Breakdown of På kvällen vilar jag på soffan.
jag
I
vila
to rest
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
kvällen
the evening
Questions & Answers about På kvällen vilar jag på soffan.
Why is the word order vilar jag instead of jag vilar?
This is because of the V2 rule. The sentence starts with the time phrase På kvällen (In the evening). In Swedish, the verb must come in the second position. Since the first position is taken by the time phrase, the verb vilar comes next, and the subject jag is pushed to the third spot.
Can I write this sentence starting with Jag?
Yes! You can say Jag vilar på soffan på kvällen. If you start with the subject Jag, the verb vilar is still in the second position. Putting the time phrase first just emphasizes when you are doing the action.
Why is the preposition på used for both "in" the evening and "on" the sofa?
Prepositions rarely translate perfectly between languages. While på usually means "on" (like resting på soffan), Swedish also uses it for parts of the day. So, "in the evening" is always på kvällen, and "in the morning" is på morgonen.
Why do the words for evening and sofa end in -en and -n?
In Swedish, you don't use a separate word for "the" before the noun. Instead, you add a suffix to the end of the word. Kväll is "evening," so kvällen is "the evening." Soffa is "sofa," so soffan becomes "the sofa."