Näsan är lite torr idag, men hon nyser inte lika mycket längre.

Näsan is the definite singular form of näsa.

• en näsa = a nose
• näsan = the nose

In Swedish, body parts are very often expressed with the definite form when the context already makes it clear whose body part is being talked about.

Swedish often avoids a possessive like hennes with body parts when the owner is obvious from context. So näsan är lite torr is natural where English often says her nose is a little dry.

This is a very common difference between Swedish and English.

Here lite means a little / somewhat and works as an adverb, modifying the adjective torr.

As an adverb, lite does not change form:

• lite kall
• lite trött
• lite torr

So lite torr means a little dry or somewhat dry.

Because torr agrees with näsan, and näsa is an en-word (common gender).

Predicate adjectives in Swedish usually agree with the noun:

• en näsa är torr
• ett golv är torrt

Since näsan is common gender singular, the correct form is torr.

Nyser is the present tense of the verb nysa, which means to sneeze.

• att nysa = to sneeze
• hon nyser = she sneezes / she is sneezing

Swedish present tense is often formed by adding -r to the verb.

Because this is a main clause, and in Swedish main clauses the finite verb usually comes before inte.

So:

• hon nyser inte

This is normal Swedish word order.

Compare that with a subordinate clause, where inte usually comes before the verb:

• ... att hon inte nyser så mycket

So this sentence follows standard main-clause word order.

Lika mycket means as much.

• lika = equally / as
• mycket = much / a lot

So inte lika mycket means not as much.

In this sentence, it refers to the amount or frequency of sneezing.

Here längre means any longer / anymore.

With a negative verb, inte ... längre often expresses that something used to be true before, but is not true now.

So:

• hon nyser inte lika mycket längre = she doesn’t sneeze as much anymore

This use of längre is very common in Swedish.

Putting längre at the end sounds very natural here because it applies to the whole idea inte lika mycket.

The sentence is built like this:

• hon = subject
• nyser = verb
• inte = negation
• lika mycket = as much
• längre = anymore

End position is very common for time-related words like this, especially in everyday speech.

Yes. Idag is flexible.

In the sentence Näsan är lite torr idag, it comes at the end of the first clause, which is very natural. But Swedish can also move it for emphasis:

• Idag är näsan lite torr.

Both are correct. The difference is mainly focus:

• Näsan är lite torr idag = neutral
• Idag är näsan lite torr = puts more emphasis on today

No. Men links two main clauses, so the second part keeps normal main-clause word order.

That is why you get:

• ..., men hon nyser inte lika mycket längre

After men, Swedish does not use subordinate-clause word order. So the verb still comes early in the clause.

The y sound in Swedish is difficult for many English speakers. It is a rounded front vowel.

A useful trick:

1. Say English ee
2. Keep your tongue there
3. Round your lips

That gets you close to Swedish y.

So nyser begins with a sound that is not the same as English nee-. It is more rounded:

• approximately nü-ser, but with a very Swedish vowel, not a German ü exactly

This is a sound worth practicing separately because it appears in many common Swedish words.