Om du vill till stationen, går du först rakt fram och sedan svänger du höger vid trafikljuset.

Om means if here. It introduces a condition:

• Om du vill till stationen = If you want to go/get to the station

A learner might confuse om with när (when), but they are not the same:

• om = if (condition, not certain)
• när = when (more certain or expected)

So this sentence is giving directions in case the person wants to go there.

In Swedish, vilja till + place can be a natural shorthand for want to go to / want to get to a place.

So:

• vill till stationen = want to get to the station
• vill gå till stationen = more literally want to walk to the station

The shorter version is common, especially when the exact method of travel is not the point. It is about the destination.

Because stationen is the definite form: the station.

Swedish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun:

• en station = a station
• stationen = the station

So till stationen means to the station.

This is because Swedish is a V2 language. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position in a main clause.

Here, the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Om du vill till stationen

That whole part counts as the first element. So in the main clause, the verb must come next:

• går du först rakt fram

Not:

• du går först rakt fram

So the word order changes because the sentence does not begin directly with the subject.

For the same V2 reason.

In the second main clause:

• sedan = first element
• svänger = finite verb, so it must come second
• du = subject

So:

• sedan svänger du höger

is correct.

Sedan du svänger would sound like the start of a subordinate clause, not a normal main clause.

Rakt fram is a fixed expression meaning straight ahead or straight on.

It is very common in directions.

• rakt = straight / directly
• fram = forward

Together they function like an adverbial phrase. A learner does not need to analyze it too much at first — it is best learned as one chunk:

• gå rakt fram = go straight ahead

Both are possible.

• svänger du höger
• svänger du till höger

Both mean you turn right.

The version without till is very common in directions and sounds natural and concise. Swedish often uses:

• sväng vänster
• sväng höger

So this is normal route-giving language.

Vid trafikljuset means at the traffic light or by the traffic light.

• vid often means at, by, or next to
• trafikljuset = the traffic light

So the phrase tells you the point where you should turn.

Why vid? Because Swedish often uses vid for a location marker in directions:

• sväng höger vid banken = turn right at the bank
• sväng vänster vid trafikljuset = turn left at the traffic light

It marks the place where something happens.

Swedish forms compound nouns very freely.

Here:

• trafik = traffic
• ljus = light
• trafikljus = traffic light
• trafikljuset = the traffic light

This is very normal in Swedish. English often writes these as separate words, but Swedish usually combines them into one word.

Swedish often gives directions using the present tense with du:

• går du först rakt fram
• sedan svänger du höger

This is a very natural way to tell someone how to go somewhere. It is similar to English you go straight, then you turn right.

Swedish can also use the imperative:

• Gå först rakt fram och sväng sedan höger vid trafikljuset.

That is also correct. The version with du can sound slightly more conversational or explanatory.

Not always.

You can write:

• Om du vill till stationen, går du först rakt fram ...
• Om du vill till stationen går du först rakt fram ...

Both are possible. In modern Swedish, commas are often used sparingly, and many writers would leave it out. The comma can still be helpful because it makes the boundary between the if-clause and the main clause clearer.