När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan, läser eleverna tyst.

Because Swedish follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

Here, När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan is a whole unit placed first. After that, the main clause begins, and the finite verb must come next:

• När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan, läser eleverna tyst.

So the order is:

• first position: När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan
• second position: läser
• then the subject: eleverna

If the sentence started directly with the main clause, it would be:

• Eleverna läser tyst när läraren skriver ordet på tavlan.

Both are correct, but the word order changes because of Swedish V2.

Yes, here när means when in a time sense.

It introduces a time clause:

• När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan ...
• When the teacher writes the word on the board ...

A useful point: Swedish när is used for time, while om is usually used for if.

Compare:

• När jag kommer hem, äter jag. = When I get home, I eat / I’ll eat.
• Om jag kommer hem tidigt, äter jag. = If I get home early, I eat / I’ll eat.

So in your sentence, när is clearly temporal, not conditional.

Those endings are the Swedish way of saying the.

Instead of putting a separate word before the noun, Swedish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• lärare = teacher

• läraren = the teacher

• ord = word

• ordet = the word

• tavla = board / blackboard / whiteboard
• tavlan = the board

This is one of the biggest differences from English. English says the teacher, but Swedish often says one word: läraren.

Because ord is a neuter noun in Swedish, and its singular definite form is ordet.

Very roughly:

• common-gender nouns often take -en in the definite singular
• neuter nouns often take -et in the definite singular

So:

• en lärare → läraren
• en tavla → tavlan
• ett ord → ordet

Be careful not to confuse ordet with orden:

• ordet = the word
• orden = the words

Because Swedish uses på for writing on a board, just like English says on the board.

So:

• skriva på tavlan = write on the board

This is an idiomatic and very common expression in classroom Swedish.

You may also hear:

• på whiteboarden = on the whiteboard
• på svarta tavlan = on the blackboard

So på tavlan is exactly what you would expect in this context.

Eleverna means the students, while elever just means students in a general sense.

Compare:

• Elever läser tyst. = Students read silently. / Students in general read silently.
• Eleverna läser tyst. = The students are reading silently.

In your sentence, we are talking about a specific group of students in that classroom situation, so eleverna is natural.

Also note:

• elev = student, pupil
• elever = students
• eleverna = the students

Here tyst functions as an adverb, meaning silently or quietly.

So:

• läser eleverna tyst = the students read silently / quietly

This can be confusing because tyst is also a form of the adjective tyst = quiet.

Compare:

• Eleven är tyst. = The student is quiet.
  Here tyst is an adjective.

• Eleven läser tyst. = The student reads quietly/silently.
  Here tyst is being used adverbially.

Another useful comparison:

• Eleverna är tysta. = The students are quiet.
• Eleverna läser tyst. = The students read silently.

So in your sentence, tyst describes how they read.

Yes. Swedish present tense can describe:

• something happening right now
• something that happens habitually
• something described in a general classroom scene

So this sentence could mean either:

• a present classroom action happening now, or
• a typical routine: when the teacher writes the word on the board, the students read silently

The forms are:

• skriva = to write → skriver = writes / is writing
• läsa = to read → läser = reads / is reading

Unlike English, Swedish does not have a separate form like is writing in ordinary usage. The present tense often covers both writes and is writing, depending on context.

Not always. In modern Swedish, a comma before the main clause after an initial subordinate clause is often optional, especially in shorter sentences.

So both of these may be seen:

• När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan, läser eleverna tyst.
• När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan läser eleverna tyst.

The version with the comma can make the structure a little clearer for learners, because it shows where the subordinate clause ends and the main clause begins.

No, that would not be correct in standard Swedish.

After the initial när-clause, the main clause must still follow the V2 rule, so the verb has to come before the subject:

• correct: När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan, läser eleverna tyst.
• not standard: När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan, eleverna läser tyst.

This is a very common issue for English speakers, because English normally keeps the subject before the verb, but Swedish often changes the order after something is placed first in the sentence.

A helpful way to break it down is:

• När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan = subordinate time clause
• läser eleverna tyst = main clause

Inside the clauses:

1. När läraren skriver ordet på tavlan

   • När = when
   • läraren = the teacher
   • skriver = writes / is writing
   • ordet = the word
   • på tavlan = on the board

2. läser eleverna tyst

   • läser = read / are reading
   • eleverna = the students
   • tyst = silently

So the overall pattern is:

• When X happens, Y happens.

That is a very common Swedish structure.