Hon tvättar bilen.

From Lesson 3:Basic word order·Swedish

Breakdown of Hon tvättar bilen.

hon
she
tvätta
to wash
bilen
the car

Questions & Answers about Hon tvättar bilen.

How does the word order in this sentence show the "V2 rule"?
In Swedish main sentences, the verb must be in the second position. Here, the subject hon (she) is the first piece of information, so the verb tvättar (washes) takes the second spot. The object bilen (the car) comes last, perfectly matching the standard English Subject-Verb-Object pattern.
Does tvättar mean "washes" or "is washing"?
It can mean both! Swedish doesn't have a separate "is doing" tense like English. Hon tvättar bilen translates to both "She washes the car" (as a habit) and "She is washing the car" (right now).
Where is the word for "the" in bilen?
In Swedish, "the" is added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word. The base word for "car" is bil, and because it is an en-word, you attach -en to the end to make bilen (the car).
Would the verb tvättar change if the sentence was about "I" or "they" instead of hon?
No, it would stay exactly the same. Swedish verbs do not change based on who is doing the action. It is always tvättar whether you say jag tvättar (I wash), hon tvättar (she washes), or de tvättar (they wash).

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