Min farfar flyttade till Sverige för tjugo år sedan.

Questions & Answers about Min farfar flyttade till Sverige för tjugo år sedan.

How does the phrase för ... sedan work in this sentence?
In Swedish, "ago" is expressed using a two-part phrase: för and sedan. You put the amount of time right in the middle. So, för tjugo år sedan literally translates to "for twenty years since," which is the standard way to say "twenty years ago."
Why is the word for "years" just år without a plural ending?
The word år is an ett-word (a neuter noun) that ends in a consonant. In Swedish, ett-words that end in a consonant do not change their spelling in the indefinite plural. That is why one year is ett år and twenty years is tjugo år.
Can I use farfar for either of my grandfathers?
No, Swedish is very specific about family members. Farfar literally means "father's father," so it is only used for your paternal grandfather. If you were talking about your mother's father, you would use morfar.
How is the past tense formed for the verb flyttade?
Flyttade is the past tense of flytta (to move). It is a regular Group 1 verb, which means you form its past tense simply by adding -de to the infinitive form.

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