Ett verk av Strindberg

Level 6

The postnominal genitive, often called the 'prepositional genitive', uses prepositions like 'av' or 'till' to show ownership or connection after a noun (e.g., 'taket på huset' - the roof of the house).

How It Works

The postnominal genitive, also known as the prepositional genitive (prepositionsgenitiv), is a crucial alternative to the standard s-genitive. While the s-genitive places the owner first (ägare + s + ägd sak), the postnominal genitive reverses this structure (ägd sak + preposition + ägare).

The choice depends on the relationship, what is identifiable in context, and sentence structure; the alternatives are not always interchangeable.

Key Triggers for Postnominal Genitives:

  • An Indefinite Head Noun: A phrase such as en vän till Anna introduces a friend without identifying that friend through a preceding possessor. An indefinite possessor can itself occur in an s-genitive: en författares dikt. Keep these two uses of an indefinite article separate.
    Compare:
    - Definite: kungens slott (the king's castle)
    - Indefinite: en dikt av en okänd författare (a poem by an unknown author)

  • Complex Owners: When the 'owner' is a long phrase or clause, using an s-genitive would be clumsy. The postnominal structure keeps the sentence clear.
    - Clumsy: [Mannen som bor i det röda huset]s bil...
    - Clear: Bilen till mannen som bor i det röda huset... (The car of the man who lives in the red house...)

  • Pronouns And Different Relationships: Use possessives such as min, din or hennes for a preceding possessor. After a preposition, use the appropriate object form: av mig, till henne. A picture of me and my picture need not identify the same relationship.
    - en bild av mig (a picture of me)

Common Prepositions Used:
The choice of preposition depends on the relationship being expressed.

  • av: Authorship, origin, material, or a part of a larger, abstract whole.
    - en symfoni av Mozart (a symphony by Mozart)
    - slutet av filmen (the end of the film)

  • till: Relationship, connection, purpose, or belonging.
    - en vän till min syster (a friend of my sister)
    - nyckeln till dörren (the key to the door)

  • på: A feature or part of a concrete object.
    - taket på huset (the roof of the house)
    - priset på mjölken (the price of the milk)

  • i: Contents or something located inside.
    - ett hål i väggen (a hole in the wall)

This structure is fundamental for creating natural-sounding, advanced Swedish sentences.

Not Every Relationship Is Ownership
En bild av mig may show me in the picture; min bild can be a picture I own, made, or otherwise am associated with. Likewise, nyckeln till bilen names a functional relationship. The preposition must fit the intended relation, not merely translate English of.

A long genitive phrase is not automatically ungrammatical, but a following phrase or relative clause may be easier to understand. Bilen som tillhör mannen som bor i det röda huset makes ownership explicit. Prepositional phrases also express relations that do not naturally become genitives, such as flaskan med vin.

Examples (5)

  1. Detta är ett verk av August Strindberg.

    This is a work by August Strindberg.

    Word by Word: This is a work of August Strindberg.

    'av' is used here to indicate authorship, a classic use of the postnominal genitive.

  2. Jag träffade en vän till min bror igår.

    I met a friend of my brother's yesterday.

    Word by Word: I met a friend to my brother yesterday.

    En vän till min bror introduces a friend of my brother. Min brors vän instead identifies the friend through the possessive relationship; it need not mean that the listener already knows the person.

  3. Färgen på dörren är röd.

    The color of the door is red.

    Word by Word: The color on the door is red.

    'på' is used to describe a feature (color) of a concrete object (door). 'Dörrens färg' is also correct and very common.

  4. Han visade mig ett foto av sig själv som barn.

    He showed me a photo of himself as a child.

    Word by Word: He showed me a photo of himself as child.

    Av sig själv names the person depicted, with reflexive sig referring back to han. Sitt foto is also grammatical but can indicate ownership or another association, so it does not specifically guarantee a self-portrait.

  5. Bilen till mannen som bor i det röda huset är blå.

    The car of the man who lives in the red house is blue.

    Word by Word: The-car to the-man that lives in the red house is blue.

    Here, the 'owner' is a long phrase ('mannen som bor i det röda huset'). Using an s-genitive would be extremely awkward. The postnominal structure with 'till' provides clarity.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the s-genitive with pronouns that can't take it.

    Jag såg en bild av digs.
    Jag såg en bild av dig.

    After av, the object form is dig, without added -s. For a preceding possessor use din: din bild. That possessive can indicate ownership or association, whereas en bild av dig can identify the person depicted.

  • Choosing the wrong preposition for the relationship.

    Ge mig nyckeln av bilen.
    Ge mig nyckeln till bilen.

    The choice of preposition is not random. 'till' is used for purpose and connection (the key for the car), while 'av' would imply origin or authorship, which doesn't make sense here.

  • Mixing indefinite articles with the s-genitive form.

    Jag såg ett husets tak. (Intended: the roof of a house.)
    Jag såg taket på ett hus.

    Ett husets does not form the intended indefinite possessor. Taket på ett hus is clear; ett hus tak is also a possible s-genitive of ett hus, whose final s receives no extra s. An indefinite article inside the possessor is allowed, as in en författares dikt.

How It Connects

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Ett verk av StrindbergLevel 6

Learn This First

Postnominal genitives in Swedish (e.g., 'ett verk av Strindberg') function as an alternative to the possessive -s. To learn this, learners need to understand how the preposition 'av' functions as a possessive marker, how it contrasts with the standard genitive case, and how definite/indefinite articles are applied to the nouns involved.

Words in This Pattern

tilltill