Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hennes bil är billig, men min är dyr. - Her car is cheap, but mine is expensive.

hennes = her/hers (possessive). It does not change for gender or number.
- Examples: Hennes bil; Bilen är hennes.
hon = she (subject form).
- Example: Hon har en bil.
henne = her (object form).
- Example: Jag såg henne.

When should I use sin/sitt/sina instead of hennes?

Use the reflexive forms sin/sitt/sina when the possessor is the subject of the same clause (3rd person). Use hennes when the possessor is someone else (or when there’s no 3rd‑person subject to refer back to).

Same person (reflexive): Hon älskar sin bil. (She loves her own car.)
Different person: Hon älskar hennes bil. (She loves another woman’s car.)
In a subordinate clause:
- Anna säger att sin bil är dyr. (her own)
- Anna säger att hennes bil är dyr. (some other woman’s)

In the sentence you’re asking about, there’s no subject like hon, so hennes is the normal form.

Why is it min here, not mitt or mina?

Possessive forms agree with the noun’s gender/number:

En‑words (common gender, singular): min bil
Ett‑words (neuter, singular): mitt hus
Plural (any gender): mina bilar

Since bil is an en‑word and singular, it’s min.

Can min stand on its own without repeating bil?

Yes. That’s exactly what happens in … men min är dyr. The noun bil is understood from context and omitted. This is very common in Swedish.

You can do the same with other possessives: Din är röd. Hennes är blå.
The adjective still agrees with the understood noun: if the omitted noun were neuter, you’d say … men mitt är dyrt.

Why is there no article like en or den before bil after a possessive?

Swedish does not use articles with possessive determiners. You say:

min bil, hennes bil, not en min bil or den hennes bil. With adjectives:
min nya bil, not min nya bilen and not den min nya bilen.

Why are the adjectives billig and dyr in that form? When do they change?

In predicative position (after är), adjectives agree with the subject’s gender/number:

En‑word singular: Bilen är billig/dyr.
Ett‑word singular: Huset är billigt/dyrt.
Plural: Bilarna är billiga/dyra.

No definite ending is used in predicative position for singular (compare attributive: den billiga bilen vs predicative: Bilen är billig).

How would this sentence look with a neuter noun or in the plural?

Neuter: Hennes hus är billigt, men mitt är dyrt.
Plural: Hennes bilar är billiga, men mina är dyra.

Is the comma before men required?

It’s common (and recommended) to put a comma before men when it joins two main clauses: …, men …. You may also see it without a comma in less formal writing, but the comma is standard.

What’s going on with the word order? Is Swedish verb‑second here?

Yes. In main clauses, the finite verb tends to appear in second position (V2):

Hennes bil (first slot) är (verb, second) billig.
After men, a new main clause starts: min (first) är (second) dyr. In yes/no questions, the verb comes first: Är hennes bil billig?

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Approximation: HEN-nes beel air BILL-ig, men meen air deer.

IPA (Standard Swedish):

Hennes [ˈhɛnːɛs]
bil [biːl]
är [ɛːr]
billig [ˈbɪlːɪg]
men [mɛn]
min [miːn]
dyr [dyːr]

Could I also say Hennes är dyr to mean “hers is expensive”?

Yes, if the noun is clear from context. Both Min är dyr and Hennes är dyr are fine when everyone knows we’re talking about a car. The adjective must still match the understood noun:

En‑word: Hennes är dyr.
Ett‑word: Hennes är dyrt.
Plural: Hennes är dyra.

How do I put this in the past or other tenses?

Past (preterite): Hennes bil var billig, men min var dyr.
Present perfect: Hennes bil har varit billig, men min har varit dyr.
Future (neutral): Hennes bil kommer att vara billig, men min kommer att vara dyr.

Where does negation go?

Place inte after the finite verb:

Hennes bil är inte billig, men min är dyr.
Min är inte dyr.

Can I use utan instead of men?

Use utan after a negation to mean “but rather”:

Hennes bil är inte billig, utan dyr. Without a preceding negation, use men: … billig, men … dyr.

Why is it hennes bil and not something like bil hennes?

Swedish places possessive determiners before the noun: hennes bil, min bil. Post‑posed forms like bil hennes are not standard (though you can say things like vänner till henne = friends of hers). For noun genitives, Swedish adds ‑s: Annas bil, bilens pris.

How do I say “cheaper” and “more expensive” with these adjectives?

Comparatives and superlatives:

billig – billigare – billigast
dyr – dyrare – dyrast Examples:
Hennes bil är billigare än min.
Min bil är dyrast.