Questions & Answers about När vi kom hem, lade hon stövlarna i hallen och vantarna i garderoben.
Why is it lade hon and not hon lade?
Because Swedish follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.
Here, the sentence starts with the subordinate clause När vi kom hem. That whole clause takes the first position, so the main clause must begin with the verb:
- När vi kom hem, lade hon stövlarna i hallen ...
If you started directly with the subject, you would say:
- Hon lade stövlarna i hallen ...
So lade hon is normal and correct here.
What does När do in this sentence?
När means when here. It introduces a subordinate clause:
- När vi kom hem = When we got home
It connects the time clause to the main clause. In this sentence, it tells us when she put the boots and gloves away.
Why is it kom and not kom till hem or something similar?
In Swedish, kom hem is the normal way to say came home or got home.
Here, hem works like an adverb meaning homeward / home, not like a noun with an article. So Swedish does not say:
- kom till hem ❌
Instead, it says:
- kom hem ✅
This is very similar to English come home, where we also do not say come to home.
Why is there no article before hem?
Because hem in this sentence is not being used as the noun a home / the home. It is being used adverbially, meaning home as a destination.
Compare:
- Vi kom hem = We got home
- Det är ett hem = It is a home
So in kom hem, no article is needed.
Why is the verb lade used here?
Lade is the past tense of lägga, which means to lay, to put, or to place something somewhere.
Since the sentence is about placing objects in specific locations, lägga is the right verb:
- lade stövlarna i hallen
- lade vantarna i garderoben
In natural English, this often translates as put rather than laid.
Is lade the same as la?
Yes, basically. Both are used as past forms of lägga.
- lade = standard, common, often a little more formal or neutral in writing
- la = also very common, especially in speech and informal language
So you may hear:
- hon lade stövlarna ...
- hon la stövlarna ...
Both are acceptable in many contexts.
Why are stövlarna and vantarna written with -na at the end?
That -na ending marks the definite plural: the boots, the gloves.
- stövlar = boots
stövlarna = the boots
- vantar = gloves / mittens
- vantarna = the gloves / the mittens
In Swedish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun rather than written as a separate word like English the.
Does vantarna mean gloves or mittens?
It most often refers to mittens, but in many learning contexts it may simply be translated as gloves.
Swedish distinguishes:
- handskar = gloves
- vantar = mittens
But depending on context, learners may see vantar translated more loosely.
Why is the verb not repeated before vantarna?
Because Swedish, like English, often leaves out repeated words when they are understood.
So:
- lade hon stövlarna i hallen och vantarna i garderoben
means:
- lade hon stövlarna i hallen och lade vantarna i garderoben
The second lade is omitted because it would be repetitive and the meaning is still perfectly clear.
What is the difference between i hallen and i garderoben?
Both use i, which usually means in.
- i hallen = in the hall / in the entryway
- i garderoben = in the wardrobe / in the closet
Swedish often uses i for being inside a place or putting something inside a place.
What exactly does hallen mean?
Hallen usually means the hall, the hallway, or more specifically the entry hall / entrance area of a home.
In Swedish homes, hallen often refers to the place just inside the front door where people leave shoes, boots, coats, and similar items.
What does garderoben mean here?
Garderoben usually means the wardrobe, the closet, or sometimes a storage space for clothes.
In this sentence, it probably means a place where the gloves were put away, such as a closet in the hall or another storage area.
Why is there a comma after hem?
The comma separates the opening subordinate clause from the main clause:
- När vi kom hem, lade hon ...
This makes the sentence easier to read.
In modern Swedish, this comma is often optional, and many writers would also write:
- När vi kom hem lade hon stövlarna i hallen ...
So the comma is not the most important part here; it is mainly a punctuation choice.
Could the sentence also be written with Hon first?
Yes. If you do not begin with the När clause, you can start with the subject instead:
- Hon lade stövlarna i hallen och vantarna i garderoben när vi kom hem.
That is also correct. The difference is mainly in focus and word order.
- När vi kom hem, lade hon ... emphasizes the time first.
- Hon lade ... när vi kom hem. starts with the person and action instead.
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