Breakdown of De var med och installerade solpanelen på växthuset.
vara
to be
de
they
och
and
på
on / at / for (wait for) / in (believe in)
med
with
installera
to install
solpanelen
the solar panel
växthuset
the greenhouse
Questions & Answers about De var med och installerade solpanelen på växthuset.
Why is installerade in the past tense here, rather than an infinitive like in English 'helped to install'?
This is a classic example of pseudo-coordination using vara med och. Instead of using an infinitive (like 'to install'), Swedish links two conjugated verbs with och. Because the first verb var is in the past tense, the second verb installerade must also be in the past tense to match it.
The English translation says 'helped install', but couldn't I just say De hjälpte till att installera?
Yes, you could, but vara med och has a slightly different focus. It literally means 'to be with and [do something]', which emphasizes participating or taking part in a team effort. Hjälpa till att sounds a bit more like assisting someone else who is entirely in charge of the main job.
If I want to make this sentence negative, where does inte go?
You place inte directly after the first verb, just like in any normal main clause. It becomes: De var inte med och installerade solpanelen på växthuset. You do not put another inte before the second verb.
Why do we use the preposition på before växthuset?
Because the solar panel is being attached to the exterior structure of the greenhouse (likely the roof). Swedish typically uses på for things installed on the outside surfaces of buildings. If they were installing a heating system inside the building, you would use i.
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