Learn Hardcore Swedish: På konserten tar artisten en paus och publiken ger en stor applåd. - At the concert the artist takes a break and the audience gives a big round of applause.

På konserten tar artisten en paus och publiken ger en stor applåd.

At the concert the artist takes a break and the audience gives a big round of applause.

Breakdown of På konserten tar artisten en paus och publiken ger en stor applåd.

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Questions & Answers about På konserten tar artisten en paus och publiken ger en stor applåd.

Why is it på konserten and not i konserten or something else?

Swedish på is often used where English says “at” for events and public places:

på konserten = at the concert
på festen = at the party
på mötet = at the meeting

i is more about being physically inside something:

i bilen = in the car
i huset = in the house

A concert is treated as an event, not a container, so på konserten is the natural choice, not i konserten.

Why is the word order “På konserten tar artisten en paus …” and not “På konserten artisten tar en paus …”?

Swedish main clauses follow a V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position in the sentence.

First position: some element (subject, time phrase, place phrase, etc.)
→ here: På konserten
Second position: the verb
→ tar
Then comes the subject and the rest
→ artisten en paus

So:

På konserten tar artisten en paus. ✅
På konserten artisten tar en paus. ❌ (verb is not in second position)

You could also say:

Artisten tar en paus på konserten. (subject in first position, verb still second)

Why do the words have -en on the end: konserten, artisten, publiken?

Swedish doesn’t use a separate word for “the”. Instead, it usually adds a definite ending to the noun.

All three are common gender (en-words):

en konsert → konserten = the concert
en artist → artisten = the artist
en publik → publiken = the audience

So in your sentence:

På konserten = at the concert
tar artisten = the artist takes
och publiken = and the audience

The -en is the “the” ending.

What exactly does “tar en paus” mean? Could I say “har en paus” or use a verb like “pausa”?

“ta en paus” literally means “take a break” and is the most idiomatic phrase:

Artisten tar en paus. = The artist takes a break.

Alternatives:

pausa (verb)
- Artisten pausar. = The artist is taking a break / pauses.
  More informal and often used for short pauses, also used with media:
  Jag pausar videon. = I pause the video.
ha en paus
- De har en paus nu.
  Grammatically OK and understandable, but “ta en paus” is more typical.

In this context, “tar en paus” is the most natural choice.

Is publiken grammatically singular or plural? In English I might say “the audience clap” (plural).

In Swedish, publik is a collective noun, and publiken is grammatically singular:

Publiken är entusiastisk. = The audience is enthusiastic.
Publiken ger en stor applåd. = The audience gives a big round of applause.

The verb still agrees with a singular subject.

If you want to emphasize individual people, you might use a plural noun like:

åskådarna (the spectators)
- Åskådarna ger en stor applåd.

Why is it “ger en stor applåd” and not “gör en stor applåd”?

Two different verbs:

ge – ger – gav – gett = to give
- ge en applåd = give an applause
göra – gör – gjorde – gjort = to do / make
- göra läxan = do the homework

In Swedish, you “give” an applause, just like in English you give someone an applause / a round of applause:

Publiken ger en stor applåd. ✅
Publiken gör en stor applåd. ❌ (unidiomatic)

Why does it say “ger en stor applåd” instead of using a verb like “applåderar”?

Both are correct, but there’s a nuance:

ge en (stor) applåd
- Very common and idiomatic. Emphasizes the act of giving that applause:
  Publiken ger en stor applåd.
applådera (verb)
- Also correct, a bit more direct:
  Publiken applåderar. = The audience applauds.

Your sentence is like English “the audience give a big round of applause”, not just “the audience applauds”. It sounds natural and slightly more descriptive.

Why is it “en stor applåd” and not “ett stor applåd” or “stort applåd”?

Three things are going on:

applåd is an en-word (common gender):
→ en applåd (an applause).
The basic adjective form is used with en-words in singular indefinite:
→ en stor applåd
The -t form (stort) is used with ett-words in singular indefinite:
→ ett stort hus (a big house)

So:

en stor applåd ✅ (en-word, singular, indefinite)
ett stor applåd ❌ (wrong gender)
stort applåd ❌ (wrong adjective form for en-word)

Other forms for comparison:

den stora applåden = the big applause (definite singular)
stora applåder = big applauses (plural)

How do I know when a noun is “en” or “ett”, like en applåd?

Unfortunately, there’s no simple rule that always works. You mostly have to learn the gender with each noun.

In your sentence, all the nouns are en-words:

en konsert → konserten
en artist → artisten
en publik → publiken
en paus → pausen
en applåd → applåden

When you learn vocabulary, it’s best to memorize the noun together with its article:

en applåd
ett språk (a language)
en bok (a book)

Over time, you’ll start to feel what sounds right, but at first it’s mainly memorization and exposure.

Why is “applåd” singular (en stor applåd) and not plural, like “stora applåder”?

Swedish typically treats this like English “a big round of applause”—a single collective event:

Publiken ger en stor applåd.
= The audience give a big round of applause.

You can use the plural applåder when you mean several separate rounds or instances:

Publiken gav flera applåder under konserten.
= The audience gave several rounds of applause during the concert.

But for one big reaction at one moment, singular “en stor applåd” is the natural choice.

The verbs are in the present (tar, ger). Can this sentence describe a past event?

Yes. Swedish, like English, can use the present tense for narration (“historic present”):

På konserten tar artisten en paus och publiken ger en stor applåd.
This can be:
- a general description of what typically happens at the concert, or
- a vivid narrative of a specific past event (like telling a story).

If you clearly want normal past tense, you use preterite:

På konserten tog artisten en paus och publiken gav en stor applåd.
= At the concert, the artist took a break and the audience gave a big round of applause.

If I continue the story, what pronoun do I use for publiken?

Grammatically, publiken is a singular en-word, so the strict pronoun would be den:

Publiken ger en stor applåd. Den är mycket entusiastisk.

However, in real usage, Swedes often switch to de (“they”) when they’re thinking of the people in the audience:

Publiken ger en stor applåd. De är mycket entusiastiska.

Both can occur, but de is very common in everyday language when referring to the members of the group.