Det finns tvättmedel under handfatet, men diskmedlet står vid diskbänken.

Det finns is the standard Swedish way to say that something exists or there is/there are something somewhere.

So:

• Det finns tvättmedel under handfatet = There is detergent under the sink

This is much more natural in Swedish than trying to translate English word-for-word with something like är.

A helpful pattern is:

• Det finns + noun + place
• Det finns en bok på bordet = There is a book on the table

Here, det does not really mean a specific it. It is just part of the expression det finns.

They are used differently.

• Det finns = there is / there are, used to introduce the existence of something
• är = is / are, used to describe identity, quality, or state

Compare:

• Det finns tvättmedel under handfatet = There is detergent under the sink
• Tvättmedlet är under handfatet = The detergent is under the sink

The first one introduces it as something present there. The second one sounds more like you already know which detergent you mean.

So in this sentence, det finns is natural because the first clause presents the detergent as something that is there.

This is the difference between indefinite and definite form.

• tvättmedel = detergent / laundry detergent
• diskmedlet = the dish soap / the washing-up liquid

In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun:

• en bok = a book
• boken = the book

For neuter nouns like medel, the definite ending is -et:

• ett medel = a product/agent
• medlet = the product/agent

So:

• tvättmedel is indefinite or more like a mass noun here
• diskmedlet is definite: the dish soap

This difference is very natural in Swedish. The first clause mentions some detergent being present; the second refers to a specific item.

Because tvättmedel is often treated like a mass noun, similar to English words such as soap, water, or detergent.

So Swedish can say:

• Det finns tvättmedel under handfatet

This means something like:

• There is detergent under the sink

If you wanted to refer to a specific package or container, you could say:

• ett tvättmedel
• en flaska tvättmedel
• en burk tvättmedel

But in the original sentence, the focus is on the substance/product in general, not on one countable object.

They are related but used for different kinds of cleaning products.

• tvättmedel = laundry detergent, detergent for washing clothes
• diskmedel = dish soap, washing-up liquid, detergent for dishes

Both are compound nouns:

• tvätt = washing / laundry
• disk = washing dishes
• medel = agent, product, substance

So:

• tvätt + medel = laundry-cleaning product
• disk + medel = dish-cleaning product

Yes. Swedish forms compound words very freely, much like English.

Here are the parts:

• tvättmedel = tvätt
  • medel
• handfatet = handfat
  • -et
• diskbänken = diskbänk
  • -en

And inside those nouns:

• handfat literally comes from hand
  • fat and means sink/basin
• diskbänk = dishwashing counter/kitchen counter by the sink, usually translated as kitchen counter or counter by the sink

Swedish often packs ideas into one long noun where English may use several words.

Because they mean:

• handfatet = the sink
• diskbänken = the kitchen counter / the dish counter

In Swedish, definite nouns usually take the article as a suffix:

• ett handfat → handfatet
• en diskbänk → diskbänken

This is very common when talking about familiar objects in a home, especially when the speaker assumes both people know which sink or counter is meant.

English often says the sink and the counter, and Swedish does the same idea by adding -et or -en.

Because Swedish nouns belong to different grammatical genders.

• ett handfat → neuter noun → definite form handfatet
• en diskbänk → common gender noun → definite form diskbänken

A very important pattern:

• en-word → definite singular usually ends in -en
• ett-word → definite singular usually ends in -et

So:

• en stol → stolen
• ett bord → bordet

That is exactly the same pattern here.

Swedish often uses special position verbs where English would simply use is.

Here, står literally means stands, but in normal Swedish it is often used for things that are upright or placed on a surface.

So:

• diskmedlet står vid diskbänken = the dish soap is standing/by the counter

This sounds natural because a bottle of dish soap typically stands upright on the counter.

Swedish commonly uses:

• står = stands, for upright things
• ligger = lies, for things lying flat or located in certain places
• sitter = sits, for things attached or positioned in a certain way

English usually just says is, but Swedish is more specific.

Yes, you could say diskmedlet finns vid diskbänken, and it would be understandable, but it is less vivid and often less natural in everyday speech.

Compare:

• diskmedlet finns vid diskbänken = the dish soap is there / can be found by the counter
• diskmedlet står vid diskbänken = the dish soap is standing by the counter

står is preferred here because it describes how the object is positioned. Swedish often likes that kind of detail.

So finns is possible in some contexts, but står sounds more idiomatic here.

They are different prepositions.

• under = under, beneath
• vid = by, next to, at

So:

• under handfatet = under the sink
• vid diskbänken = by the counter / at the counter

A common point for English speakers is that vid does not always mean physical contact. It often just means near or by.

Because after men in a normal main clause, Swedish usually keeps standard main-clause word order:

• subject + verb

So:

• men diskmedlet står vid diskbänken

That is the normal order:

• diskmedlet = subject
• står = verb

You would only get inversion if something else came first in the clause, for example:

• Men vid diskbänken står diskmedlet

There, vid diskbänken is moved to the front, so the verb comes before the subject.

Because the two clauses are doing slightly different jobs.

First clause:

• Det finns tvättmedel under handfatet
• introduces the existence of detergent

Second clause:

• diskmedlet står vid diskbänken
• talks about a specific known item and says where it is

So the structure changes naturally:

• introduction of something new → det finns
• statement about a specific thing → noun + verb

This is a very common pattern in Swedish.

Usually no, not in standard Swedish.

The normal word here is:

• handfat = sink / washbasin

Especially in a bathroom context, handfat is the expected word.

In a kitchen, you might also hear:

• diskho = kitchen sink basin

But sinken is generally not the natural everyday Swedish equivalent in this sentence.

So:

• under handfatet is the correct and natural choice here.