Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta efter lunch.

Vare sig ... eller ... means whether ... or ... / regardless of whether ... or ....

So in this sentence:

Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta efter lunch.

the idea is:

Whether the meeting is on Tuesday or Thursday, I can attend after lunch.

This is different from antingen ... eller ..., which means either ... or ... and presents two alternatives more neutrally.

• Vare sig det regnar eller snöar går jag ut.
  = Whether it rains or snows, I’m going out.
• Antingen går vi nu eller senare.
  = Either we go now or later.

So vare sig often emphasizes that the result stays the same no matter which option is true.

Because the sentence starts with a clause:

Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag

When something is placed first in a Swedish main clause, Swedish normally follows the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in the second position.

So the structure is:

1. Fronted element: Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag
2. Finite verb: kan
3. Subject: jag

That gives:

... kan jag delta efter lunch.

If you remove the fronted clause, you get the more basic word order:

Jag kan delta efter lunch.

This is a very common feature of Swedish.

It behaves like a clause placed before the main clause, and it introduces a condition/alternative framework for the rest of the sentence.

The important learner point is this:

• the sentence begins with a clause-like expression
• then the main clause follows
• and the main clause keeps normal Swedish V2 order

So after this opening part, Swedish says:

kan jag ...

not

jag kan ...

You do not need to overanalyze it at first; the most useful thing is to recognize vare sig ... eller ... as a fixed pattern meaning whether ... or ....

Mötet means the meeting.

It comes from:

• ett möte = a meeting
• mötet = the meeting

Swedish usually adds the definite article as a suffix:

• en bok = a book
• boken = the book
• ett möte = a meeting
• mötet = the meeting

It is definite here because the speaker has a specific meeting in mind, not just any meeting.

Yes. Here på corresponds to English on in expressions with days.

• på tisdag = on Tuesday
• på torsdag = on Thursday

In everyday Swedish, this is the normal way to talk about something happening on a particular weekday.

A useful thing to notice: Swedish does not use an article here.

• English: on Tuesday
• Swedish: på tisdag

not på en tisdag in this sentence

Usually, yes. In normal conversation, på tisdag often means this coming Tuesday or Tuesday in the relevant context.

The exact meaning depends on the situation, just as in English.

For example:

• Vi ses på tisdag.
  = See you on Tuesday.

People normally understand which Tuesday is meant from context.

Är is the present tense of vara (to be).

Here it means is:

• mötet är på tisdag = the meeting is on Tuesday
• mötet är på torsdag = the meeting is on Thursday

Swedish often uses vara in time/date scheduling statements like this.

Because it comes after the modal verb kan.

• kan = can
• after a modal verb, Swedish uses the infinitive without att

So:

• jag kan delta = I can participate / I can attend

This is just like:

• jag kan komma = I can come
• jag vill gå = I want to go
• jag måste arbeta = I must work

No att is used after modal verbs such as kan, vill, ska, måste.

It mainly means participate or take part.

In this sentence, English might naturally translate it as either:

• I can participate after lunch
• I can attend after lunch

Both work, depending on context.

A common pattern is:

• delta i mötet = participate in the meeting

In your sentence, i mötet is not stated because it is already obvious from context.

Because Swedish can leave it out when it is clear from context.

Since the whole sentence is already about mötet (the meeting), the listener understands what delta refers to.

A fuller version could be:

Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta i mötet efter lunch.

But that sounds more repetitive. The shorter version is more natural.

Efter lunch means after lunch.

Swedish often uses meal words without an article in time expressions:

• efter lunch = after lunch
• före frukost = before breakfast
• efter middag = after dinner

This is similar to English, where we also usually say after lunch, not after the lunch, unless we mean a specific lunch.

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

Oavsett om mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta efter lunch.

This also means:

Regardless of whether the meeting is on Tuesday or Thursday, I can attend after lunch.

Compared with vare sig ... eller ..., oavsett om may feel a little more transparent for learners because it maps closely to regardless of whether.

Both are correct.

Not exactly old-fashioned, but it can feel a bit more formal or written than simpler alternatives in some contexts.

You will still see and hear it, especially in written Swedish and in careful speech. But in everyday language, some speakers might prefer:

• oavsett om ...
• om det är ... eller ...

So vare sig ... eller ... is absolutely worth learning, but it may feel slightly more formal than the most conversational options.

A comma is possible, but in modern Swedish it is often omitted.

So both of these can be seen:

• Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta efter lunch.
• Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag, kan jag delta efter lunch.

In modern standard Swedish, commas are generally used less than in English. So the version without a comma is very normal.

A rough breakdown is:

• Vare sig = whether / regardless whether
• mötet = the meeting
• är = is
• på tisdag = on Tuesday
• eller = or
• torsdag = Thursday
• kan = can
• jag = I
• delta = participate / attend
• efter lunch = after lunch

A more natural English translation is:

Whether the meeting is on Tuesday or Thursday, I can attend after lunch.

or

Regardless of whether the meeting is on Tuesday or Thursday, I can participate after lunch.

You could rewrite it as:

Jag kan delta efter lunch vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag.

That is also grammatical, but the original sentence puts stronger focus on the Tuesday or Thursday contrast first.

So:

• Vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag kan jag delta efter lunch.
  = focuses first on the uncertainty about the day
• Jag kan delta efter lunch vare sig mötet är på tisdag eller torsdag.
  = starts with the speaker’s availability

Both are correct, but the original sounds very natural.