Questions & Answers about Vi jobbade och sedan fikade vi.
How do we form the past tense for the verbs jobba and fika?
These belong to Group 1, the most common regular verb group in Swedish. In their dictionary form (infinitive), they end in -a. To form the past tense (preteritum), you simply add -de to that form, which gives you the classic -ade ending. So, jobba becomes jobbade and fika becomes fikade.
Why is the word order sedan fikade vi instead of sedan vi fikade?
This is a great example of the V2 (verb-second) rule! The word och (and) connects two independent clauses. In the second clause, the adverb sedan (then) is in the first position. Because the verb must always take the second position in a main clause, fikade has to come right after it, pushing the subject vi into the third position.
Is fikade the direct translation for "had coffee"?
Yes, but it means a bit more than just drinking a beverage. It comes from the noun fika, which is the Swedish cultural concept of taking a relaxed break with coffee (or tea) and usually a sweet treat like a cinnamon bun. It is very common to use it as a regular verb, as shown here.
How do native speakers usually pronounce jobbade and fikade in casual conversation?
In everyday spoken Swedish, the -de at the end of Group 1 past tense verbs is very often dropped. You will frequently hear native speakers say "Vi jobba..." and "...fika vi" instead of fully pronouncing the -ade ending. You might also hear them shorten sedan to sen.
Learn Vi jobbade och sedan fikade vi and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free