Prepositions at the End of a Clause

When the preposition comes last

Swedish often leaves a preposition in its normal position even when the person or thing connected to it appears somewhere else in the clause.

In the following example, when Sara is replaced by a question word, på can stay where it was.

Jag väntar på Sara.I am waiting for Sara.

Vem väntar du på?Who are you waiting for?

The same pattern appears with many other prepositions.

Vem pratade du med?Who did you talk to?

Vad tänker du på?What are you thinking about?

Vem bor hon hos?Who does she live with?

The preposition can also remain at the end when its complement is understood from a noun earlier in the sentence.

Det är han som jag pratade med.He is the one I talked to.

Det här är huset som hon bodde i.This is the house she lived in.

Jag hittade boken som du letade efter.I found the book you were looking for.

The same pattern appears in constructions with an infinitive.

Jag behöver något att skriva med.I need something to write with.

Det finns inget att sitta på.There is nothing to sit on.

Han behöver någon att prata med.He needs someone to talk to.