Han jobbar i min stora stad.

He works in my big city.

Breakdown of Han jobbar i min stora stad.

• stor: big
• i: in
• staden: the city
• jobba: to work
• min: my
• han: he

Questions & Answers about Han jobbar i min stora stad.

Why do we use i in Han jobbar i min stora stad instead of other prepositions like på or till?

In Swedish, i generally indicates being inside or within a place—similar to saying in in English. When you say Han jobbar i min stad, it means he works within the city. If you used på, it could imply working at a specific company or institution (for example, Han jobbar på ett kontor, meaning He works at an office). Till means towards or to a destination, which wouldn’t fit the meaning of working in a city.

Why is the verb jobbar used here instead of arbetar?

Both jobbar and arbetar are commonly used to mean work in Swedish. Arbetar is slightly more formal, whereas jobbar feels more conversational. There’s no difference in tense or meaning that would cause a misunderstanding; it’s mostly about style and context.

Why is it min stora stad instead of mina stora stad or mitt stora stad?

In Swedish, nouns are classified as en-words or ett-words. Stad is an en-word (en stad), so the possessive pronoun is min (not mitt, which goes with ett-words, or mina, which is for plurals). The correct pairing for city is therefore min stad.

How come the adjective is stora instead of stor?

When an adjective follows a possessive pronoun in Swedish, it typically takes the -a form (the same as for definite or plural forms). Even though stad is singular, you still use stora in this structure. For example:
• en stor stad (a big city)
• den stora staden (the big city, definite form)
• min stora stad (my big city, possessive)

Does the verb form change depending on who is doing the action, like in English (e.g., he works vs. they work)?

No. In Swedish, the present tense form of the verb remains the same regardless of the subject. Whether you say Jag jobbar, Han jobbar, or Vi jobbar, the verb form jobbar does not change.