När jag gör pannkakor, vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.

När means when. It introduces a time clause:

• När jag gör pannkakor = When I make pancakes

This part tells us in what situation the main action happens. In Swedish, a clause beginning with när is a subordinate clause.

This is one of the most important Swedish word-order patterns.

The sentence is:

• När jag gör pannkakor, vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.

The first part, När jag gör pannkakor, comes before the main clause. In Swedish, when something other than the subject comes first, the finite verb usually comes before the subject in the main clause. This is the V2 rule.

So:

• normal main clause: Jag vispar i lite mer mjölk.
• after a fronted clause: När jag gör pannkakor, vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.

English does not do this, so it can feel unusual.

Vispa means to whisk.

In this sentence, vispa i means something like:

• whisk in
• add by whisking
• whisk into the mixture

So:

• vispar jag i lite mer mjölk = I whisk in a little more milk

The i is a particle here, and it changes the meaning from simply whisk to whisk in / mix in.

Compare:

• vispa ägg = whisk eggs
• vispa i mjölk = whisk in milk

Because mjölk is an uncountable noun here, just like milk in English.

You normally do not say:

• en mjölk for general milk in cooking

Instead, you say simply:

• mjölk = milk

And with quantity words:

• lite mjölk = a little milk
• mer mjölk = more milk
• lite mer mjölk = a little more milk

It means a little more milk.

The parts are:

• lite = a little
• mer = more
• mjölk = milk

Together:

• lite mer mjölk = a little more milk

This usually suggests that some milk is already part of the recipe, and the speaker adds a bit extra.

In Swedish, göra is often used for making certain foods, including pannkakor.

So:

• göra pannkakor = make pancakes

You may also hear laga mat for cook food, but with specific prepared things like pancakes, göra is very natural.

A learner may expect laga because English says cook, but Swedish often prefers göra in this kind of sentence.

Because it means pancakes in general, not one specific pancake.

• pannkaka = pancake
• pannkakor = pancakes

So:

• När jag gör pannkakor = When I make pancakes

This sounds natural if you mean the dish in general. If you said gör en pannkaka, that would mean make a pancake, just one.

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 can be seen:

• När jag gör pannkakor, vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.
• När jag gör pannkakor vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.

The comma can make the sentence easier to read, but it is not always required.

Here, när can often be understood as either:

• when
• whenever

depending on context.

In a sentence like this, it usually has a habitual meaning:

• När jag gör pannkakor = Whenever I make pancakes / When I make pancakes

So it does not necessarily refer to one single occasion. It can describe something the speaker typically does.

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct:

• Jag vispar i lite mer mjölk när jag gör pannkakor.

The difference is mainly emphasis and structure:

• När jag gör pannkakor, vispar jag i lite mer mjölk.
  starts with the time/situation
• Jag vispar i lite mer mjölk när jag gör pannkakor.
  starts with the main action

When the sentence begins with Jag, the normal word order is jag vispar. When it begins with När jag gör pannkakor, Swedish uses inversion: vispar jag.

Swedish often does not need a separate word where English might use some.

English:

• I whisk in some more milk
• I whisk in a little more milk

Swedish:

• Jag vispar i lite mer mjölk

The quantity is already expressed by lite mer, so nothing extra is needed.

Yes. That is exactly what it suggests.

Vispa i usually implies that you are adding an ingredient into a mixture while whisking.

So this sentence suggests the speaker already has pancake batter, and then adds a bit more milk to it.

That is why vispa i is more specific than just vispa.

No, not in natural English.

Even though gör literally means do/make, the natural English translation is:

• When I make pancakes

So this is a case where you should translate by meaning, not word-for-word.

Swedish:

• göra pannkakor

Natural English:

• make pancakes