Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hon känner någon som jobbar på ett apotek. - She knows someone who works at a pharmacy.

känner = to be personally acquainted with a person. Example: Hon känner Anna (She knows/is acquainted with Anna).
vet = to know a fact. Example: Hon vet var apoteket ligger (She knows where the pharmacy is).

In the sentence, she knows a person, so känner is correct.

What does någon mean here, and why not en person?

någon means “someone/anyone.” In affirmative statements it usually means “someone.”
en person is also possible and slightly more explicit/formal: Hon känner en person som jobbar på ett apotek.
You’ll also see colloquial en used pronominally: Hon känner en som jobbar… meaning “She knows someone who…”

Why is som used, and can it be omitted like English “who/that”?

som is the relative pronoun “who/that.”
Here it is the subject of the clause (som jobbar), so it cannot be omitted. Hon känner någon jobbar… is ungrammatical.
Alternatives like vilken/vilket/vilka are rare in everyday speech and sound formal; som is standard.

What’s the word order rule inside the som-clause?

Swedish subordinate clauses are not V2. The basic order is Subject–(negation/adverbs)–Verb:

Correct: …som inte jobbar på ett apotek.
Incorrect: …som jobbar inte på ett apotek.

Why present tense (känner, jobbar) instead of a “-ing” form?

Swedish has one present tense that covers both English “works” and “is working.” So som jobbar can mean “who works” or “who is working,” depending on context.

Why på ett apotek and not i ett apotek?

på is used for many workplaces, institutions, and shops: på universitetet, på banken, på restaurang.
i focuses on being physically inside a space. You might use i apoteket if you emphasize location inside the building, not employment.

Why ett apotek and not en apotek?

apotek is a neuter noun, so it takes ett. Key forms:

Indefinite singular: ett apotek
Definite singular: apoteket
Indefinite plural: apotek
Definite plural: apoteken

You have to learn noun genders; there’s no reliable rule that always predicts them.

Why indefinite (ett apotek) and not definite (apoteket)?

på ett apotek means “at a/at some pharmacy” (unspecified).
på apoteket means “at the pharmacy” (specific, known to speaker/hearer).
You can also say på apotek (no article) to talk about the profession/institution in general: Han jobbar på apotek ≈ “He works in pharmacies/that line of work.”

Could I say arbetar instead of jobbar?

Yes. arbetar and jobbar are near-synonyms. jobbar is more colloquial; arbetar is slightly more formal or written.

Can I use en instead of någon: Hon känner en som jobbar…?

Yes, in colloquial speech en can stand in for “someone” (literally “one [person]”). It implies “a guy/girl/person who…”. It’s common and natural.

Why Hon and not Henne?

Hon is the subject form (she).
Henne is the object form (her). Here, “she” is the subject of känner, so Hon is required.

Could I front the relative clause: Någon som jobbar på ett apotek känner hon?

Yes. Swedish allows topicalization of objects. Remember V2 in the main clause after fronting:

Fronted object: Någon som jobbar på ett apotek
Finite verb second: känner
Subject: hon

This sounds a bit stylistic/emphatic.

Where would I put negation or adverbs?

In the main clause: Hon känner inte någon som… or more idiomatically: Hon känner ingen som…
In the relative clause: Hon känner någon som inte jobbar på ett apotek. Position in the som-clause is before the verb.

Can I say vid or hos instead of på?

vid = “by/at (beside)” and is spatial, not used for employment here.
hos is used with people/hosts or companies as entities: hos läkaren (at the doctor’s), hos Apoteket (at the Apoteket chain). For “at a pharmacy” in general, på (ett) apotek is the default.

Could I replace “someone who works at a pharmacy” with a profession word?

Yes, if you know the role:

apotekare = a licensed pharmacist (common gender: en apotekare)
farmaceut = pharmacist as well (education-focused term)
apotekstekniker = pharmacy technician Example: Hon känner en apotekare. Note that “works at a pharmacy” could also be a cashier; the profession terms are more specific.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

känner: initial k before ä is the soft “kj”-sound; short ä (like “e” in “bet”), double nn signals a short vowel.
någon: often pronounced like “nån” in casual speech.
jobbar: j like English “y” in “yes.”
apotek: stress on the last syllable: a-po-TEK.