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Questions & Answers about Erik ringer sin bror.
Why is it sin and not hans in Erik ringer sin bror?
Because sin/sitt/sina is the reflexive possessive that refers back to the subject of the same clause. Erik ringer sin bror means Erik calls his own brother. If you say Erik ringer hans bror, it means Erik calls another man’s brother (a previously mentioned male, not Erik himself).
What exactly does ringer mean here?
It means “calls (on the phone).” The verb ringa covers phone calls. It can also mean “to ring” (as a bell/phone makes a sound), e.g., Det ringer = “The phone is ringing.”
What tense is ringer? Can it mean “is calling” as well as “calls”?
Yes. Ringer is present tense, and Swedish present usually covers both English simple present and present progressive:
- Erik ringer sin bror = “Erik calls/is calling his brother.”
Do I need a preposition like “to”? Should it be ringa någon or ringa till någon?
Both are used:
- ringa någon (very common): “call someone”
- ringa till någon (also common/colloquial/regional): “call to someone” Related particles:
- ringa upp någon = “call (someone) up / get through to someone”
- ringa tillbaka = “call back”
- ringa på (dörren) = “ring (the doorbell)”
Why isn’t it sin brodern? Why no article?
With a possessive (like min, din, sin, vår, er, deras), the noun is not put in the definite form. So you say sin bror, not sin brodern or den sin bror. Possessive + base noun is the rule: min bok, din bil, sin bror.
How do sin, sitt, and sina work?
They agree with the possessed noun, not with the possessor:
- sin
- common gender singular: sin bror, sin bok
- sitt
- neuter singular: sitt hus
- sina
- any plural: sina bröder, sina böcker
How would I say “Erik calls her brother” or “Erik calls his (someone else’s) brother”?
- “Erik calls her brother”: Erik ringer hennes bror.
- “Erik calls his (another man’s) brother”: Erik ringer hans bror. Use hennes/hans when the possessor is not the subject of the clause.
What’s the basic word order here? Is there anything special about verb position?
Swedish main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in second position). In a neutral statement:
- Erik ringer sin bror (Subject–Verb–Object). If you put an adverbial first, the verb still comes second:
- Idag ringer Erik sin bror (Today calls Erik his brother).
How do I turn it into a yes/no or WH-question?
- Yes/no: Ringer Erik sin bror?
- WH about the object: Vem ringer Erik (till)? Adding till makes it clear you mean “Whom is Erik calling?”
- WH about the subject (who is calling Erik?): Vem ringer Erik? (often interpreted as “Who is calling Erik?”)
How do you pronounce the words?
- Erik: roughly “EH-rik” (initial E is long). Swedish r is tapped or trilled in many accents.
- ringer: ng like in English “sing” (no hard g), so “RING-er.”
- bror: like “broor” (long oo). Final r is pronounced (tapped/trilled/uvular depending on region).
How does ringa conjugate?
- Infinitive: ringa
- Present: ringer
- Past (preterite): ringde
- Supine (used with ha): ringt (e.g., har ringt)
- Imperative: Ring!
How do I say it in the past or future?
- Past: Erik ringde sin bror = “Erik called his brother.”
- Future (plan/intention): Erik ska ringa sin bror.
- Neutral future: Erik kommer att ringa sin bror.
Are there other ways to say “brother,” or to specify older/younger?
- Standard: bror (plural bröder; definite brodern, bröderna)
- Colloquial: brorsa (plural brorsor)
- Older/younger: storebror (big/older brother), lillebror (little/younger brother). You can also say äldre/yngre bror.
Anything tricky about sin in longer sentences?
Yes: sin/sitt/sina refers to the subject of its own clause.
- Erik säger att han ringer sin bror. Here, sin refers to han (the subject of the embedded clause), which may or may not be Erik depending on context. With a plural subject, sin can still be used:
- Erik och Anna ringer sin bror = their own (shared) brother.
- Erik och Anna ringer deras bror = someone else’s brother.