Lägg trasan på diskbänken när du är klar, och säg till om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt.

Lägg is the imperative form of lägga: it means put! / lay! as a command.

• lägga = to put / lay
• lägger = puts / is putting
• lägg = put! / lay!

So Lägg trasan på diskbänken is a direct instruction: Put the cloth on the counter.

Swedish usually leaves out du in commands, just like English leaves out you in Put it here.

Trasan is the definite singular form of trasa.

• en trasa = a cloth / a rag
• trasan = the cloth / the rag

Swedish often marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word like the. Here, -n is the definite ending.

So the sentence is talking about a specific cloth that both people already know about.

Diskbänken is a compound noun:

• disk = dishwashing / dishes
• bänk = bench / counter

So diskbänk means something like kitchen counter by the sink or sink counter.

Then -en makes it definite:

• en diskbänk = a sink counter / kitchen counter
• diskbänken = the sink counter / the kitchen counter

Swedish makes compound nouns as one word much more often than English does.

Because the idea is on top of the counter.

• på diskbänken = on the counter
• i diskbänken would suggest in the sink/counter area, which would sound different

Since the cloth is being placed on a surface, på is the natural choice.

När du är klar means when you are finished or when you’re done.

In Swedish, klar often means ready or finished, depending on context. A very common expression is:

• vara klar = to be done / finished

So:

• Jag är klar = I’m done
• När du är klar = when you’re done

It does not mean clear here in the English sense.

Yes, often you can.

• när du är klar
• när du är färdig

Both can mean when you’re finished.

Very broadly:

• klar is extremely common in everyday speech
• färdig is also common and often feels a little more like finished/completed

In this sentence, both would sound natural.

Säg till is a very common particle verb meaning:

• let me/us know
• tell someone
• say something to alert someone

So here it does not mean just literal say. It means something like:

• let me know if the handle is still broken

This is a fixed expression:

• Säg till om du behöver hjälp = Let me know if you need help
• Säg till när du kommer = Let me know when you arrive

Here om means if.

So:

• säg till om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt = let me know if the handle is still broken

Be careful, because om can also mean about in other contexts:

• en bok om Sverige = a book about Sweden

So the meaning depends on the sentence.

Because handtag is a neuter noun:

• ett handtag = a handle
• handtaget = the handle

When an adjective describes a neuter noun after är, the adjective usually gets -t:

• handtaget är trasigt = the handle is broken

Compare:

• en stol är trasig = a chair is broken
• ett handtag är trasigt = a handle is broken

So trasigt agrees with the neuter noun handtag.

They do look similar, but they are different words:

• trasa = cloth / rag
• trasig = broken / torn / damaged

So trasan means the cloth, not the broken one.

The similarity can be confusing for learners, but in this sentence they are just two separate words that happen to resemble each other.

Because om introduces a subordinate clause, and Swedish word order changes in subordinate clauses.

In a main clause, you would normally say:

• Handtaget är fortfarande trasigt.
• The handle is still broken.

But after a subordinating word like om, Swedish often puts adverbs like fortfarande before the finite verb:

• ... om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt

This is part of the word-order pattern learners often remember with BIFF: In subordinate clauses, sentence adverbs come before the finite verb.

So the placement is normal Swedish subordinate-clause word order.

The comma is there to separate two fairly long coordinated parts:

• Lägg trasan på diskbänken när du är klar
• och säg till om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt

In Swedish, commas before och are often optional, especially in simpler sentences. Here the comma helps readability and gives a small pause.

So both of these are possible:

• Lägg trasan på diskbänken när du är klar, och säg till om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt.
• Lägg trasan på diskbänken när du är klar och säg till om handtaget fortfarande är trasigt.

The version with the comma just feels a bit more clearly divided.

Not in exactly the same way.

Trasig is an adjective meaning broken:

• Handtaget är trasigt = The handle is broken

Sönder is usually used with verbs, especially to describe something breaking or being broken up:

• Handtaget gick sönder = The handle broke
• Jag hade sönder handtaget = I broke the handle

So in this sentence, trasigt is the natural choice because it describes the handle’s current state.