B1 Swedish GrammarRelative Clauses
Add information to nouns using relative clauses with 'som' (who, which, that). Learn when 'som' can be omitted, how to use 'vars' for possession, and master relative clause word order.
1Basic Relative Clauses with Som
Swedish uses 'som' as the main relative pronoun, equivalent to English 'who', 'which', and 'that'. Unlike English, Swedish doesn't distinguish between people and things - 'som' works for both. 'Som' introduces a clause that gives more information about a noun. The word order in the relative clause follows standard subordinate clause rules.
Som - Universal Relative Pronoun
| English | Swedish | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The man who... | Mannen som... | som for people |
| The book that... | Boken som... | som for things |
| The house which... | Huset som... | som for things |
| Everything that... | Allt som... | som for indefinites |
Examples
Mannen som bor där är min granne.
The man who lives there is my neighbor.
som as subject (who)
Boken som jag läser är intressant.
The book that I'm reading is interesting.
som as object (that)
Hon är den vän som hjälpte mig.
She is the friend who helped me.
som referring to person
Allt som händer har en orsak.
Everything that happens has a reason.
som after indefinite pronoun
2When Som Can Be Omitted
Unlike English where 'that' is often omitted, Swedish 'som' must usually be kept when it's the SUBJECT of the relative clause. However, when 'som' is the OBJECT of the relative clause, it can be omitted in casual speech and writing. This parallels English 'the book (that) I read'.
Som - Required vs Optional
| Context | Example | Som |
|---|---|---|
| Subject of clause | Mannen som kom... | Required |
| Object of clause | Boken (som) jag läste... | Optional |
| After preposition | Stolen som jag sitter på... | Required |
Examples
Filmen jag såg var bra.
The movie I saw was good.
som omitted (object)
Mannen som ringde var arg.
The man who called was angry.
som required (subject)
Maten du lagade var utsökt.
The food you made was delicious.
som omitted (object)
Hunden som skäller är vår.
The dog that is barking is ours.
som required (subject)
3Vars - Whose in Swedish
For possession in relative clauses ('whose'), Swedish uses 'vars'. Unlike 'som', 'vars' shows that something belongs to the noun being described. 'Vars' is used for both people and things, and it comes directly before the possessed item.
Vars - Possessive Relative
| English | Swedish |
|---|---|
| The man whose car... | Mannen vars bil... |
| The woman whose children... | Kvinnan vars barn... |
| The house whose garden... | Huset vars trädgård... |
Examples
Mannen vars bil är röd bor här.
The man whose car is red lives here.
vars for possession (person)
Kvinnan vars dotter vann är stolt.
The woman whose daughter won is proud.
vars with family member
Företaget vars aktier steg är svenskt.
The company whose shares rose is Swedish.
vars for things
Jag träffade en man vars namn jag glömde.
I met a man whose name I forgot.
vars in indirect relation
4Relative Clauses with Prepositions
When a relative clause involves a preposition, Swedish typically places the preposition at the end of the clause, similar to English informal style. 'Som' is kept in these constructions. More formal Swedish may front the preposition using 'vilken/vilket/vilka', but this is less common in everyday speech.
Examples
Stolen som jag sitter på är gammal.
The chair that I'm sitting on is old.
Preposition at end
Huset som hon bor i är stort.
The house that she lives in is big.
Preposition at end
Personen som jag pratade med var trevlig.
The person I talked to was nice.
Preposition at end
Ämnet som vi diskuterade om var viktigt.
The topic we discussed was important.
Preposition at end