Demonstrative Pronouns in Swedish

In Brief

Swedish normally expresses this/these with den här, det här, de här and that/those with den där, det där, de där. Choose den for an en noun, det for an ett noun, and de for any plural; when a noun follows, it normally has the definite form: den här boken, det där huset, de här bilarna.

Overview

Demonstratives are words used to point out or identify someone or something: this book, that house, or those people. Swedish builds its most useful everyday demonstratives from den, det, or de plus här (“here”) or där (“there”). The first word agrees with the noun's gender or number, while här and där show the basic near–far contrast.

This is an A1 topic, but it connects directly to Swedish noun gender and definite forms. A noun is a naming word such as “book,” “house,” or “car.” Swedish nouns belong to either the en class or the ett class, and that choice determines whether the demonstrative begins with den or det. In the plural, both classes use de.

English gives little warning about one especially important Swedish feature. In English, “this book” contains the plain form book. In Swedish, the everyday pattern contains the definite noun boken (“the book”): den här boken. Learning the demonstrative and noun ending together will prevent the most common beginner error.

How It Works

The beginner pattern

The core choice is straightforward:

Noun type	Near: this/these	Far: that/those	Example
Singular en noun	den här	den där	den här boken, den där boken
Singular ett noun	det här	det där	det här huset, det där huset
Plural, either gender	de här	de där	de här bilarna, de där husen

Här literally relates to “here,” so it points to something near the speaker or psychologically close in the conversation. Där relates to “there,” so it usually points to something farther away or distinguishes it from a nearer alternative. Actual distance is not always decisive: speakers also use these forms to select an item already visible or under discussion.

Use the definite form of the noun

After den här/där, det här/där, or de här/där, the noun normally takes its definite form—the form corresponding to English “the.” The ending varies by noun:

Basic noun	Definite noun	Demonstrative phrase
en bok — a book	boken — the book	den här boken — this book
en stol — a chair	stolen — the chair	den där stolen — that chair
ett hus — a house	huset — the house	det här huset — this house
ett äpple — an apple	äpplet — the apple	det där äpplet — that apple
bilar — cars	bilarna — the cars	de här bilarna — these cars
hus — houses	husen — the houses	de där husen — those houses

This structure is sometimes called double definiteness: definiteness is shown both before the noun and by the noun's ending. You do not need to memorize that label, but you do need the pattern.

When an adjective comes between

An adjective is a describing word such as “red,” “small,” or “new.” In a demonstrative noun phrase, the adjective normally takes its definite form, usually ending in -a, while the noun remains definite:

demonstrative + definite adjective + definite noun

Noun type	Pattern	Example
en singular	den här/där + adjective in -a + definite noun	den här röda bilen — this red car
ett singular	det här/där + adjective in -a + definite noun	det där stora huset — that big house
plural	de här/där + adjective in -a + definite plural noun	de här nya böckerna — these new books

Some adjectives have irregular definite forms, but the demonstrative frame stays the same: den här lilla katten (“this little cat”), not den här små katten.

Using the forms without a noun

The same combinations can stand alone when the listener can see or infer what is meant. In that use they function as pronouns—words that replace a noun:

• Vilken bok vill du ha? Den här. — “Which book do you want? This one.”
• Vilket hus är ert? Det där. — “Which house is yours? That one.”
• Vilka glas är rena? De här. — “Which glasses are clean? These.”

The gender or number still comes from the understood noun. If the unstated noun is en bok, use den här; if it is ett hus, use det här; for plural items, use de här.

Det här and det där also point to something whose noun class is irrelevant: an object not yet identified, an event, an idea, or an entire situation. This explains the very common question Vad är det här? (“What is this?”) and comments such as Det där var roligt (“That was funny”). In these cases, neutral det is the default.

Pronouncing de

In ordinary modern speech, written de is usually pronounced dom, including in de här and de där. Standard writing still uses de here. You may see dom in informal dialogue or casual messages, but de här bilarna is the safe standard spelling.

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Jag vill köpa den här boken.	I want to buy this book.	Near, singular en noun
Är den där jackan din?	Is that jacket yours?	Far, singular en noun
Det här huset är gammalt.	This house is old.	Near, singular ett noun
Vem bor i det där huset?	Who lives in that house?	Far, singular ett noun
De här bilarna är ganska dyra.	These cars are quite expensive.	Plural; definite noun bilarna
Jag känner inte de där personerna.	I don't know those people.	Plural demonstrative
Kan jag prova den här blå skjortan?	Can I try on this blue shirt?	Definite adjective and noun
Vi tittar på det där stora bordet.	We are looking at that large table.	Ett noun with an adjective
De här nya skorna passar bra.	These new shoes fit well.	Plural with an adjective
Vilken kopp vill du ha? — Den här.	Which cup do you want? — This one.	The understood noun is en kopp
Vilket foto menar du? — Det där.	Which photo do you mean? — That one.	The understood noun is ett foto
Vilka nycklar är dina? — De här.	Which keys are yours? — These.	The understood noun is plural
Vad är det här?	What is this?	Neutral det for something unidentified
Det där var en bra idé.	That was a good idea.	Det där refers to a whole idea or event
Jag tar den här, inte den där.	I'll take this one, not that one.	Direct near–far contrast

