Breakdown of Livscykeln börjar när larven äter bladet, efter att ägget har kläckts.
ha
to have
börja
to start
äta
to eat
när
when
ägget
the egg
bladet
the leaf (of a plant)
livscykeln
the life cycle
larven
the caterpillar
efter att
after (conjunction)
kläckas
to hatch
Questions & Answers about Livscykeln börjar när larven äter bladet, efter att ägget har kläckts.
Why do we use the present perfect (har kläckts) in the efter att clause instead of the present tense?
In Swedish, efter att (after) requires strict tense sequencing to show that one action is fully completed before the next one starts. Since the main actions in this sentence (börjar, äter) are in the present tense, the completed action in the subordinate clause must be shifted back one step to the present perfect (har kläckts). If you used the present tense for the hatching, it would sound like the egg is hatching at the exact same time the caterpillar is eating!
Can I just say efter ägget har kläckts without the word att?
No, you need att here. Efter by itself is a preposition used before nouns, like efter frukost (after breakfast). When you are introducing a full subordinate clause that contains a subject and a verb (like ägget har kläckts), you must use the full conjunction efter att.
Why does the verb end in an 's' (har kläckts)?
This is the s-passive form of the verb att kläcka (to hatch). In Swedish, natural processes where the 'doer' isn't a person (like an egg hatching, or a door opening) are often expressed using the passive voice. If you used the active form har kläckt, it would imply the egg actively hatched something else!
Why is there an 's' in the middle of livscykeln?
That is a compounding 's' (often called a fog-s). When joining two words together to make a new compound noun—in this case, liv (life) and cykel (cycle)—Swedish often inserts an 's' to link them together smoothly, especially when the first word ends in a consonant.
Learn Livscykeln börjar när larven äter bladet, efter att ägget har kläckts and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free