Hon ringde upp chefen.

Breakdown of Hon ringde upp chefen.

chefen
the boss
ringa upp
to call (up) on the phone

Questions & Answers about Hon ringde upp chefen.

What's the difference between ringde and ringde upp?
Ringde on its own means 'rang' or 'called'. Adding upp creates a particle verb (a verb paired with a small word) that specifically means 'called up' or initiated a phone call. It emphasizes the action of reaching out to someone.
Can I split ringde and upp like we do in English?
No. In English, you can say 'She called the boss up'. But in Swedish, a particle verb like ringde upp stays glued together. You must put the object (chefen) after the full verb phrase.
Where should the stress be when I pronounce ringde upp?
In Swedish particle verbs, the stress always falls on the particle (the small word). You should emphasize upp, while ringde is pronounced quite softly.
Why does the sentence use chefen instead of chef?
In Swedish, 'the' is attached to the end of the noun. Chef is an en-word, so you add -en to the end to get chefen (the boss).

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