Learn Swedish: Kanske vet någon annan svaret. - Maybe someone else knows the answer.

Någon means "someone" when referring to a person. Because people are treated as common gender (en-words), we use the base form någon. If you wanted to say "something" (a neuter concept), you would use något, and if you meant "some" (plural), you would use några.

Does annan mean "else"?

Yes! On its own, annan usually translates to "other" or "another". But when it is paired with indefinite pronouns like någon (someone) or ingen (no one), it translates to "else". Therefore, någon annan means "someone else".

Why is the verb vet placed before the subject någon annan?

This happens because of the Swedish "V2 rule", which states that the verb must be the second piece of information in a main clause. Since this sentence starts with the adverb Kanske (Maybe), the verb vet (knows) has to take the second spot. This pushes the subject någon annan to the third spot.

I previously learned that "to know" is känner. Why does this sentence use vet?

Swedish has two different words for "to know". You use känner when you are familiar with a person or a place. You use veta (or vet in the present tense) when you know a fact, a skill, or a piece of information—such as knowing the answer to a question!