Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet, för jag ser bara frimärket på bordet.

In standard Swedish, var means where (location), while vart means to where / where to (direction or destination).

Here, gömde involves putting the envelope somewhere, so the sentence focuses on the destination of the envelope:

• vart hon gömde kuvertet = where she hid the envelope / where she put the envelope to hide it

That said, in everyday Swedish, many speakers also use var in situations where traditional grammar would prefer vart. So you may hear both, but vart is a very natural choice here.

Because this is an indirect question, not a direct question.

After Jag undrar (I wonder), Swedish usually uses statement word order:

• Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet.

Compare:

• Direct question: Vart gömde hon kuvertet?
• Indirect question: Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet.

So after jag undrar, the subject hon comes before the verb gömde.

Gömde is the past tense of gömma, which means to hide.

A few forms of the verb are:

• att gömma = to hide
• gömmer = hides / is hiding
• gömde = hid
• gömt = hidden

So:

• hon gömde kuvertet = she hid the envelope

That -et is the definite article suffix for many neuter nouns in Swedish.

Instead of using a separate word like English the, Swedish often adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• ett kuvert = an envelope

• kuvertet = the envelope

• ett frimärke = a stamp

• frimärket = the stamp

• ett bord = a table
• bordet = the table

So in this sentence, all three nouns are definite:

• kuvertet = the envelope
• frimärket = the stamp
• bordet = the table

Here, frimärket means the postage stamp on the envelope.

So this is not a general stamp like a rubber stamp or a stamped mark. It specifically means the kind of stamp you put on mail.

That matters because the sentence suggests something like:

• the envelope itself is missing
• but the speaker can still see the stamp on the table

Here för means because or for, introducing an explanation.

So the structure is:

• Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet = I wonder where she hid the envelope
• för jag ser bara frimärket på bordet = because I can only see the stamp on the table

In everyday English, because is usually the most natural translation here.

Because bara is focusing on frimärket:

• jag ser bara frimärket = I only see the stamp

The idea is that the speaker does not see the envelope, only the stamp.

Word placement can affect what bara focuses on. In this sentence, the focus is clearly on the noun phrase frimärket.

No. In this sentence, på bordet most naturally goes with frimärket:

• jag ser bara frimärket på bordet = I only see the stamp on the table

So the stamp is on the table. The hidden envelope is somewhere else, or at least not visible.

Yes, you may hear that, especially in spoken Swedish.

The traditional distinction is:

• var = where
• vart = where to

Since gömma can imply moving something to a hiding place, vart is very appropriate here. But many speakers use var more broadly in everyday speech.

So:

• Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet = more strictly standard according to the location/direction rule
• Jag undrar var hon gömde kuvertet = also common in real usage

The comma is natural here because the sentence contains two main clauses:

• Jag undrar vart hon gömde kuvertet
• för jag ser bara frimärket på bordet

In modern Swedish, comma rules are not always as strict as in some older styles, but this comma is completely normal and helps readability.

So the sentence works well with the comma exactly as written.