Demonstrative Pronouns
What are demonstrative pronouns?
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point something out or distinguish it from something else.
| En word | Ett word | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| this / these | den här | det här | de här |
| that / those | den där | det där | de där |
| En word | Ett word | Plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| this / these | denna | detta | dessa |
Den/det/de + här/där
When den här or den där comes before a noun, the noun is normally in the definite form.
den här bilenthis car
det här husetthis house
de här böckernathese books
den där bokenthat book
det där dokumentetthat document
de där påsarnathose bags
Denna, detta, and dessa
Swedish also has denna, detta, and dessa. Unlike den här and den där, these are followed by the indefinite form of the noun in standard written Swedish.
denna bilthis car
detta husthis house
dessa böckerthese books
Denna, detta, and dessa are especially common in writing and more formal language. In everyday speech, den här, det här, and de här are often more natural. In southern and western Sweden, however, denna, detta, and dessa are also common in everyday speech, followed by the definite form of the noun.
Unlike den här and den där, denna, detta, and dessa do not have separate forms distinguishing “this/these” from “that/those”.