Pronoun Reference (Den/Det/De) in Swedish

Overview

At the B2 level, you already know that Swedish has two grammatical genders (en-words and ett-words) and a plural. The pronouns den, det, and de are the third-person forms that refer back to previously mentioned nouns -- what linguists call anaphoric reference. Getting these right is essential for coherent, natural-sounding Swedish.

But den/det/de do more than just replace nouns. Det in particular is a Swiss Army knife of Swedish grammar: it serves as a dummy subject (Det regnar), a placeholder in cleft sentences (Det är hon som...), and a general reference pronoun (Det vet jag). Understanding all its roles will clear up many confusing sentences.

This concept is critical for reading comprehension and for producing connected text that flows naturally, whether in conversation or writing.

How It Works

Basic anaphoric reference

The pronoun must match the gender and number of the noun it refers to:

Noun Gender	Pronoun	Example
En-word (common)	den	Bilen? Den är röd. (The car? It's red.)
Ett-word (neuter)	det	Huset? Det är stort. (The house? It's big.)
Plural	de	Barnen? De leker ute. (The children? They're playing outside.)

Den -- for en-words

Den replaces any previously mentioned en-word noun:

• Har du sett filmen? Den var bra. (Have you seen the movie? It was good.)
• Jag köpte en bok. Den var intressant. (I bought a book. It was interesting.)
• Jackan? Jag hittade den igår. (The jacket? I found it yesterday.) -- as object

Det -- the multifunctional pronoun

1. Reference to ett-words:

• Barnet? Det sover. (The child? It's sleeping.)
• Bordet? Det är nytt. (The table? It's new.)

2. Reference to a whole clause or idea:

• Han är sjuk. Det visste jag inte. (He's sick. I didn't know that.)
• Det vet jag inte. (That I don't know.) -- det refers to the preceding topic

3. Dummy subject (expletive det):

• Det regnar. (It's raining.)
• Det finns kaffe. (There is coffee.)
• Det verkar som att... (It seems like...)

4. Cleft sentences (emphasis with det):

• Det är hon som bestämmer. (It's she who decides.)
• Det var igår (som) jag såg honom. (It was yesterday that I saw him.)
• Det är det jag menar. (That's what I mean.)

5. Presentational det:

• Det kom en man. (There came a man / A man came.)
• Det satt en katt på muren. (There was a cat sitting on the wall.)

De -- for plurals

De (pronounced "dom" in speech) replaces plural nouns:

• Har du sett barnen? De leker ute. (Have you seen the children? They're playing outside.)
• Böckerna var dyra. De kostade 300 kronor. (The books were expensive. They cost 300 kronor.)

Spoken vs. written: In speech, both de (they, subject) and dem (them, object) are pronounced "dom." In writing, the distinction matters:

Function	Written	Spoken
Subject	de	dom
Object	dem	dom
Example (subject)	De kom igår.	Dom kom igår.
Example (object)	Jag såg dem.	Jag såg dom.

Common patterns with det

Pattern	Example	Function
Det + copula + adjective	Det är bra.	General assessment
Det + copula + noun clause	Det är sant att...	Evaluating a fact
Det + passive	Det sägs att...	Impersonal
Det + existential	Det finns...	Existence
Det + cleft	Det är X som...	Emphasis
Det + reference	Det vet jag.	Back-reference

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Filmen? Den var bra.	The movie? It was good.	den = en-word reference
Barnen? De leker ute.	The children? They're playing outside.	de = plural reference
Det vet jag inte.	That I don't know.	det = clause reference
Det är det jag menar.	That's what I mean.	Cleft + reference
Bordet? Det är nytt.	The table? It's new.	det = ett-word reference
Hon sa att hon var trött. Det förstår jag.	She said she was tired. I understand that.	det = whole clause
Det finns ingen mjölk.	There's no milk.	Existential det
Det var hon som ringde.	It was she who called.	Cleft sentence
Jag hittade boken. Den låg under sängen.	I found the book. It was under the bed.	den as subject
De sa att de skulle komma.	They said they would come.	de for people (plural)
Jobbet? Det gillar jag.	The job? I like it.	det as fronted object
Det kom ett brev idag.	A letter arrived today.	Presentational det

Common Mistakes

Wrong: Bilen? Det är röd. Right: Bilen? Den är röd. Why: Bilen is an en-word, so the pronoun must be den, not det. Match the gender of the noun.

Wrong: Jag såg de igår. (in writing) Right: Jag såg dem igår. Why: In the object position, use dem, not de. In speech both sound like "dom," but written Swedish maintains the distinction.

Wrong: Barnet? Den sover. Right: Barnet? Det sover. Why: Barnet is an ett-word, so use det, not den.

Wrong: Han är sjuk. Den visste jag inte. Right: Han är sjuk. Det visste jag inte. Why: When referring to a whole idea or statement (not a specific noun), always use det, regardless of the gender of any nouns in the referenced clause.

Wrong: Det är jag som bestämmer. with incorrect stress making it sound like a dummy subject. Right: Stress jag in speech: Det är JAG som bestämmer. Why: In cleft sentences, the emphasized element carries the main stress. Without proper stress, the sentence can be misunderstood.

Usage Notes

The de/dem distinction is one of the most debated grammar points in modern Swedish. Many native speakers struggle with it in writing because both are pronounced "dom" in speech. Some style guides and newspapers now accept dom in writing, but standard written Swedish still distinguishes de (subject) from dem (object). At the B2 level, maintaining this distinction in writing is recommended.

Cleft sentences with det are extremely common in Swedish -- more so than in English. They are used to emphasize any part of a sentence: Det var igår som jag kom (It was yesterday that I arrived), Det är kaffe som jag vill ha (It's coffee that I want).

In spoken Swedish, det is frequently reduced to a short, unstressed "de" or even just "e": Det vet jag inte → De vet ja inte. Recognizing these reduced forms is important for listening comprehension.

Practice Tips

1. Gender match drill -- write ten Swedish nouns (mix of en-words and ett-words) and practice referring to each with the correct pronoun in a follow-up sentence: Stolen? Den är bekväm. Bordet? Det är stort.

2. Det function identification -- read a Swedish text and highlight every instance of det. For each one, determine its function: anaphoric reference, dummy subject, cleft sentence, or clause reference.

3. De/dem practice -- write ten sentences using de as subject and dem as object. Read them aloud (both sound like "dom") to internalize that the written distinction does not affect pronunciation.

Related Concepts

• Personal Pronouns (parent) -- den/det/de are part of the broader Swedish pronoun system