Common Mistakes

Using the plain noun after the demonstrative

• Wrong: den här bok
• Right: den här boken
• Why: The everyday den här pattern requires the definite noun form. Think “this the-book” as a memory aid, even though that is not natural English.

Choosing den or det from English meaning

• Wrong: den här hus
• Right: det här huset
• Why: Hus is an ett noun: ett hus. The demonstrative must therefore be det, and the noun becomes definite: huset.

Keeping singular agreement with a plural noun

• Wrong: den här bilarna
• Right: de här bilarna
• Why: All plural nouns use de, regardless of whether the singular begins with en or ett.

Using an indefinite adjective or noun

• Wrong: den här röd bilen or den här röda bil
• Right: den här röda bilen
• Why: In the full pattern, the adjective has its definite form and the noun also has its definite ending.

Treating det här as only an ett-noun form

• Wrong idea: You must know the noun before asking what an unknown object is.
• Right: Vad är det här?
• Why: Neutral det här can refer to an unidentified thing or a whole situation. Once a specific noun is understood, agreement can become more precise: Vilken cykel? Den här.

Writing the usual spoken pronunciation in formal text

• Informal spelling: dom här böckerna
• Standard spelling: de här böckerna
• Why: Many speakers pronounce de as dom, but edited standard Swedish normally retains de.

Usage Notes

The near–far contrast resembles English “this” versus “that,” but the match is not mechanical. Swedish den där can sound like a clear act of pointing or selection, while den + definite noun without där can also mean “that/the particular”: den boken har jag redan läst (“that book I have already read”). In a beginner conversation, den här and den där are reliable when you are physically comparing objects.

In presentations and everyday explanations, det här often means “this matter” or “what I am about to discuss”: Det här är viktigt (“This is important”). Det där may refer back to what another person said: Det där förstår jag inte (“I don't understand that”). Tone matters. Like English “that,” a strongly stressed den där personen can create distance or sound dismissive, although the grammar itself is neutral.

Remember that här and där are separate words. Compare den här stolen (“this chair”) with stolen här (“the chair here”). The second phrase locates an already identified chair; it is not the basic demonstrative construction taught in this article.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following alternatives at A1, but they are common enough to recognize.

Denna, detta, and dessa

Swedish also has the one-word demonstratives denna (en singular), detta (ett singular), and dessa (plural). In careful standard usage, they are followed by an indefinite-form noun:

Form	Standard pattern	English
denna	denna bok	this book
detta	detta hus	this house
dessa	dessa böcker	these books

These forms are frequent in formal, administrative, academic, and written Swedish: i detta avsnitt (“in this section”), vid denna tidpunkt (“at this point in time”). They can sound more formal than everyday den här boken and det här huset.

You will also hear regional and colloquial combinations such as denna boken, especially in western and southern Sweden. They are natural in those varieties, but learners aiming at neutral written standard Swedish should use either den här boken or denna bok, not mix the two patterns.

Demonstrative den/det/de without här or där

A stressed den, det, or de can identify a particular referent without här/där: Jag menar den röda bilen, inte den blå (“I mean the red car, not the blue one”). Before an adjective, Swedish still uses the definite adjective pattern. Context and stress do more of the pointing work than in the explicit här/där construction.

Human reference

When pointing out people, agreement follows the noun if one is stated: den här mannen, det här barnet, de där studenterna. When no noun is stated, Swedish often chooses a personal pronoun or a phrase such as den här personen rather than using a bare demonstrative in situations where it might sound abrupt. The exact choice depends on context and politeness, not just grammar.

Practice Tips

1. Build three-form sets. Take one en noun, one ett noun, and one plural each day: den här stolen, det här bordet, de här stolarna. Say the corresponding där forms too.
2. Point and contrast. With objects around you or pictures on a screen, say pairs such as Jag vill ha den här koppen, inte den där. Physical pointing makes här/där memorable.
3. Practice the whole noun phrase. Do not drill den här alone. Include the definite ending—and later an adjective: en jacka → jackan → den här jackan → den här svarta jackan.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender (En/Ett) — knowing whether a noun uses en or ett lets you choose den or det and form the required definite noun.