Jag trivs bättre i den nya lägenheten, och barnen trivs också nära skogen.

Trivs is the present tense of trivas.

The verb trivas means something like:

• to feel comfortable
• to enjoy oneself
• to thrive / feel at home

So Jag trivs does not simply mean I like. It is more about how you feel in a place or situation.

For example:

• Jag trivs här. = I feel good here / I like it here.
• Barnen trivs i skolan. = The children are happy at school / are doing well at school.

In this sentence, trivs suggests feeling comfortable in the new apartment and near the forest.

Because trivs is the correct present tense form of trivas.

Swedish verbs are often learned in these forms:

• infinitive: trivas
• present: trivs
• past: trivdes
• supine: trivts

So:

• att trivas = to feel comfortable / to thrive
• jag trivs = I feel comfortable / I’m enjoying myself

This is just how this verb is conjugated. It is not a regular -ar verb, so you cannot build the present as triver.

Because bättre is the comparative form of bra (good / well), and Swedish uses this irregular form just like English uses better instead of more good.

So:

• bra = good / well
• bättre = better
• bäst = best

In Jag trivs bättre..., the speaker means I feel better / more comfortable in the new apartment than before.

This is the normal Swedish pattern for a definite noun with an adjective.

You have:

• lägenhet = apartment
• lägenheten = the apartment
• ny lägenhet = new apartment
• den nya lägenheten = the new apartment

Swedish usually uses double definiteness in this structure:

1. a definite article before the adjective: den
2. the adjective in definite form: nya
3. the noun with the definite ending: lägenheten

So den nya lägenheten literally looks like the new the-apartment, but that is just normal Swedish grammar.

Because lägenhet is an en-word.

Swedish nouns are mainly divided into two genders:

• en-words
• ett-words

Since it is:

• en lägenhet

the definite article before an adjective must be den:

• den nya lägenheten

If it were an ett-word, you would use det instead:

• ett hus = a house
• det nya huset = the new house

Because after den/det/de in a definite phrase, adjectives usually take the definite/plural form, often ending in -a.

Compare:

• en ny lägenhet = a new apartment
• den nya lägenheten = the new apartment

So ny becomes nya because the noun phrase is definite.

This -a form is very common:

• den stora bilen = the big car
• det lilla huset = the small house
• de gamla böckerna = the old books

Because barnen means the children.

The noun barn is a bit special because the singular and plural indefinite forms look the same:

• ett barn = a child
• barn = children

Then the definite forms are:

• barnet = the child
• barnen = the children

So in the sentence, barnen trivs också... means the children also feel comfortable...

This is normal Swedish word order for adverbs in a main clause.

In a simple statement, Swedish often has:

subject + verb + adverb

So:

• barnen trivs också nära skogen

rather than placing också earlier.

A rough structure is:

• barnen = subject
• trivs = verb
• också = adverb (also)
• nära skogen = place phrase

English often allows also in several positions, but Swedish is more particular about adverb placement.

Yes. Here nära is functioning like a preposition, meaning near.

So:

• nära skogen = near the forest

This phrase tells us where the children feel comfortable.

You can compare:

• nära skolan = near the school
• nära havet = near the sea
• nära centrum = near the center/downtown

So in the sentence, barnen trivs också nära skogen means that the children also do well or feel good living close to the forest.

Because skogen is the definite form: the forest.

• en skog = a forest
• skogen = the forest

Swedish often uses the definite form where English might sometimes be less specific. Here, nära skogen suggests a particular forest or the forest area relevant to the situation, such as the woods near their home.

If you said nära en skog, that would mean near a forest, which sounds less specific.

Because they express different kinds of location.

• i den nya lägenheten = in the new apartment
• nära skogen = near the forest

You use i when something is inside or in something.
You use nära when something is close to something.

So the sentence is saying:

• I feel better in the new apartment
• and the children also feel comfortable near the forest

Each preposition matches the kind of place relationship being described.

Not really. In Swedish, a comma before och is often optional in sentences like this, especially when joining two full clauses.

So both of these can be acceptable:

• Jag trivs bättre i den nya lägenheten, och barnen trivs också nära skogen.
• Jag trivs bättre i den nya lägenheten och barnen trivs också nära skogen.

The comma can help readability, but it is not always required.

Yes, some parts can move, but the verb still has to follow Swedish main-clause rules.

For example, you could say:

• Jag trivs bättre i den nya lägenheten, och också barnen trivs nära skogen.

But that version sounds less natural than the original.

The original sentence is smooth and idiomatic:

• Jag trivs bättre i den nya lägenheten, och barnen trivs också nära skogen.

A key rule to remember is that Swedish main clauses usually keep the finite verb in the second position, so word order changes are possible, but not completely free.