När datorn äntligen startade igen, kunde jag avsluta mitt arbete och skriva under avtalet.

När means when here. It introduces a time clause: När datorn äntligen startade igen = When the computer finally started again.

A common beginner confusion is that när is not only used in questions like När kommer du? (When are you coming?). It is also used to connect clauses, just like English when.

The part before the comma is a subordinate clause: När datorn äntligen startade igen.

In Swedish, a comma after an introductory subordinate clause is often possible and can make the sentence easier to read. In modern Swedish, commas are generally used less than in English, so this comma is often a style choice rather than a strict requirement.

So both of these may be seen:

• När datorn äntligen startade igen, kunde jag ...
• När datorn äntligen startade igen kunde jag ...

This is because of Swedish word order.

The sentence begins with a subordinate clause: När datorn äntligen startade igen. After that, the main clause follows, and in Swedish main clauses the finite verb usually comes before the subject if something else comes first.

So:

• Jag kunde avsluta mitt arbete. = normal main clause
• När datorn ... , kunde jag avsluta mitt arbete. = inversion after the opening clause

This is part of the Swedish V2 rule: in a main clause, the finite verb comes in the second position.

Startade is the preterite (simple past) of starta.

The sentence tells a completed event in the past:

• datorn startade igen = the computer started again / restarted
• kunde jag avsluta ... = I could / was able to finish ...

Swedish often uses the preterite in storytelling and narration, just like English uses started and could.

Igen means again.

In this sentence, startade igen means that the computer began working again after not working properly. In natural English, that could be:

• started again
• came back on
• restarted

So igen does not always mean repeating an action in exactly the same way; it can also mean that something returns to a previous working state.

Äntligen means finally.

Here it modifies the whole event of the computer starting again, and its placement is very natural in Swedish:

• När datorn äntligen startade igen

That corresponds closely to English When the computer finally started again.

The exact position of adverbs can vary, but this placement is standard and idiomatic.

Yes, kunde is the past tense of kan and usually means could.

But in this sentence, it is especially close to was able to:

• kunde jag avsluta mitt arbete = I was able to finish my work

That nuance matters because the computer working again made the action possible.

So here kunde is not just abstract ability; it is ability in that specific situation.

Because kunna is a modal verb. After Swedish modal verbs, the next verb is normally in the bare infinitive, without att.

So you say:

• jag kan avsluta
• jag kunde avsluta
• jag kan skriva under

Not:

• jag kan att avsluta
• jag kunde att skriva

This is similar to English, where we say I can finish, not I can to finish.

Because the two infinitives are connected by och and both depend on the same modal verb:

• kunde jag avsluta mitt arbete och skriva under avtalet

This means:

• I could finish my work
• and (I could) sign the agreement

Swedish does not need to repeat kunde before the second infinitive unless you want special emphasis.

Yes, literally it looks like write under, but skriva under is a fixed Swedish expression meaning to sign.

So:

• skriva under avtalet = sign the agreement

This is a very common particle verb. The meaning is idiomatic, so it should be learned as a whole expression.

Because skriva under is a particle verb, and in Swedish these are often written as two words.

Examples:

• Jag ska skriva under avtalet.
• Jag skrev under avtalet i går.
• Har du skrivit under avtalet?

So even though the meaning is one unit (sign), the verb and particle are usually written separately.

Because arbete is an ett-word: ett arbete.

The possessive min/mitt/mina agrees with the gender and number of the noun:

• min
  • en-word singular
• mitt
  • ett-word singular
• mina
  • plural

So:

• min dator = my computer
• mitt arbete = my work
• mina dokument = my documents

Swedish usually expresses the by adding a definite ending to the noun.

So:

• dator = a computer
• datorn = the computer

and

• avtal = an agreement
• avtalet = the agreement

This is one of the biggest differences from English. Instead of a separate word like the, Swedish often adds -n, -en, -t, or -et to the noun, depending on the word.

In this sentence:

• datorn = the specific computer
• avtalet = the specific agreement

Because avsluta means finish / complete / bring to an end, while sluta often means stop or quit.

So:

• avsluta mitt arbete = finish my work
• sluta arbeta = stop working

In this sentence, the idea is that the work was completed, not merely stopped, so avsluta is the right verb.