite suffix for many common-gender nouns (en-words).

en lördag = a Saturday
lördagen = the Saturday

Swedish usually adds the definite article as a suffix, not as a separate word:

en bok → boken (a book → the book)
en stol → stolen (a chair → the chair)
en lördag → lördagen (a Saturday → the Saturday)

So lördagen literally is “the Saturday.”

How would I say “on Saturdays (in general) we want to relax at home”?

For a general, habitual meaning (“on Saturdays” in general), you’d use the plural:

På lördagar vill vi slappna av hemma.
– “On Saturdays we want to relax at home.”

You might also see the definite plural:

På lördagarna vill vi slappna av hemma.

Both can be used for habitual actions, but:

På lördagar is a bit more neutral.
På lördagarna can sound slightly more like “on the Saturdays” (all of them as a group), often in a descriptive tone.

In any case, singular definite (på lördagen) usually refers to a specific Saturday, not Saturdays in general.

Why is the word order På lördagen vill vi … and not På lördagen vi vill …?

This is because of the V2 rule in Swedish main clauses:
The finite verb must come in second position in the sentence.

In your sentence:

På lördagen – first element (a time phrase)
vill – finite verb (must be in second position)
vi – subject
slappna av hemma – rest of the predicate

So the pattern is:

[Time] – [Verb] – [Subject] – [Rest]

You cannot say “På lördagen vi vill …” because then the finite verb (vill) would be in third position, which breaks the V2 rule.

You can also say:

Vi vill slappna av hemma på lördagen.

Here “Vi” is first, “vill” is second, and the time phrase goes later in the sentence. Both word orders are correct; they just emphasize slightly different parts of the sentence.

Why is vill used here? Does it mean “will” or “want”?

Vill primarily means “want (to)”.

Vi vill slappna av hemma.
– “We want to relax at home.”

It doesn’t function like English “will” for the future. In Swedish:

To show desire/intention, use vill:
- Jag vill resa till Spanien. – “I want to travel to Spain.”
To state a planned future action, you often use:
- ska: Vi ska slappna av hemma på lördag. – “We’re going to relax at home on Saturday.”
- Or just present tense
  - time expression: Vi slappnar av hemma på lördag. – “We’re relaxing at home on Saturday.”

So in your sentence, vill tells us that it’s about what you want, not just what will happen.

Why is there no att before slappna av after vill?

In Swedish, modal verbs like vill, kan, måste, ska are followed directly by the infinitive of the next verb without “att”.

Jag vill äta. – not “vill att äta”
Hon kan simma. – not “kan att simma”
Vi måste gå.

In your sentence:

vill (modal verb) + slappna av (infinitive phrase)
→ vill slappna av

You only use att with an infinitive when there is no modal verb directly governing that infinitive, for example:

Det är skönt att slappna av hemma. – “It is nice to relax at home.”

What kind of verb is slappna av and why is it two words?

Slappna av is a particle verb (sometimes called a phrasal verb) in Swedish:

slappna = the main verb stem
av = a particle that belongs with the verb

Together, slappna av means “to relax”. You normally treat it as one unit of meaning, even though it’s written as two words.

Some points:

You use it as an intransitive verb (no direct object):
- Jag vill slappna av. – “I want to relax.”
You can’t drop av; slappna alone doesn’t mean “relax.”
In different tenses, the particle still stays with the verb:
- Jag slappnade av. – “I relaxed.”
- Jag har slappnat av. – “I have relaxed.”

It’s similar in spirit to English phrasal verbs like “chill out” or “calm down”, where one verb + particle = one meaning.

Can I use koppla av instead of slappna av?

Yes. Koppla av is another very common verb meaning “to relax / unwind”.

Vi vill koppla av hemma. – “We want to relax/unwind at home.”

Differences:

slappna av often has the nuance of relaxing physically or mentally, letting go of tension.
koppla av is very common for taking a break, unwinding after work, recharging.

In many everyday contexts, they are more or less interchangeable, and both sound natural in this sentence.

What is the difference between hemma and hem?

Both relate to “home,” but there is a direction vs. location difference:

hemma = at home (location, where you are)
- Vi är hemma. – “We are at home.”
- Vi vill slappna av hemma. – “We want to relax at home.”
hem = (to) home (direction, movement toward home)
- Vi går hem. – “We’re going home.”
- Kom hem nu! – “Come home now!”

So in your sentence, you’re talking about being at home, not going to home, so hemma is correct.

Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before hemma?

Hemma is an adverb, not a noun, so it doesn’t take any article.

Think of it more like English “at home” rather than “the home”:

hemma = “at home” (adverb)
ett hem = “a home” (noun)
hemmet = “the home” (noun, definite)

In your sentence, hemma describes where you want to relax (location), so no article is needed or possible.

Can this present tense sentence talk about the future, like “On Saturday we will want to relax at home”?

Yes. Swedish often uses the present tense with a time expression to refer to the future, especially for plans and scheduled events.

Your sentence:

På lördagen vill vi slappna av hemma.

could refer to:

A general fact about that Saturday in a story (narrative present), or
A plan for a coming Saturday, depending on context.

Compare:

Imorgon jobbar jag. – “Tomorrow I (will) work.”
Nästa vecka åker vi till Göteborg. – “Next week we’re going to Gothenburg.”

So present + clear time expression is a very normal way to talk about the future in Swedish.