Jag bestrider avdraget skriftligt.

Bestrider is the present tense of the verb bestrida.

It is also a false friend: although it looks like English bestride, Swedish bestrida does not mean to sit or stand astride. In Swedish, it means to dispute, deny, contest, or challenge, often in formal or legal contexts.

So:

• att bestrida = infinitive
• jag bestrider = I dispute / I contest

Because avdraget is the definite singular form: the deduction.

The base noun is:

• ett avdrag = a deduction

Its definite form is:

• avdraget = the deduction

Swedish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• ett avdrag = a deduction
• avdraget = the deduction

Because bestrida is a transitive verb: it can take a direct object.

So you say:

• bestrida något = dispute something

That is why avdraget comes directly after the verb.

A useful comparison:

• Jag bestrider avdraget. = I dispute the deduction.
• Jag protesterar mot avdraget. = I protest against the deduction.

So bestrida does not need mot, but protestera does.

Here skriftligt is being used adverbially, meaning something like in writing.

It comes from the adjective:

• skriftlig = written, in writing

In Swedish, adjectives are often used as adverbs in the neuter -t form:

• tydlig → tydligt = clearly
• muntlig → muntligt = orally
• skriftlig → skriftligt = in writing / in a written way

So the -t does not mean it is describing a neuter noun here. It is functioning as an adverb.

In this sentence, it works as an adverb.

It describes how the action is done:

• Jag bestrider avdraget skriftligt.
• I dispute the deduction in writing.

Compare that with adjective use:

• en skriftlig invändning = a written objection
• ett skriftligt svar = a written answer

So here it is not describing avdraget. It is describing the whole action bestrider.

That is the most neutral word order here.

A very common Swedish pattern is:

• subject + verb + object + adverbial

So:

• Jag = subject
• bestrider = verb
• avdraget = object
• skriftligt = adverbial

This makes Jag bestrider avdraget skriftligt sound natural and straightforward.

You can move things around for emphasis, but then Swedish word order rules still apply. For example:

• Skriftligt bestrider jag avdraget.

That is grammatical, but it sounds more marked or formal.

Yes, very much so.

Both bestrida and avdrag are common in official, legal, financial, or administrative language. This is the kind of sentence you might use in:

• a letter to an employer
• a complaint to a company
• a dispute with an authority
• a formal email about a charge or deduction

In everyday casual speech, people might use less formal wording, for example:

• Jag protesterar mot avdraget.
• Jag håller inte med om avdraget.

But the original sentence is perfectly natural in formal contexts.

Yes.

You can say:

• Jag bestrider avdraget skriftligen.

This often sounds even more formal and is very common in bureaucratic or legal Swedish.

Broadly speaking:

• skriftligt = in writing
• skriftligen = in writing, often with a slightly more official tone

Both are understandable and correct here, but skriftligen is especially common in formal notices and complaints.

It is an irregular verb, so it is worth memorizing.

Common forms:

• att bestrida = to dispute
• bestrider = disputes / am disputing
• bestred = disputed
• bestritt = disputed (supine, used with har)

Examples:

• Jag bestrider avdraget. = I dispute the deduction.
• Jag bestred avdraget. = I disputed the deduction.
• Jag har bestritt avdraget. = I have disputed the deduction.
• Jag kommer att bestrida avdraget. = I will dispute the deduction.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

yah be-STRI-der AHV-drah-get SKRIFT-likt

A few helpful points:

• Jag is often pronounced more like yah in normal speech.
• bestrider has the stress on -stri-.
• avdraget has the stress on the first syllable: AHV-.
• skriftligt can feel tricky because of the consonant cluster; the ending is roughly like -likt.

You do not need to pronounce every letter as strongly as an English speaker might expect. In natural speech, Swedish often sounds smoother and lighter than the spelling suggests.