Breakdown of Johan spelar ofta på Karins gitarr.
spela
to play
ofta
often
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
Karin
Karin
Questions & Answers about Johan spelar ofta på Karins gitarr.
Why is it Karins and not Karin's with an apostrophe?
In Swedish, the 's' that shows ownership (the genitive 's') is added directly to the name or noun without an apostrophe. So "Karin's" simply becomes Karins.
Why is the word på (on) in this sentence? Doesn't he just play the guitar?
In English, you "play the guitar", but in Swedish, the phrase for playing an instrument usually includes the preposition på. You literally say that you play on an instrument, which is why it is spelar på Karins gitarr.
Why is it gitarr and not gitarren (the guitar) after Karins?
Just like in English, when a noun comes directly after an ownership word like Karins, we use the indefinite form of the noun (the base form). You say "Karin's guitar", not "Karin's the guitar". So it is Karins gitarr, not Karins gitarren.
Does ofta (often) always come right after the verb?
In a standard sentence like this one, adverbs like ofta usually come right after the verb (spelar). Notice how this differs from English, where we usually put "often" before the verb ("Johan often plays"). Swedish likes to keep its verb strictly in the second position!