What you will learn
You can use mig, dig, honom, henne, oss, er and dem after a verb or a small word.
Two forms of the words for people
| Does the action | After a verb or a small word | English |
|---|---|---|
| jag | mig | me |
| du | dig | you, one person |
| han | honom | him |
| hon | henne | her |
| hen | hen | them, for one person who uses hen |
| vi | oss | us |
| ni | er | you, two or more people |
| de | dem | them |
The first form is for the person who does the action, as in Jag ringer. The second form is for the person the action happens to, as in Hugo ringer mig, Hugo calls me. Hen, den and det have only one form.
After a verb
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Hugo ringer mig i kväll. | Hugo is calling me tonight. |
| Jag hämtar dig klockan sex. | I will pick you up at six. |
| Vi hjälper henne i köket. | We are helping her in the kitchen. |
| Greta träffar oss på torget. | Greta is meeting us in the square. |
| Jag bjuder in er. | I am inviting you all. |
| Vi ringer dem i morgon. | We will call them tomorrow. |
After a small word
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Vi fikar hemma hos henne. | We are having coffee at her place. |
| Vill du följa med oss? | Do you want to come with us? |
| Ida tittar på honom. | Ida is looking at him. |
Small words such as hos, med and på are followed by the second form. Hos means at someone’s place. Hemma hos mig means at my home, and hos Elin means at Elin’s.
The one who does the action keeps the first form
In a question, and when a time word comes first, the subject comes after the verb. It still does the action, so it keeps the first form, as in Ringer du Marta? and I kväll ringer jag henne. The second form is only for the person the action happens to, and for a word after a small word such as hos, med or på.
How they sound
Mig and dig are usually said like mej and dej. In writing, use mig and dig. You may also see mej and dej in informal messages. De and dem are both usually said like dom, but they are written de and dem.
A name or a pronoun
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag ringer Marta. Jag ringer henne. | I am calling Marta. I am calling her. |
| Noor hjälper Kenji. Noor hjälper honom. | Noor is helping Kenji. Noor is helping him. |
In this course, the text always makes clear whether a person uses han, hon or hen.
Common mistakes
| Not like this | Like this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jag ringer du. | Jag ringer dig. | Du gets the call, so it becomes dig. |
| Kan du hjälpa vi? | Kan du hjälpa oss? | We are the ones who get help, so vi becomes oss. |
| Festen är hos de. | Festen är hos dem. | After hos, de becomes dem. |
| Dem kommer på lördag. | De kommer på lördag. | The people who do the action take de. |