Där står det att jag kan hämta ut paketet efter klockan tre.

Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swedish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Swedish now

Questions & Answers about Där står det att jag kan hämta ut paketet efter klockan tre.

What does där do at the beginning of the sentence—does it mean there, or is it more like it says?

Där literally means there, but in this structure (Där står det att …) it often works like a pointer: In that place / in that message / on that note, it says that… It’s common when you’re referring back to some text you can “point to” (an email, a sign, a tracking page, etc.).


Why does Swedish say står det (stands it) instead of det säger (it says)?

Det står … is an idiom meaning it says / it is written (there). Swedish uses “stand” for information printed or displayed somewhere:

  • Det står att … = it says that… (in writing)
  • Det står på skylten att … = the sign says that… You can say det säger … but that’s more like it says in the sense of “it claims” (or a person speaking).

Why is the word order Där står det and not Där det står or Det står där?

Swedish main clauses follow V2 word order: the finite verb is in position 2.

  • Där (position 1) + står (verb, position 2) + det (subject) So Där står det … is the standard main-clause structure.

Det står där … is also possible, but it has a different feel: it emphasizes the location there rather than using där as a pointer to a text/message.


What is the function of det in står det—is it a real it?

It’s mostly a dummy subject (like English “it” in it says / it’s written). There’s not a specific “thing” that is standing; it’s just the normal grammatical subject used in this idiom.


Why is there an extra att: Det står att jag kan …?

Att introduces a subordinate clause, like English that:

  • Det står att jag kan … = It says that I can … In everyday Swedish, att is usually required here (and it’s not dropped the way English often drops “that”).

Why is the word order att jag kan hämta ut (subject before verb) instead of att kan jag …?

Because after att, you’re in a subordinate clause, and Swedish subordinate clauses normally keep subject–verb order:

  • att jag kan … In a main clause you’d say:
  • Jag kan hämta ut paketet …

What does hämta ut mean, and why is it two words?

Hämta ut is a particle verb:

  • hämta = fetch/pick up
  • ut adds the idea of out / out from a system / out from storage, so hämta ut often means collect (a parcel), pick up (something you’re entitled to), redeem/withdraw.

In infinitive form it stays together: kan hämta ut. In other tenses, the particle typically comes after the object:

  • Jag hämtar ut paketet.
  • Jag hämtade ut paketet.

Could I say hämta paketet instead of hämta ut paketet?

Sometimes, but the meaning shifts a bit.

  • hämta paketet = fetch the package (more general; could be from anywhere)
  • hämta ut paketet = collect/retrieve the package (often from a post office, locker, pickup point; it’s “released” to you)

For parcels in Swedish logistics contexts, hämta ut is extremely common.


Why is it paketet and not ett paket?

Paketet is the definite form: the package/parcel—a specific one you and the listener both know about (e.g., your delivery).

  • ett paket = a package (indefinite, not specific) Swedish often marks definiteness on the noun itself with -et / -en.

What does efter klockan tre mean exactly—after three, or at three?

Efter klockan tre means after three o’clock (i.e., not before 3:00). It does not mean “at three”. For “at three” you’d use:

  • klockan tre = at three o’clock

Is it more natural to say efter tre instead of efter klockan tre?

Both work. Efter tre is common in speech when the context is clearly time. Efter klockan tre is a bit more explicit and can feel more “informational/official,” like something written in a message about pickup times.


If the intended meaning is “from three onwards,” can Swedish also say från klockan tre?

Yes, and it’s often the clearest for “starting at”:

  • från klockan tre = from three o’clock (and onwards)
  • efter klockan tre = after three (very similar in practice, but slightly more “later than”)

In pickup instructions, both appear; från can feel more like an opening time.


How would this change in past tense: “It said that I could pick up the parcel after three”?

You’d usually say:

  • Där stod det att jag kunde hämta ut paketet efter klockan tre. Here stod is past of står, and kunde is past of kan.