Breakdown of Först ska vi läsa, och sedan ska vi sova.
vi
we
och
and
läsa
to read
sova
to sleep
ska
will
först
first
sedan
then
Questions & Answers about Först ska vi läsa, och sedan ska vi sova.
Why is it ska vi instead of vi ska in both halves of this sentence?
This happens because of the verb-second (V2) rule in Swedish. In a statement, the verb must be the second piece of information. Because we start the first clause with the adverb först (first) and the second clause with sedan (then), the verb ska must come immediately after them. This gives us Först ska vi... instead of Först vi ska....
Why do we use läsa and sova here instead of their present tense forms läser and sover?
Ska is a helping verb used to talk about the future, similar to "will" in English. When you use ska, the main verb that follows it must be in its infinitive (dictionary) form. That is why we use läsa (to read) and sova (to sleep) here.
I've heard people say sen to mean "then". Is sedan the same thing?
Yes, sedan and sen mean exactly the same thing. Sedan is the proper written spelling, but in spoken Swedish, it is almost always pronounced as sen. You will also frequently see it spelled as sen in text messages and informal writing.
Do I actually have to repeat ska vi in the second half of the sentence?
No, you don't have to! Just like in English, you can drop the repeated subject and helping verb. Saying Först ska vi läsa, och sedan sova sounds perfectly natural in Swedish. Repeating ska vi here just makes the two actions feel equally emphasized.
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