A1 Swedish GrammarPersonal Pronouns
Learn the Swedish personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and how to use them in simple sentences. Swedish pronouns are essential for basic communication and form the foundation for constructing sentences.
1Subject Pronouns
Swedish personal pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence - the person or thing performing the action. Swedish has a unique pronoun 'hen' that serves as a gender-neutral alternative to 'han' (he) and 'hon' (she). Unlike English, Swedish uses different forms for 'you' depending on whether you're addressing one person (du) or multiple people (ni). The formal 'Ni' (with capital N) was traditionally used for politeness but is now mostly replaced by 'du' in everyday Swedish.
Swedish Subject Pronouns
| Swedish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jag | I | Jag heter Anna. |
| du | you (singular) | Du är snäll. |
| han | he | Han arbetar. |
| hon | she | Hon läser. |
| hen | they (singular) | Hen studerar. |
| det/den | it | Det regnar. |
| vi | we | Vi bor i Stockholm. |
| ni | you (plural) | Ni är välkomna. |
| de | they | De spelar fotboll. |
'de' is pronounced 'dom' in spoken Swedish
Examples
Jag är från Sverige.
I am from Sweden.
jag = I (always lowercase unless starting sentence)
Du talar svenska.
You speak Swedish.
du = you (informal, singular)
Han och hon är vänner.
He and she are friends.
han = he, hon = she
Vi lär oss svenska.
We are learning Swedish.
vi = we
2Det and Den (It)
Swedish has two words for 'it': 'det' and 'den'. The choice depends on the grammatical gender of the noun being replaced. Swedish nouns are either 'en-words' (common gender) or 'ett-words' (neuter gender). 'Den' replaces en-words, while 'det' replaces ett-words. Additionally, 'det' is used in impersonal expressions like weather and time.
Using Det vs Den
| Noun Type | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en-words (common) | den | Boken? Den är bra. |
| ett-words (neuter) | det | Huset? Det är stort. |
| weather/impersonal | det | Det regnar. |
| time expressions | det | Det är sent. |
Examples
Var är bilen? Den är utanför.
Where is the car? It is outside.
bilen is en-word → den
Jag gillar äpplet. Det är gott.
I like the apple. It is tasty.
äpplet is ett-word → det
Det snöar idag.
It is snowing today.
det for weather
Det är måndag.
It is Monday.
det for time/day expressions
3Pronunciation Tips
Some Swedish pronouns have pronunciation that differs from their spelling. The most important one to remember is 'de' (they), which is pronounced 'dom' in spoken Swedish. Similarly, 'dem' (them) is also pronounced 'dom'. The pronoun 'jag' often sounds like 'ja' in fast speech, and 'det' frequently sounds like 'de' when spoken quickly.
Examples
De bor i Göteborg.
They live in Gothenburg.
'de' pronounced as 'dom'
Jag vet det.
I know that.
'jag' often sounds like 'ja' in fast speech
Det är de som kommer.
It is they who are coming.
Both 'det' and 'de' in one sentence
Hen kommer snart.
They (singular) will come soon.
'hen' is gender-neutral
4Common Patterns with Pronouns
Swedish pronouns follow the verb in statements but can come before the verb in questions. In simple sentences, the word order is typically Subject + Verb + Object, similar to English. Learning these basic patterns will help you construct correct sentences from the start.
Examples
Jag älskar dig.
I love you.
Subject + verb + object
Vi träffas imorgon.
We meet tomorrow.
'vi' as subject
Hon hjälper mig.
She helps me.
'hon' as subject, 'mig' as object
Ni kan börja nu.
You (all) can start now.
'ni' for plural 'you'