Learn Hardcore Swedish: På natten hör de ibland buller från gatan, men inne i huset är det tyst. - At night they sometimes hear noise from the street, but inside the house it is quiet.

på natten ≈ “at night” (in general, repeatedly)
- På natten hör de ibland buller… = “At night, they sometimes hear noise...”
i natt means “tonight / last night”, i.e. a specific night, not a general routine.
i natten is rare and sounds poetic or archaic, like “into the night”.
You can’t say på natt here, because natt needs to be in the definite form (natten) to talk about night in general in this way.

So på natten is the standard way to say “at night” in a general sense.

Why does the verb come before the subject in hör de ibland?

Swedish has a V2 word order rule: in a main clause, the finite verb normally comes in second position.

Start with a neutral sentence:
- De hör ibland buller från gatan.
  (Subject de is first, verb hör is second.)
If you move something else to the front (like a time expression), the verb must still be second:
- På natten hör de ibland buller från gatan.
  Now På natten is first, so hör must be second, and de moves after the verb.

So the order is:

[Time] – [Verb] – [Subject] – (Adverbs) – [Object] – [Other information]

That’s why it’s På natten hör de…, not På natten de hör….

What’s the difference between de and dem, and how do you pronounce de here?

De and dem are both written pronouns, but in most modern Swedish they are both pronounced /dom/.

de = subject form (they)
- På natten hör de ibland buller… = “At night, they sometimes hear noise...”
dem = object form (them)
- De hör ibland dem på gatan. = “They sometimes hear them in the street.”

Pronunciation:

de (subject) → usually pronounced dom
dem (object) → also usually pronounced dom

So in speech people would normally say:

På natten hör dom ibland buller från gatan…

But in standard writing, you still distinguish de (subject) and dem (object).

What does ibland mean, and why is it placed after hör de?

ibland means sometimes.

In Swedish, sentence adverbs like ibland can appear in a few different positions, but very often they come after the subject and before the main object:

På natten hör de ibland buller från gatan.

Typical pattern:

[Time] – [Verb] – [Subject] – [Adverb (ibland)] – [Object]

You could also say:

På natten hör de buller från gatan ibland. (also correct, slightly different rhythm/emphasis)

But På natten hör ibland de buller… sounds odd; ibland strongly prefers to be after the subject in standard word order.

What exactly does buller mean, and why doesn’t it have an article?

buller is a neuter noun (ett-ord) meaning noise, usually a kind of continuous, often unpleasant noise (traffic noise, construction noise, etc.).

Indefinite singular: ett buller
Definite singular: bullret

In this sentence, buller is used without an article because it’s acting like an uncountable mass noun, similar to noise in English:

English: “They sometimes hear noise from the street.”
Swedish: De hör ibland buller från gatan.

You would only say ett buller if you were talking about one specific “instance” or “kind” of noise, which is less common. Here it’s just general noise, so buller with no article is natural.

Why is it från gatan and not just från gata?

gata = “street” (indefinite)
gatan = “the street” (definite, “the street” / “the road” they live by)

In Swedish, you often use the definite form when you have a specific, familiar place in mind:

från gatan = “from the (that) street”
- The context assumes there is a specific street outside their house.

Using från gata (indefinite) would sound more like “from some street or other” and is unnatural here. Swedish prefers the definite form when both speaker and listener can identify the street from context.

How is the definite form gatan formed from gata?

Swedish usually forms the definite singular of common gender (en‑words) by adding a suffix:

gata (a street) → gatan (the street)

Pattern:

For many en-words ending in a, the definite singular is ‑n:
- karta → kartan (map → the map)
- kaka → kakan (cake → the cake)
- gata → gatan (street → the street)

So gatan is simply “gata” + “n” = “the street”.

Why is there a comma before men?

men means but, and in this sentence it connects two main clauses:

På natten hör de ibland buller från gatan,
men inne i huset är det tyst.

In Swedish, when men connects two independent clauses, it’s normal (and recommended) to put a comma before men:

…, men …

So the comma shows that a new main clause starts after men.

Why is it inne i huset and not just i huset?

Both are possible, but they don’t feel exactly the same:

i huset = “in the house” (neutral)
inne i huset = “inside (the inside of) the house”, with extra emphasis on being indoors / inside, as opposed to outside.

inne is an adverb meaning “inside, indoors”.
i huset is a prepositional phrase meaning “in the house”.

Putting them together, inne i huset highlights the contrast:

Outside (on the street): there is noise (buller från gatan)
Inside (within the house): it is quiet (tyst)

So inne i huset strengthens the contrast “outside noisy / inside quiet”. You could say i huset är det tyst, but it feels a bit less strongly contrasting.

Why does the second clause start with inne i huset and not det?

Word order in the second clause is:

Inne i huset är det tyst.

This follows the same V2 rule:

Something other than the subject is put first for emphasis or contrast (inne i huset).
The finite verb (är) still has to be in second position.
The subject (det) comes after the verb.

So the structure is:

[Place phrase] – [Verb] – [Subject] – [Complement]
Inne i huset – är – det – tyst.

You could also say:

Det är tyst inne i huset.

That is also correct, but starting with inne i huset focuses more on the location and contrasts it with från gatan in the first clause.

What is the function of det in är det tyst?

Here, det is an expletive / dummy subject (like English “it” in “it is cold”).

är det tyst = “it is quiet”

There is no concrete “thing” that det refers to; it just fills the subject slot, which Swedish (like English) usually needs in such sentences.

Compare:

English: It is quiet inside the house.
Swedish: Inne i huset är det tyst.

You can’t drop det in standard Swedish:
✗ Inne i huset är tyst. (incorrect)

What does tyst mean, and is it an adjective or an adverb here?

tyst means quiet / silent.

In this sentence it works as a predicative adjective describing the situation / the environment:

Det är tyst. = “It is quiet.”

Even though tyst can also function as an adverb (prata tyst = “speak quietly”), here it’s clearly an adjective linked to the dummy subject det with the verb är.

Related word:

tystnad (noun) = “silence”
- Det är tystnad i huset. = “There is silence in the house.” (less common; the original is more natural)

Why is huset in the definite form?

hus = “house” (indefinite)
huset = “the house” (definite neuter)

In context, we are talking about a specific house: the one where “they” live or are staying. Swedish generally uses the definite form when the referent is:

specific
known from context
unique in the situation

So:

inne i huset = “inside the house (we have in mind)”

Using inne i hus would sound like talking about “inside (some) houses in general”, which is not intended here.

How is the definite form huset formed from hus?

hus is a neuter noun (ett‑word):

Indefinite singular: ett hus (a house)
Definite singular: huset (the house)

For many ett-words ending in a consonant, the definite singular is formed by adding ‑et:

ett hus → huset
ett rum → rummet (room → the room)
ett bord → bordet (table → the table)

So huset is “hus” + “et” = “the house”.