Questions & Answers about Alla kallar honom chefen.
Can I use kallar if I want to say "Everyone is calling him on the phone"?
No, kallar is only used for calling someone by a name, nickname, or title. If you want to talk about calling someone on the telephone, you must use the verb ringer.
In English, "everyone" is a singular word. Is alla singular or plural in Swedish?
Alla is grammatically plural in Swedish (think of it as "all people"). Because Swedish verbs do not change their endings depending on the subject, kallar stays the same regardless. However, this is important to remember for adjectives, which must take the plural form. For example: Alla är glada (Everyone is happy).
Why does the sentence use chefen instead of just chef?
Chefen is the definite form, meaning "the boss". Just like the English translation, Swedish uses the definite form here because they are referring to a specific, unique title or role that he holds within the group.
How would the word order change if I started this sentence with a time word like numera (nowadays)?
Because of the Swedish V2 rule, the verb must always be in the second position. If you put numera first, the subject (alla) and the verb (kallar) have to swap places: Numera kallar alla honom chefen.