Learn Swedish: Vi jobbade och sedan fikade vi. - We worked and then we had coffee.

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?