Relative Pronouns
What are relative pronouns?
Relative words introduce a relative clause, which usually provides more information about a person, thing, or idea already mentioned. The most important relative word in Swedish is som which is used for both people and things. It is by far the most common choice in spoken Swedish and is also widely used in writing.
Ta den som är bäst.Take the one that is best.
Jag känner honom som bor där.I know the man who lives there.
In the example, honom som bor där works together as a noun phrase. This means that the whole phrase is the object of känner. A personal pronoun like honom may, however, appear in the subject form han in constructions like this, because it is understood as the person who is the subject of bor där. In constructions where the relative clause describes the object further, the subject form is quite common.
Vilken, vilket and vilka
Vilken, vilket, and vilka can also introduce relative clauses. They are mainly used in written language. When referring back to a noun, they agree with it in gender and number.
en bok, vilken ...
ett hus, vilket ...
flera böcker, vilka ...