"En gång"

Translation: Once

[Zmrzlina]

As a little FYI, Swedish fairytales begin with "Det var en gång..."

[HPFoley]

Why is var used? I only know var as "where." Can it also be the past tense of är?

[Zmrzlina]

Yes, "var" is also past of "är".

[Gnurfel]

"... i ett land långt långt borta..."

[Jan-Olav]

If it is to mean once the stress should be on 'en'. If it is on 'gång' it would mean a pathway or an aisle.

[Volrat]

Actually gång har more meanings than that. Gång is translated to time, as in

• Det var en gång... | Once upon a time...

• Hur många gånger måste jag säga åt dig | How many times do I have to tell you

Or it can mean course/lapse

• Livet har sin gång | Life takes its course

Gång is also used for multiplication

• Tre gånger tre är nio | Three times three is nine

[RaptorsOnBikes]

Ooh! I had been wondering why "gång" referred to time, but was also seen in "ingång/utgång". It all makes sense now.

[CMShifflett]

Like a "gang plank"?

[CadklZ]

So whats the difference between en gång and en tid? (Could you say en tid?)

[Alyssa45840]

Could en gång also mean "one time"

[Zmrzlina]

Yes, just like "once".