Först läses manualen, sedan monteras delarna.
First the manual is read, then the parts are assembled.
Breakdown of Först läses manualen, sedan monteras delarna.
läsa
to read
först
first
sedan
then
manualen
the manual
Questions & Answers about Först läses manualen, sedan monteras delarna.
Why do the verbs end in -s (läses, monteras)?
This is the passive form. Adding an -s to the end of a verb shows that an action is being done to the subject, rather than the subject doing it. So läser (reads) becomes läses (is read), and monterar (assembles) becomes monteras (are assembled).
Why is the word order läses manualen instead of manualen läses?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule. Because the sentence starts with the time word först (first), the verb läses must take the second position. The subject manualen gets pushed to after the verb.
Does the V2 rule happen again in the second half of the sentence?
Yes! The second part of the sentence starts with sedan (then). Since sedan is in the first position of this new clause, the verb monteras must come second, pushing the subject delarna to the third position.
Could I use the word man (one/you) instead of these passive verbs?
Absolutely. In spoken Swedish, it's often more natural to use man. You would say: Först läser man manualen, sedan monterar man delarna. Notice that the V2 rule still applies, so the verb comes before man.