Skriv ut en kopia till chefen och en till mig på skrivaren.

Skriv is the imperative form of skriva (to write / to print, depending on context). The imperative is used for commands and instructions, so Skriv ut means Print out.

In Swedish, the imperative is often just the verb stem:

• skriva → skriv
• läsa → läs
• köpa → köp

So this sentence is giving someone an instruction.

Because skriva ut is a particle verb, and it means to print out.

The word ut adds an important meaning. Compare:

• skriva = to write
• skriva ut = to print out

This works like English phrasal verbs such as write down, turn on, or print out.

In commands, the particle usually stays separate:

• Skriv ut dokumentet. = Print out the document.

So skriv ut is not just write — it specifically means print out here.

Because kopia is a common-gender noun in Swedish, so it takes en, not ett.

• en kopia = a copy
• kopian = the copy

This is something learners simply have to memorize with each noun: whether it is an en-word or an ett-word.

Chefen is the definite form and means the boss.

• en chef = a boss
• chefen = the boss

In this sentence, the speaker probably means a specific, known boss, not just any boss. English often uses the for this, while Swedish usually adds the definiteness to the noun itself:

• till chefen = to the boss

So chef alone would sound incomplete here unless you meant to a boss in a more general sense.

Here till means to / for the recipient.

The sentence is about who should receive the copies:

• till chefen = for/to the boss
• till mig = for/to me

In English, we might say Print a copy for the boss and one for me. Swedish often uses till in this kind of context to show destination or recipient.

You may also sometimes see åt in similar situations, but till is very natural here.

Because after a preposition like till, Swedish uses the object form of the pronoun.

• jag = I
• mig = me

So:

• till jag ❌
• till mig ✅

This is just like English:

• to I ❌
• to me ✅

Yes. Kopia is understood and does not need to be repeated.

The full idea is:

• en kopia till chefen och en kopia till mig

But Swedish, like English, often leaves out a repeated noun when it is obvious:

• ... och en till mig = ... and one for me

So en here means one [copy].

Be careful: en till can also mean another one in other contexts, but here the meaning is clearly one [copy] for me because of the structure of the sentence.

På skrivaren literally means on the printer, but in context it means something like using the printer or on the printer itself.

• skrivaren = the printer
• på = on

Swedish often uses på with machines and devices in ways that do not translate word-for-word into natural English.

Here it tells you which device to use for printing. Depending on context, English might translate it more naturally as:

• on the printer
• using the printer

So the phrase is normal Swedish, even if the preposition feels a little different from English.

The basic order is:

Imperative verb + particle + object + extra information

So:

• Skriv ut = Print out
• en kopia = a copy
• till chefen = for the boss
• och en till mig = and one for me
• på skrivaren = on/using the printer

This is a very normal Swedish sentence pattern for a command.

One useful thing to notice is that the particle ut comes right after the verb in the command:

• Skriv ut ...

That is the standard placement.

Yes, you might hear åt in similar sentences, and it can also mean for. But there is a slight difference in feel.

• till chefen focuses more on the boss as the recipient
• åt chefen can sound more like doing it for the boss’s benefit

In many everyday situations, both can be possible, but till chefen is very natural in this sentence because it is about who the copies are intended for.

Yes. Skrivaren means the printer.

• en skrivare = a printer
• skrivaren = the printer

The sentence probably refers to a particular printer that both speaker and listener know about, so the definite form is used.

If it were not a specific known printer, Swedish might instead use:

• på en skrivare = on a printer

But that would sound less natural in this situation, because in real life you usually mean a specific printer.