Questions & Answers about Han studerade i Sverige i tre år.
Why do we use i to mean "for" in i tre år?
In Swedish, when you talk about how long a continuous action lasted, you use the preposition i. English speakers often try to use för, but för is almost never used for time duration in Swedish.
Could I use på instead of i here, like på tre år?
Not in this sentence! You use på for the duration of a negative action, like han studerade inte på tre år (he didn't study for three years), or to say how long it takes to complete a specific goal. Since he was actively studying the whole time, you must use i.
Is there a difference between studerade and pluggade?
Studerade is the standard, slightly more formal word for studying, often at a university level. Pluggade is a very common colloquial word for doing homework or cramming for a test, but it is also widely used for university studies. Both work perfectly here.
Could I use the verb läste instead of studerade?
You can, as läste is often used to mean studying a subject at university. However, because läste literally means "read", it sounds best when you specify what was studied, like han läste ekonomi (he studied economics). Without a specific subject, studerade makes it clearer that you mean studying in general.