vems

Whose (Interrogative)

Level 1

Use vems to ask 'whose'.

How It Works

The Swedish word vems is an interrogative pronoun used to ask 'whose'. It's the possessive (genitive) form of vem (who).

Key characteristics:

  • It asks whose relationship is involved: ownership, authorship, family connection or another association.
  • It is typically placed at the beginning of a question, following the structure for question word questions.
  • Vems is invariable. It does not change its form based on the gender (en/ett) or number (singular/plural) of the noun that follows.

Common Structures:
1. Vems + Noun + ...?
- Vems bil står där? (Whose car is parked there?)

2. Vems + är + ...? (When the object is already clear from context)
- Vems är den här? (Whose is this?)

Vems can follow a preposition: I vems bil åker vi? (Whose car are we travelling in?). It also occurs in indirect questions: Jag undrar vems bil det är. After vems use the indefinite noun form: vems bok. The meaning need not be literal ownership: Vems syster är hon? asks about a family relationship.

Examples (5)

  1. Vems bok är det här?

    Whose book is this?

    Word by Word: Whose book is it here?

    Using vems with an 'en' word ('en bok').

  2. Vems hus är det där?

    Whose house is that?

    Word by Word: Whose house is it there?

    Using vems with an 'ett' word ('ett hus'). Notice vems does not change.

  3. Vems nycklar ligger på bordet?

    Whose keys are on the table?

    Word by Word: Whose keys lie on the-table?

    Using vems with a plural noun ('nycklar'). Again, vems remains unchanged.

  4. Jag vet inte vems väska det är.

    I don't know whose bag it is.

    Word by Word: I know not whose bag it is.

  5. Vems är den här jackan?

    Whose is this jacket?

    Word by Word: Whose is this the-jacket?

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing 'vems' (whose) with 'vem' (who).

    Vem cykel är det?
    Vems cykel är det?

    To ask about possession, you must use the possessive form vems. Vem is only used to ask 'who'.

  • Incorrectly trying to change the form of 'vems' to match the noun.

    Vemst äpple är det? / Vemsa skor är det?
    Vems äpple är det? / Vems skor är det?

    Vems is an invariable word. It never changes, regardless of whether the noun is an en-word, an ett-word, or plural.

How It Connects

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vemsLevel 1Whose (Interrogative)

Learn This First

To understand 'vems' (whose), a learner first needs to know the base interrogative 'vem' (who) and the general concept of possession in Swedish. Additionally, basic word order is required to place the interrogative correctly at the start of a question.

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Words in This Pattern

vem