Breakdown of De krockade för en timme sedan.
en
a, an (common)
de
they
timmen
the hour
för ... sedan
ago (in 'för ... sedan')
Questions & Answers about De krockade för en timme sedan.
How does för ... sedan work here to mean 'ago'?
In Swedish, you express 'ago' by wrapping the amount of time between the words för and sedan. Here, för en timme sedan literally translates to 'for an hour since', but it is the standard way to say 'an hour ago'.
Why use timme instead of klocka for 'hour'?
En timme is used for a duration of time (60 minutes). En klocka means a clock or watch, and is used to tell the time of day, like klockan tre (three o'clock). Since we are talking about a duration of one hour ago, timme is the correct word.
Is the pronoun De pronounced the way it is spelled?
Almost never! In spoken Swedish, De (they) is pronounced dom. You will write it as de, but you should always read it aloud as dom.
How is the past tense formed for krockade?
The dictionary form (infinitive) of the verb is att krocka (to crash). It belongs to the most common group of Swedish verbs, which forms the past tense by simply adding -de to the end, giving us krockade.