Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.

We go through the tasks together on the computer.

Breakdown of Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.

• vi: we
• tillsammans: together
• på: on
• datorn: the computer
• uppgiften: the task
• gå igenom: to walk through

Questions & Answers about Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.

What exactly does går igenom mean, and is it a kind of “phrasal verb” like in English?

Yes, går igenom is a particle verb (very similar to an English phrasal verb).

• gå = to go / walk
• igenom = through

Together, gå igenom means to go through something in the sense of reviewing or checking it carefully, not physically walking through it.

So in this sentence, Vi går igenom uppgifterna is best understood as We go through / review the tasks, not We walk through the tasks.

Why is it present tense går when in English I might say “We are going to go through the tasks”?

Swedish present tense is more flexible than English.

Vi går igenom uppgifterna can mean:

• We are going through the tasks (now)
• We go through the tasks (regularly)
• We will go through the tasks (e.g. later today, as part of a plan)

Context tells you which one is meant. You do not need a separate continuous form like English are going or a special future form like will in many everyday contexts.

Could I use ska instead and say Vi ska gå igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn? What is the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct.

• Vi går igenom uppgifterna… can describe something happening now, regularly, or planned.
• Vi ska gå igenom uppgifterna… focuses more clearly on the future or intention: We are going to go through the tasks…

So ska makes the future / intention more explicit, but the original present tense sentence is still perfectly natural when the context already makes the time clear.

What is the difference between går igenom and genomgår?

They are related but not interchangeable in most cases.

• gå igenom (något) = to go through something in the sense of reviewing, checking, discussing

  • Vi går igenom uppgifterna. – We go through / review the tasks.

• genomgå (något) = to go through / undergo something, usually an experience, process, or change

  • Hon genomgår en operation. – She is undergoing an operation.
  • Företaget genomgår en förändring. – The company is going through a change.

For schoolwork, tasks, documents, etc., you almost always want gå igenom, not genomgå.

Why is it uppgifterna and not uppgifter here?

Uppgifter is the indefinite plural (tasks), while uppgifterna is the definite plural (the tasks).

• en uppgift – a task
• uppgifter – tasks
• uppgiften – the task
• uppgifterna – the tasks

In the sentence, the speaker is referring to specific tasks that both speaker and listener know about, so Swedish uses the definite plural uppgifterna. That corresponds to the tasks or the assignments in English.

What exactly does uppgift mean? Is it the same as “homework”?

Uppgift is a general word and can mean:

• a task or exercise (in a book, test, or worksheet)
• an assignment
• sometimes: a piece of information (e.g. en uppgift i tidningen – a piece of information in the newspaper)

For specifically “homework,” Swedish often uses läxa.
So:

• uppgift = task/exercise/assignment (broader)
• läxa = homework (more specific)

Where can I put tillsammans in the sentence? Is Vi går tillsammans igenom uppgifterna på datorn also correct?

The most natural placement here is the one in the original:

• Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.

You can say Vi går tillsammans igenom uppgifterna, and it is grammatically possible, but it sounds more marked/unusual in everyday speech. With particle verbs like gå igenom, the verb and its particle usually stay close together:

• går igenom uppgifterna (verb + particle + object)

So tillsammans most comfortably comes after the object:

• Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans.
• Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.

Why is it på datorn and not, for example, vid datorn or i datorn?

In Swedish, på is commonly used with many devices and platforms:

• på datorn – on the computer
• på telefonen – on the phone
• på surfplattan – on the tablet
• på internet – on the internet

So på datorn means on the computer (as a medium / tool).

Other prepositions would mean something different:

• vid datorn – by/at the computer (physically sitting at it)
• i datorn – literally in the computer (inside the machine or its memory, used more technically/physically)

For “we do this using the computer,” på datorn is the natural choice.

Why is it datorn (the computer) instead of just dator or en dator?

Swedish often uses the definite form where English uses a more general “the” or even no article.

på datorn can mean:

• on the computer (a specific one you have in mind), or
• more generally: on the computer as a known/shared working tool (e.g. the one in the classroom, the one we are both using)

Saying på en dator (on a computer) would sound more like on some computer or other, which is usually not what you mean in a classroom or office context. The definite form feels more natural there.

Why is the word order går igenom uppgifterna and not går uppgifterna igenom?

With particle verbs like gå igenom, the basic neutral word order is:

Subject – verb – particle – object

So:

• Vi (subject)
• går (verb)
• igenom (particle)
• uppgifterna (object)

Vi går igenom uppgifterna is the normal order.
Vi går uppgifterna igenom is grammatically possible but sounds very marked or poetic and is not used in ordinary conversation.

Is igenom related to igen (“again”)? I find them confusing.

They look similar but they are different words:

• igen = again

  • Gör det igen. – Do it again.

• igenom = through

  • Vi går igenom texten. – We go through the text.

So in går igenom, the meaning comes from igenom = through, not from igen = again. They are not interchangeable.

Could the sentence also be Vi går igenom uppgifterna på datorn tillsammans? Does the position of tillsammans change the meaning?

Yes, Vi går igenom uppgifterna på datorn tillsammans is also correct.

• tillsammans can come before or after på datorn here without changing the basic meaning.
• The difference is very minor and mostly about rhythm or emphasis.

Both:

• Vi går igenom uppgifterna tillsammans på datorn.
• Vi går igenom uppgifterna på datorn tillsammans.

mean We go through the tasks together on the computer.