Learn Hardcore Swedish: Tallriken är smutsig efter middagen.

So -en at the end is the definite article here (like “the”).
Tallrik is an en-word (common gender), so its definite singular ending is -en:

en tallrik → tallriken (the plate)
flera tallrikar → tallrikarna (the plates)

Why is it middagen and not just middag?

Same idea as with tallriken: Swedish uses an ending instead of a separate “the”.

middag = dinner
middagen = the dinner

Middag is also an en-word, so the definite singular ending is -en:

en middag → middagen (the dinner)

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific dinner that just happened, not dinner in general. That’s why middagen (the dinner) is used instead of just middag (dinner).

Why is the adjective smutsig, and not smutsigt or smutsiga?

Adjectives in Swedish agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Base form: smutsig (dirty)

Predicative forms (after är, blir, etc.):

Common gender, singular: smutsig
- Tallriken är smutsig. (The plate is dirty.)
Neuter gender, singular: smutsigt
- Glaset är smutsigt. (The glass is dirty.)
Plural (both genders): smutsiga
- Tallrikarna är smutsiga. (The plates are dirty.)

Tallrik is a common-gender noun (an en-word), singular, so the correct adjective form is smutsig.

Why isn’t there any separate word for “the” in this sentence?

Swedish usually attaches “the” to the end of the noun as a suffix:

en tallrik → tallriken (the plate)
en middag → middagen (the dinner)

So in Tallriken är smutsig efter middagen, the “the” idea is already included in tallriken and middagen.
You don’t say den tallriken here—that would be more like “that plate”, and even then it’s usually den där tallriken.

Could I say efter middag instead of efter middagen?

No, efter middag is not natural Swedish in this meaning.

When you talk about a specific meal you just had, Swedish normally uses the definite form:

efter middagen = after the (specific) dinner
You could also say: efter maten = after the meal / after the food

Using the bare form middag would sound incomplete or odd here.
You can use middag without the article in some fixed expressions (like innan middag in older or more literary language), but for everyday modern Swedish, efter middagen is the idiomatic choice.

Can I move efter middagen to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. You can say:

Tallriken är smutsig efter middagen.
Efter middagen är tallriken smutsig.

Both are correct.

Swedish has a “V2” (verb-second) rule: in main clauses, the finite verb (here: är) should be in the second position in the sentence.

[Efter middagen] [är] [tallriken] [smutsig].
Time phrase – verb – subject – rest

Why is it är and not something else? Is this like English “is”?

Yes, är is the present tense form of the verb vara (to be), and it corresponds to English “am / is / are”.

Jag är = I am
Du är = You are
Han/Hon/Den/Det är = He/She/It is
Vi är = We are
Ni är = You are (plural/formal)
De är = They are

So Tallriken är smutsig = “The plate is dirty.”

Why do both tallriken and middagen end in -en? Are they the same gender?

Yes. Both tallrik and middag are common gender nouns (often called en-words), so their definite singular ending is -en:

en tallrik → tallriken
en middag → middagen

For neuter nouns (ett-words), the definite singular ending is usually -et:

ett glas → glaset (the glass)
ett bord → bordet (the table)

So the -en here tells you both “the” and that the noun is common gender.

How would the sentence change if there were several plates?

You would make both the noun and the adjective plural:

Tallrikarna är smutsiga efter middagen.
- tallrikar = plates
- tallrikarna = the plates
- smutsiga = dirty (plural)

Pattern:

Singular: Tallriken är smutsig.
Plural: Tallrikarna är smutsiga.

Is there a difference between efter middagen and efter att vi åt middag?

Yes, there’s a nuance difference:

Tallriken är smutsig efter middagen.
- Focuses on the event/occasion of the dinner.
- Natural, short, and very common.
Tallriken är smutsig efter att vi åt middag.
- Literally: “after we ate dinner”
- Adds who ate: vi (we).
- Slightly longer, more explicit about the subject.

Both are correct; in everyday speech, efter middagen is often enough when it’s obvious who had dinner.

How is smutsig pronounced, especially the g at the end?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish standard):

smutsig → [SMOOT-sig], but with a shorter oo than in English “boot”.

Details:

smu-: like “smut” in English, but with a shorter u sound.
-ts-: a clear ts sound.
-ig at the end can sound close to -ig or almost like -i depending on dialect, but it is not a hard English “g” as in “go”.

In everyday speech in many accents, it’s close to “SMUT-si”.