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Vi äter ibland fisken och köttet.

Vi äter ibland fisken och köttet.
We sometimes eat the fish and the meat.
From Lesson 17:Adverbs of frequency (ibland, aldrig)·Swedish

Breakdown of Vi äter ibland fisken och köttet.

vi
we
och
and
ibland
sometimes
äta
to eat
fisken
the fish
köttet
the meat

Questions & Answers about Vi äter ibland fisken och köttet.

Why is ibland placed after äter, rather than before it like in English?
In Swedish, the verb usually has to be the second piece of information in a main sentence (this is called the V2 rule). Since the subject Vi is in the first position, the verb äter must come second. Frequency adverbs like ibland usually go right after the verb.
Can I start the sentence with ibland?
Yes, you can! You can put ibland at the start to emphasize it, but you have to remember the V2 rule. The verb must stay in the second position, so the subject and verb swap places: Ibland äter vi fisken och köttet.
Why do fisken and köttet have different endings if they both have 'the' attached?
Swedish has two groups of nouns: en-words and ett-words. To say 'the', you add an ending to the word instead of using a separate word. Fisk is an en-word, so it gets the -en ending. Kött is an ett-word, so it gets the -et ending.
Does this sentence mean we eat fish and meat in general?
No, because of the definite endings on fisken and köttet, it specifically means 'the fish and the meat', referring to specific food you might be looking at or talking about. To say 'We sometimes eat fish and meat' in general, you would drop the endings and use the base forms: Vi äter ibland fisk och kött.

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