Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.

The children walk up the stairs slowly.

Breakdown of Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.

• barnet: the child
• långsamt: slowly
• gå upp för: to walk up
• trappan: the stairs

Questions & Answers about Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.

Why is there no separate word for “the” in barnen and trappan?

Swedish usually adds “the” as an ending on the noun instead of a separate word.

• barn = child / children

• barnen = the children (barn + -en = definite plural ending)

• trappa = stair / staircase
• trappan = the stairs / the staircase (trappa + -n = definite singular ending)

So:

• barnen = the children
• trappan = the stairs / the staircase

You normally don’t say “de barnen” for the children; that would sound like “those children” in most contexts.

Why is trappan singular in Swedish when English uses the plural “stairs”?

Swedish treats a staircase as one object:

• en trappa = a staircase / a set of stairs
• trappan = the staircase / the stairs (as one unit)

English tends to talk about stairs in the plural (“up the stairs”). Swedish focuses on the whole construction as a single thing, so it’s singular. Context makes it clear that it’s not just one step.

Does går mean “go” or “walk” here?

In this sentence, går mainly means “walk”:

• Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.
  → The children walk up the stairs slowly.

But gå is flexible:

• It can mean “walk” specifically (movement on foot).
• It can also mean “go” in a more general sense, especially when the way of moving isn’t important:
  
  • Jag går hem nu. = I’m going home now. (usually implies on foot, but often just “I’m heading home”.)

If you specifically mean traveling by vehicle, you wouldn’t use gå; you’d use e.g. åka (go/ride by transport).

What exactly does upp för mean? Why is it two words?

In upp för trappan, you actually have two separate elements:

• upp = up (a direction particle linked to the verb går)
• för = a preposition that connects the movement to trappan (“on/along the stairs”)

So literally it’s something like:
Barnen går upp (up) för (on/along) trappan (the stairs).

Together, upp för trappan is understood as “up the stairs”.

Can I also write uppför as one word, like Barnen går uppför trappan långsamt?

Yes, Barnen går uppför trappan långsamt is also correct and very natural.

• uppför (one word) is a preposition meaning “up, up along”:
  
  • gå uppför backen = walk up the hill
  • gå uppför trappan = walk up the stairs

Comparing them:

• gå upp för trappan
• gå uppför trappan

Both are used. Many speakers won’t feel any real difference in normal speech, though uppför can sound a bit more compact or slightly more formal in writing.

If för usually means “for”, why doesn’t upp för trappan mean “up for the stairs”?

för has several different meanings in Swedish, and they don’t all match English “for”.

In upp för trappan, för is not “for” (purpose), but part of a spatial expression:

• upp för trappan ≈ up along/on the stairs

Other examples where för ≠ “for”:

• framför huset = in front of the house
• över förväntan = better than expected

So here you need to learn the whole chunk upp för trappan as meaning “up the stairs”.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Barnen går långsamt upp för trappan?

Yes, you can. These are all possible and natural:

1. Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.
2. Barnen går långsamt upp för trappan.
3. Barnen går uppför trappan långsamt.
4. Barnen går långsamt uppför trappan.

All mean basically “The children walk up the stairs slowly.”

• Putting långsamt earlier (går långsamt upp …) slightly emphasizes how they are moving.
• Putting långsamt at the end (… trappan långsamt) feels a bit more neutral or like a comment on the whole action.

For everyday use, any of these orders is fine.

Why is it långsamt and not långsam or långsamma?

Here, långsamt is an adverb describing how they walk. In Swedish:

• långsam = slow (adjective; used with nouns)

  • en långsam bil = a slow car
  • ett långsamt tåg = a slow train
  • långsamma barn = slow children

• långsamt = slowly (adverb; used with verbs/adjectives)

  • Barnen går långsamt. = The children walk slowly.
  • Han talar långsamt. = He speaks slowly.

Adjectives (långsam / långsamma) agree with nouns.
Adverbs (långsamt) do not agree; they keep the -t form and modify verbs, whole clauses, or other adjectives.

Could I say just Barnen går upp långsamt and leave out för trappan?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Barnen går upp långsamt.
  → The children go/walk upstairs slowly.
  (Focuses more on the movement upwards, without mentioning the actual stairs.)

• Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.
  → The children walk up the stairs slowly.
  (Explicitly mentions the stairs.)

Both are grammatically correct; which you use depends on whether you want to mention the stairs or just “upstairs”.

Can I say Barnen går upp i trappan instead of upp för trappan?

You normally wouldn’t say upp i trappan for “up the stairs”.

• upp i trappan would sound more like “up into the staircase” (entering the stairwell), and is unusual even for that.
• The natural way to say “up the stairs” is:
  • upp för trappan
  • or uppför trappan

So stick to upp (för/uppför) trappan for going up the stairs.

How would the sentence change in the past tense?

You just change the verb går (present) to gick (past):

• Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.
  = The children walk up the stairs slowly.

• Barnen gick upp för trappan långsamt.
  = The children walked up the stairs slowly.

Everything else stays the same.

How would I say “The children are walking up the stairs slowly” in Swedish? Do I need an -ing form?

Swedish usually uses simple present for both English “walk” and “are walking” in this kind of sentence:

• Barnen går upp för trappan långsamt.

Context and sometimes adverbs show that it’s happening now. You don’t normally form a special -ing construction like in English.