Breakdown of Släkten hade redan flyttat för två generationer sedan.
ha
to have
sedan
then
två
two
redan
already
Questions & Answers about Släkten hade redan flyttat för två generationer sedan.
How does the phrase for "ago" work in this sentence?
To say "ago" in Swedish, you use the phrase för ... sedan. You put the amount of time between the two words. Here, "two generations" is två generationer, so "two generations ago" becomes för två generationer sedan.
Why does the sentence use släkten instead of familjen for "family"?
Familjen usually means your immediate family, like parents and children living together. Släkten refers to your extended family or all your relatives. Since this sentence talks about something spanning multiple generations, släkten makes the most sense!
Why is redan (already) placed in the middle of the two verbs?
In a standard Swedish sentence, short modifying words (called sentence adverbs) like redan (already), inte (not), and alltid (always) usually go right after the first verb. This means they split the helper verb (hade) and the main verb (flyttat).
Why is the word for "moved" spelled flyttat instead of flyttade?
Flyttade is the simple past tense, used on its own for a finished action (like "they moved"). But because this sentence uses the helper verb hade (had), you must use the special "supine" form of the verb, which is flyttat.