Demonstrative Pronouns in Swedish

Overview

Demonstrative pronouns are the words you use to point to specific things: "this," "that," "these," and "those." In Swedish, demonstratives are formed by combining den/det/de with här (here) for "this/these" and där (there) for "that/those." Like many other Swedish grammar features, demonstratives must agree with the noun's gender and number.

At the A1 level, demonstratives are practical and immediately useful — you need them for shopping (Jag vill ha den här — I want this one), giving directions, and pointing things out in conversation. They also reinforce your understanding of the en/ett gender system, since you must choose between den and det depending on the noun.

The Swedish demonstrative system is transparent and logical: you are essentially saying "the-here" for "this" and "the-there" for "that." Once you see the pattern, it becomes easy to form demonstratives for any noun.

How It Works

Demonstrative Forms

	En-word	Ett-word	Plural
This/these	den här	det här	de här
That/those	den där	det där	de där

With Nouns

When used with a noun, the noun takes its definite form (with the suffix):

Demonstrative	Noun (definite)	English
den här boken		this book
det här huset		this house
de här bilarna		these cars
den där stolen		that chair
det där barnet		that child
de där blommorna		those flowers

This creates a "double determination" pattern: the demonstrative (den/det/de) + här/där + noun with definite suffix. This is characteristic of Swedish.

Standalone Use (Without a Noun)

Demonstratives can stand alone as pronouns:

Swedish	English	Context
Jag vill ha den här.	I want this one.	Referring to an en-word
Vad är det här?	What is this?	General/unknown
Jag tycker om de där.	I like those.	Referring to plural
Ta den där istället.	Take that one instead.	Referring to an en-word

Alternative Forms (Denna/Detta/Dessa)

Swedish also has a more formal set of demonstratives:

Informal	Formal	English
den här	denna	this
det här	detta	this
de här	dessa	these

Denna/detta/dessa are mainly used in formal writing, news, and official texts. In everyday speech, den här/det här/de här are standard.

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
den här boken	this book	En-word demonstrative
det där huset	that house	Ett-word demonstrative
de här bilarna	these cars	Plural demonstrative
Vad är det här?	What is this?	Common question
Jag gillar den här filmen.	I like this movie.	With en-word noun
Det här äpplet är gott.	This apple is tasty.	With ett-word noun
Kan jag få den där?	Can I get that one?	Standalone, pointing
De där barnen leker.	Those children are playing.	Plural with noun
Titta på det här!	Look at this!	Standalone, exclamation
Den här restaurangen är bra.	This restaurant is good.	En-word, full sentence
Det där var roligt.	That was fun.	Referring to an event
Vem bor i det där huset?	Who lives in that house?	With preposition

Common Mistakes

Wrong gender agreement

• Wrong: den här huset (using den with an ett-word)
• Right: det här huset
• Why: Since hus is an ett-word, you must use det (not den). The demonstrative must match the noun's gender.

Forgetting the definite suffix on the noun

• Wrong: den här bok
• Right: den här boken
• Why: In Swedish, the noun must be in its definite form when used with a demonstrative: den här boken, det här huset, de här bilarna.

Using "det" for everything

• Wrong: det här bilen
• Right: den här bilen
• Why: While det här is correct for ett-words and general/unknown references (Vad är det här?), en-words require den här.

Confusing här and där

• Wrong: Using den här when pointing to something far away
• Right: den där
• Why: Här = here (close), där = there (far). The distinction mirrors English "this" vs. "that."

Usage Notes

In everyday spoken Swedish, den här/det här/de här are by far the most common demonstratives. The formal variants denna/detta/dessa appear in news broadcasts, academic writing, and official documents, but sound stiff in casual conversation.

When the gender of a referent is unknown or when pointing to something in general, Swedish uses det här or det där as a default: Vad är det här? (What is this?), Vad var det där? (What was that?).

In spoken Swedish, de här and de där are pronounced "dom här" and "dom där" (since de is always pronounced "dom").

The demonstrative system works the same way across all Swedish dialects and registers, though some dialects have additional forms like den hära or denna här that are considered non-standard.

Practice Tips

• Point and name. Look around you and practice: den här stolen, det här bordet, de här böckerna. Physically pointing while speaking helps anchor the grammar in memory.

• Practice shopping scenarios. Imagine being in a store: Jag vill ha den här. Hur mycket kostar den där? Kan jag prova de här? This is one of the most practical uses of demonstratives.

• Test yourself on gender. For any noun, ask: is it den här or det här? This simultaneously reinforces demonstratives and noun gender.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender (En/Ett) — demonstratives require knowing the noun's gender to choose den/det/de correctly