Learn Swedish: Var är parken? - Where is the park?

In Swedish, the verb almost always has to be in the second position in a sentence (this is known as the V2 rule). Since the question word Var (Where) takes up the first position, the verb är (is) must come immediately after it.

Why is it parken instead of just park?

In Swedish, the word for "the" isn't a separate word placed before the noun. Instead, you attach an ending to the word itself. For a noun like en park (a park), you add -en to the end to make parken (the park).

Wait, doesn't var also mean "was"?

Yes, it does! Var is actually two completely different words in Swedish. It can be the question word "where", but it is also the past tense of är (meaning "was" or "were"). You can usually tell which one it is by the context. Here, at the start of a question, it means "Where".

Could I use Var to ask "Where are you going?"

No, Var is only used for location—meaning where something or someone currently is. If you are asking about a destination (where someone is going to), Swedish uses a different word: Vart. Because you are asking where the park is located, Var is exactly the right word.