Breakdown of De pratade om tiden då de lekte tillsammans i skogen.
de
they
prata
to speak
tillsammans
together
leka
to play (as children do)
i
in
skogen
the forest
tiden
the time
om
about
då
when (relative)
Questions & Answers about De pratade om tiden då de lekte tillsammans i skogen.
Why does the sentence use då for "when" instead of när?
In this sentence, då is a relative adverb pointing back to a specific noun, tiden (the time). While you will often hear Swedes use när in everyday speech for this, då is the grammatically standard choice in written Swedish when linking back to time words like tiden, dagen, or året.
If I wanted to say "when they did not play together", where would inte go?
It would go before the verb: då de inte lekte tillsammans. The clause starting with då is a subordinate clause. Remember the BIFF rule, which tells us that in a subordinate clause, sentence adverbs like inte or alltid must come before the first verb.
Can I use spelade instead of lekte for "played" here?
No, lekte (from the verb att leka) specifically means children's imaginative play or playing with toys. Spelade (from att spela) is used for structured games, sports, instruments, or video games, which does not fit the context of playing together in the forest.
Why is it i skogen instead of på skogen?
In Swedish, you are typically inside a three-dimensional environment like a forest (i skogen), just like in English. The preposition på is usually reserved for flat surfaces, islands, or certain public institutions like a bank or a hospital.
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