där/dit/därifrån
Where/to Where/from Where (Relative)
där = where (in a place)
dit = to where (movement to a place)
därifrån = from where (movement from a place)
How It Works
In Swedish, when you want to add more information about a place in a sentence, you use the relative adverbs där, dit, or därifrån. These words connect the main clause to a subordinate clause, much like 'where', 'to which', or 'from which' in English.
Choose according to the spatial relationship expressed in the relative clause:
1. där (where, at which)
Use där when the verb describes a state or an action happening at a location, without movement towards or away from it.
- Stockholm är staden där jag bor. (Stockholm is the city where I live.)
- Det är ett café där man kan läsa i lugn och ro. (It's a café where one can read in peace and quiet.)
This is the relative equivalent of the question word var (where?).
2. dit (to where, to which)
Use dit when the verb describes movement towards a destination.
- Det är restaurangen dit vi ska gå ikväll. (That's the restaurant where we are going tonight.)
- Jag längtar tillbaka till ön dit vi reste förra sommaren. (I long to go back to the island where we traveled last summer.)
3. därifrån (from where, from which)
Use därifrån when the verb describes movement away from an origin.
- Han återvände till byn därifrån han kom. (He returned to the village from where he came.)
- Huset därifrån tjuven flydde var övergivet. (The house from which the thief fled was abandoned.)
Remember that these words introduce subordinate clauses, which means they follow the subordinate clause word order (e.g., adverbs like 'inte' come before the verb).
Choose the adverb by the spatial relationship, not by whether the verb involves motion: parken där vi springer is the park where we run, while parken dit vi springer is the park we run to. Därifrån marks a starting point. In relative clauses, make the place antecedent explicit. Var also introduces indirect questions, as in Jag vet var hon bor; it is not limited to direct questions.
Examples (5)
- Det här är huset där jag växte upp.
This is the house where I grew up.
Word by Word: This here is the-house where I grew up.
'växte upp' (grew up) describes something that happened at a location, so 'där' is used.
- Stockholm är staden dit vi flyttar nästa månad.
Stockholm is the city where we are moving next month.
Word by Word: Stockholm is the-city to-where we move next month.
The verb 'flyttar' (are moving) indicates movement towards a destination, so 'dit' is used.
- Jag kommer från en liten by därifrån nästan alla unga har flyttat.
I come from a small village from where almost all young people have moved.
Word by Word: I come from a small village from-where almost all young have moved.
The verb 'har flyttat' (have moved) in this context implies movement away from the village, so 'därifrån' is used.
- Vi åt på restaurangen där vi hade vår första dejt.
We ate at the restaurant where we had our first date.
Word by Word: We ate at the-restaurant where we had our first date.
- Kan du på kartan peka ut platsen dit vi ska åka?
Can you point out on the map the place we are going to?
Word by Word: Can you on the-map point out the-place to-where we shall travel?
Common Mistakes
Using 'var' (the question word) instead of 'där' in relative clauses.
Det är staden var han bor.Det är staden där han bor.For this relative clause referring back to staden, use där in the general-standard pattern. Var can introduce direct or indirect questions: Var bor han? and Jag vet var han bor.
Using 'där' for movement towards a place instead of 'dit'.
(Meaning the beach we will travel to.) Det är stranden där vi ska åka imorgon.Det är stranden dit vi ska åka imorgon.For the intended destination, use dit. Där instead locates the travelling activity at that beach; åka by itself does not force a destination reading.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'där', 'dit', and 'därifrån' correctly, you need to understand how Swedish distinguishes between location, direction, and origin. You also need to be familiar with how relative clauses are structured and how word order changes in subordinate clauses.
- var/vartWhere (Location/direction)
Understanding the distinction between location (var) and direction (vart) is fundamental to using the relative equivalents där and dit.
Level 1 - Subordinate clause word order
Since där, dit, and därifrån introduce relative clauses (a type of subordinate clause), the learner must understand the specific word order rules for subordinate clauses.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- somThat/which/who
Both are used to introduce relative clauses. 'som' is the general relative pronoun for people and things, while 'där/dit/därifrån' are relative adverbs used specifically for places.
Level 2 - varWhere
'var' is the interrogative (question) word for 'where?'. 'där' is its relative counterpart, used in statements to refer back to a place. Learners often confuse the two.
Level 1 - vilket/vilkaWhich (Relative)
These relative adverbs are often a more natural and common way to express what could also be said with a preposition + a relative pronoun like 'vilket' (e.g., 'staden, i vilken...' becomes 'staden, där...').
Level 3 - här/därHere/there
It's important to distinguish the two functions of 'där'. It can be a simple adverb meaning 'there' (e.g., 'Boken är där'), or, as in this pattern, a relative adverb meaning 'where' that connects two clauses.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice där/dit/därifrån in Bubblegum
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