Vi har några spikar kvar, men jag tror att den här spiken är för lång.

Kvar means left, remaining, or still there.

So Vi har några spikar kvar means literally something like We have some nails remaining.

A few more examples:

• Har du kaffe kvar? — Do you have any coffee left?
• Det finns ingen tid kvar. — There is no time left.
• Stanna kvar! — Stay / Remain here!

In this sentence, kvar comes after the noun phrase några spikar, which is very common in Swedish.

Swedish often uses ha (to have) in places where English might use there is/there are.

So:

• Vi har några spikar kvar = literally We have some nails left
• Natural English meaning: There are some nails left / We still have some nails

Both ideas are close, but Swedish commonly expresses this with ha when talking about what is still available or in someone’s possession.

Några means some and is used with plural countable nouns.

Since spikar means nails (plural), några is the right choice:

• en spik — a nail
• några spikar — some nails

Compare:

• någon = some / any with a singular common-gender noun
• något = some / any with a singular neuter noun
• några = some / any with plural nouns

Examples:

• någon bok — some book
• något hus — some house
• några böcker — some books

Because they are different number/definiteness forms of the same noun.

The noun spik changes like this:

• en spik — a nail
• spiken — the nail
• spikar — nails
• spikarna — the nails

So in the sentence:

• några spikar = some nails → plural, indefinite
• den här spiken = this nail → singular, definite

The first clause talks about nails in general.
The second points to one specific nail.

In Swedish, when you use den här / det här / de här (this / these), the noun usually takes its definite form.

So:

• den här spiken — this nail
• det här huset — this house
• de här böckerna — these books

That is why Swedish uses both the separate word den and the definite ending on the noun. This is a normal pattern and is sometimes called double definiteness.

So:

• spik = indefinite
• spiken = definite

After den här, you normally want spiken, not spik.

Because spik is a common-gender noun, not a neuter noun.

In Swedish, nouns are either:

• en-words (common gender)
• ett-words (neuter)

Since it is en spik, you use:

• den här spiken

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

• ett hus → det här huset

So the choice between den här and det här depends on the noun’s gender.

Because spiken is:

• singular
• common gender (en noun)
• in the predicate after är

With Swedish adjectives, the form changes depending on the noun:

• common gender singular: lång
• neuter singular: långt
• plural: långa

So:

• spiken är lång — the nail is long
• huset är långt — the house is long
• spikarna är långa — the nails are long

Here, spiken is an en-word singular noun, so lång is correct.

För lång means too long, not just long.

This is an important point:

• lång = long
• för lång = too long

So the speaker is not simply describing the nail. They are saying its length is a problem.

Examples:

• Tröjan är lång. — The sweater is long.
• Tröjan är för lång. — The sweater is too long.

So in your sentence, the speaker thinks that this particular nail is longer than what is needed.

Att here means that.

So:

• jag tror att ... = I think that ...

In Swedish, att often introduces a subordinate clause.

In this sentence:

• jag tror att den här spiken är för lång
• I think that this nail is too long

In everyday speech, Swedish speakers sometimes omit att after verbs like tror:

• Jag tror den här spiken är för lång

That sounds natural in speech, but the version with att is very standard and clear.

After att, Swedish uses subordinate clause word order. But in this particular clause, nothing visibly changes because there is no adverb like inte in the sentence.

So:

• jag tror att den här spiken är för lång

looks similar to main-clause order.

You notice the difference more clearly when an adverb is present:

• Main clause: Den här spiken är inte för lång.
• Subordinate clause: Jag tror att den här spiken inte är för lång.

In subordinate clauses, words like inte usually come before the verb.

So the sentence is already following the right pattern; it just happens to look simple.

Yes, but the style is different.

• den här spiken = very common, natural in everyday speech
• denna spik = also correct, but usually more formal, written, or pointed

Both mean this nail.

In ordinary spoken Swedish, den här spiken is usually the most natural choice.

Yes, mostly.

Here, men connects two contrasting ideas:

• We have some nails left
• but I think this nail is too long

So men works very much like English but.

Example:

• Jag vill gå, men jag är trött. — I want to go, but I am tired.

A fairly literal version would be:

We have some nails left, but I think that this nail is too long.

Word by word:

• Vi — we
• har — have
• några — some
• spikar — nails
• kvar — left / remaining
• men — but
• jag — I
• tror — think / believe
• att — that
• den här — this
• spiken — the nail
• är — is
• för lång — too long

This kind of literal breakdown can help you see how Swedish builds the sentence, even if the most natural English translation might be slightly different.