A2 Swedish GrammarPossessive Pronouns
Learn Swedish possessive pronouns that replace nouns (mine, yours, his, hers). Understand the difference between possessive adjectives (my, your) and possessive pronouns (mine, yours), and how they agree with the noun's gender.
1Possessive Adjectives Review
Before learning possessive pronouns, let's review possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, etc.). In Swedish, these must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify. For en-words, use: min, din, sin. For ett-words, use: mitt, ditt, sitt. For plural, use: mina, dina, sina.
Possessive Adjectives
| Person | En-word | Ett-word | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| my | min | mitt | mina |
| your (sg) | din | ditt | dina |
| his/her/its | hans/hennes/dess | hans/hennes/dess | hans/hennes/dess |
| our | vår | vårt | våra |
| your (pl) | er | ert | era |
| their | deras | deras | deras |
hans, hennes, dess, deras never change form
Examples
Det är min bok.
It is my book.
min for en-word (bok)
Det är mitt hus.
It is my house.
mitt for ett-word (hus)
Det är mina vänner.
They are my friends.
mina for plural (vänner)
Det är hans bil.
It is his car.
hans never changes
2Possessive Pronouns (Standing Alone)
Possessive pronouns replace a noun entirely and stand alone. In English: 'mine', 'yours', 'his', 'hers'. In Swedish, they take the same form as possessive adjectives but must still agree with the noun they replace. The context determines whether 'min' means 'my' (adjective) or 'mine' (pronoun).
Possessive Pronouns
| English | En-word | Ett-word | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| mine | min | mitt | mina |
| yours (sg) | din | ditt | dina |
| his/hers | hans/hennes | hans/hennes | hans/hennes |
| ours | vår | vårt | våra |
| yours (pl) | er | ert | era |
| theirs | deras | deras | deras |
Examples
Den boken är min.
That book is mine.
min as pronoun (replacing 'min bok')
Huset är ditt.
The house is yours.
ditt agrees with ett-word 'hus'
Är de där bilarna era?
Are those cars yours?
era for plural
Vårt är större än deras.
Ours is bigger than theirs.
vårt and deras as pronouns
3The Reflexive Possessive: Sin/Sitt/Sina
Swedish has a special reflexive possessive 'sin/sitt/sina' that refers back to the subject of the sentence. This is used instead of hans/hennes/deras when the possession belongs to the subject. This distinction doesn't exist in English but is important in Swedish to avoid ambiguity.
Sin vs Hans/Hennes
| Swedish | English | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Hon älskar sin man. | She loves her (own) husband. | sin = her own |
| Hon älskar hennes man. | She loves her (another woman's) husband. | hennes = someone else's |
| Han läser sin bok. | He reads his (own) book. | sin = his own |
| Han läser hans bok. | He reads his (another man's) book. | hans = someone else's |
Examples
Erik tar sin väska.
Erik takes his (own) bag.
sin refers back to Erik
Erik tar hans väska.
Erik takes his (someone else's) bag.
hans refers to another person
De älskar sina barn.
They love their (own) children.
sina for plural, refers to subject
Maria städar sitt rum.
Maria cleans her (own) room.
sitt for ett-word (rum)
4Common Expressions with Possessives
Possessives appear in many everyday Swedish expressions. Some fixed phrases always use specific possessive forms. Learning these common patterns will help you sound more natural in Swedish.
Examples
Vems är den här?
Whose is this?
vems = whose (question word)
Det är inte mitt fel.
It's not my fault.
mitt fel (common expression)
PÃ¥ egen hand.
On one's own.
Common idiom with 'egen'
Var och en sin smak.
Each to their own taste.
Swedish proverb