hos
At Someone's Place
Use 'hos' to say you are at someone's home or place of work.
How It Works
The preposition hos is essential for talking about being at someone's personal space, like their home or office.
Main Uses:
- At someone's home: This is the most common use. Instead of saying 'at Anna's house', you say 'hos Anna'.
Jag är hos min vän. (I am at my friend's place.) - At a professional's office: It's also used for appointments with professionals like doctors, dentists, or hairdressers.
Han är hos läkaren. (He is at the doctor's.)
Key Distinction:
While i means 'in' and på means 'on' or 'at' (for public places), hos relates the place or situation to a person or organization. It does not guarantee that the person is physically present.
For example:
- Jag är i ett hus. (I am in a house — the house may be specific in context)
- Jag är hos Pelle. (I am at Pelle's place — Pelle need not be there)
It is typically followed by a person's name, a title (like 'mormor' - grandma), or a pronoun (like 'mig', 'dig', 'henne').
Beyond A Home Address
Hos can describe a workplace or institutional contact: anställd hos ett företag means employed by a company. Hos vissa fågelarter introduces a property found in certain bird species; no person’s home is involved.
Use object pronouns after hos: hos mig, hos henne, hos oss. Hos Anna is compatible with Anna being absent, just as an appointment hos läkaren names the professional relationship without describing where the doctor is at the moment you book it.
Examples (5)
- Jag är hos min kompis.
I am at my friend's place.
Word by Word: I am at my friend.
- Vi ska äta middag hos mormor ikväll.
We are going to eat dinner at grandma's place tonight.
Word by Word: We shall eat dinner at grandma tonight.
- Har du en tid hos frisören?
Do you have an appointment at the hairdresser's?
Word by Word: Have you a time at the hairdresser?
- Katten bor hos oss.
The cat lives with us / at our place.
Word by Word: The cat lives at us.
- Det var fest hos grannarna igår.
There was a party at the neighbors' place yesterday.
Word by Word: It was party at the neighbors yesterday.
Common Mistakes
Using 'i' or 'på' for a person's home.
Jag är på Maria. (Intended: I am at Maria’s place.)Jag är hos Maria.For the intended place associated with Maria, use hos Maria. På Maria does not express that home-location meaning. A different phrase such as i Marias hus is also grammatical; hos is not the only possible way to describe being at someone’s home.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'hos' correctly, you need to understand how to form definite nouns, as it is often used with professions (the doctor, the dentist). You also need to know basic pronouns, as 'hos' is the standard way to say 'at my/your/his house'. Finally, having a grasp of other basic prepositions helps clarify that 'hos' is specifically for people or their places of business.
- -en/-etDefinite Singular Suffix
The preposition 'hos' is frequently used with nouns in their definite form (e.g., 'hos läkaren'), so understanding the definite singular suffix is essential.
Level 1 - Basic pronouns
'Hos' is commonly used with personal pronouns to indicate being at someone's home (e.g., 'hos mig'), requiring knowledge of basic pronoun forms.
Foundations - påOn/at
Understanding basic spatial prepositions like 'på' helps the learner distinguish between physical location on an object versus being at a person's location.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- iIn
Compare hos Anna with i Annas hus. Both may locate you at a place associated with Anna, but hos presents it through that association while i describes being inside the house.
Level 1 - vidAt/by (Proximity)
Vid can express proximity, as in vid bordet. Hos names an association with a person or institution; it does not necessarily mean physical company or even a physical place.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice hos in Bubblegum
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