Jag hittar aldrig min kam på morgonen, men min syster kan kamma sig utan spegel.

In a normal Swedish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and sentence adverbs like aldrig, inte, ofta, and nog usually come after that finite verb.

So:

Jag hittar aldrig min kam
= subject jag + finite verb hittar + adverb aldrig

This is the normal pattern in a simple main clause.

Compare:

Jag hittar aldrig min kam.
Min syster kommer aldrig för sent.

If you move another element to the front, the verb still stays in second position:

På morgonen hittar jag aldrig min kam.

So aldrig is not random here; it follows the usual Swedish word order.

Because kam and syster are both en-words (common gender nouns).

In Swedish, possessives change according to the gender/number of the noun being possessed:

• min for common gender singular
• mitt for neuter singular
• mina for plural

So:

• en kam → min kam
• en syster → min syster
• ett hus → mitt hus
• böcker → mina böcker

The form depends on the noun, not on the speaker.

Yes. They are directly related:

• en kam = a comb
• att kamma = to comb

This is a common pattern in Swedish, where a noun and a related verb look very similar.

So in this sentence, the first part uses the noun kam, and the second part uses the verb kamma.

Because the sister is combing herself, not someone or something else.

In Swedish, when the action is done to oneself, a reflexive pronoun is often used:

• kamma sig = comb oneself
• tvätta sig = wash oneself
• raka sig = shave oneself

If you just say kamma by itself, it usually sounds incomplete unless an object follows:

• Hon kammar håret. = She combs her hair.
• Hon kammar hunden. = She combs the dog.

So min syster kan kamma sig means that she can do the action on herself.

Because sig is the reflexive object pronoun used when the object refers back to the subject.

Here, the subject is min syster, and the combing is directed back to that same person:

• min syster kan kamma sig = my sister can comb herself

If you used henne, it would normally mean some other female person, not the subject herself.

And sin is different: it is a reflexive possessive, meaning his/her/their own. It is used before a noun:

• Hon kammar sitt hår. = She combs her own hair.

So:

• sig = herself
• sin/sitt/sina = her own / his own / their own

Because kan is a modal verb, and modal verbs in Swedish are followed by the infinitive without att.

So:

• kan kamma
• vill gå
• måste läsa
• ska komma

Not:

• kan att kamma ❌

This is similar to English, where we say can comb, not can to comb.

These are two different expressions:

• i morgon = tomorrow
• på morgonen = in the morning

They look similar, so learners often confuse them.

Examples:

• Vi ses i morgon. = We’ll see each other tomorrow.
• Jag dricker kaffe på morgonen. = I drink coffee in the morning.

So in your sentence, på morgonen is the time expression meaning in the morning.

Because Swedish often uses the definite form in fixed time expressions involving parts of the day.

Common examples:

• på morgonen = in the morning
• på kvällen = in the evening
• på natten = at night

This is just the normal idiomatic way to say it. English also uses the in in the morning, so the idea is not so different, even though the grammar works differently.

After utan (without), Swedish often leaves out the indefinite article when speaking in a general sense.

So:

• utan spegel = without a mirror
• utan problem = without problems
• utan bil = without a car

This often sounds more natural than using en/ett.

You could sometimes say utan en spegel, but that usually gives a slightly more specific or emphasized feeling. In this sentence, utan spegel is the natural general wording.

Here, kan expresses ability: is able to or knows how to.

So min syster kan kamma sig utan spegel means that she is able to comb herself without using a mirror.

Swedish kan can cover several English ideas depending on context:

• Jag kan simma. = I can swim / I know how to swim.
• Kan du hjälpa mig? = Can you help me?
• Han kan vara hemma nu. = He may be home now.
  (less basic, more context-dependent)

In this sentence, it clearly means ability.

Men is a coordinating conjunction, like but in English. After it, you simply start a new main clause.

So:

..., men min syster kan kamma sig utan spegel.

That clause has normal main-clause order:

• subject: min syster
• finite verb: kan
• infinitive: kamma

The conjunction men does not change the internal word order of the clause. It just connects two main clauses.

Yes. Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things.

• kamma sig = comb oneself
• kamma håret = comb one’s hair

In many situations, both can work:

• Hon kammar sig.
• Hon kammar håret.

The reflexive version is very common for personal grooming actions. The version with håret is a bit more explicit about what is being combed.

So the sentence could have been phrased differently, but kamma sig is completely natural.