Basic pronouns
Pronouns replace nouns. Instead of saying 'Anna reads a book,' you say 'She reads a book.'
How It Works
Pronouns are essential shortcut words that prevent repetition. Instead of saying 'The man saw the dog and the man pet the dog,' we can say 'The man saw the dog and he pet it.'
In Swedish, just like in English, pronouns change form based on their grammatical function. The two most important forms to know at first are:
- Subject Form: The grammatical subject (e.g., I see, she runs); it need not be the actor in every construction.
- Object Form: The form used as an object or after a preposition (e.g., see me, give it to her).
Here is a basic overview of the most common pronouns:
- jag (I) / mig (me)
- du (you) / dig (you)
- han (he) / honom (him)
- hon (she) / henne (her)
- hen (gender-neutral singular reference to a person) / hen (object; henom also occurs)
- vi (we) / oss (us)
- ni (you, plural) / er (you, plural)
- de (they) / dem (them)
An important feature of Swedish is that the pronoun for 'it' depends on the noun's gender. You'll learn more about this in the noun genders lesson.
- den (it, for 'en' words)
- det (it, for 'ett' words)
This lesson provides a conceptual overview. For detailed rules on specific types of pronouns, such as possessives, please see patterns like my/mine and his/hers.
De and dem are normally distinguished in standard writing but both are often pronounced dom. Det may refer to an entire situation or be a formal subject, as in Det regnar (It is raining); pronouns do not always replace a previously spoken noun.
Examples (6)
- Jag talar svenska.
I speak Swedish.
Word by Word: I speak Swedish.
- Hon läser en bok.
She is reading a book.
Word by Word: She reads a book.
- Vi bor i Sverige.
We live in Sweden.
Word by Word: We live in Sweden.
- Han ser mig.
He sees me.
Word by Word: He sees me.
This example shows the difference between a subject pronoun ('han' - he) and an object pronoun ('mig' - me). 'Han' is doing the seeing, and 'mig' is receiving the action.
- De har en hund.
They have a dog.
Word by Word: They have a dog.
- Bilen är röd. Den är snabb.
The car is red. It is fast.
Word by Word: The car is red. It is fast.
Because 'bil' (car) is an 'en' word ('en bil'), the pronoun used to refer to it is 'den'.
Common Mistakes
Choosing a subject form when the speaker is intended as the object.
Läraren ser jag.Läraren ser mig.To say the teacher sees me, use Läraren ser mig. Läraren ser jag is also grammatical but has a fronted object and means I see the teacher. Pronoun form and word order determine the roles; the older card incorrectly treated this as an impossible sentence.
Using det when you intend to refer specifically back to an en-noun.
Jag har en bok. Det är bra.Jag har en bok. Den är bra.Den refers back to the particular en-noun bok. Det är bra can instead mean That is good, evaluating the whole situation of having a book. Both sentences can be grammatical; choose the pronoun for the intended reference.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Noun genders
When referring back to a particular inanimate singular noun, den usually matches an en-noun and det an ett-noun. Det can also refer to a whole situation or serve as a formal subject, so not every occurrence depends on a preceding noun’s gender.
Foundations - Basic verb conjugation
The pronouns introduced here include subject and object forms. Swedish finite verbs change for tense, not for the subject’s person or number: jag läser, vi läser.
Foundations - min/mitt/minaMy/mine
These are possessive pronouns that show ownership ('my'/'mine'). They are directly related to the personal pronoun 'jag' (I).
Level 1 - hans/hennesHis/hers
These possessive pronouns show ownership for 'han' (he) and 'hon' (she), expanding on the concept of personal pronouns.
Level 1 - Word order basics
Pronouns are fundamental building blocks of sentences. Learning where to place them correctly is essential for forming basic statements and questions.
Foundations
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- alltidAlwaysLevel 1
- det regnarImpersonal Weather VerbsLevel 1
- din/ditt/dinaYour/yours (Singular)Level 1
- Singular address with duLevel 1
- Likes and preferencesLevel 1
- Necessity expressionsLevel 1
- hosAt Someone's PlaceLevel 1
- här/därHere/thereLevel 1
And 16 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Basic pronouns in Bubblegum
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