Questions & Answers about Hon sitter i sitt sovrum och läser en bok.
Why is it “sitt sovrum” and not “sin sovrum” or “hennes sovrum”?
Because Swedish reflexive possessives agree with the grammatical gender/number of the thing owned, not with the owner. Sovrum is a neuter noun (an ett-word), so you use sitt. Use sin with common-gender (en) words and sina with plurals. Hennes is non‑reflexive; it refers to another female’s bedroom, not the subject’s own.
- Hon sitter i sitt sovrum. = She is in her own bedroom.
- Hon sitter i hennes sovrum. = She is in another woman’s bedroom (not her own).
How do I choose between sin, sitt, and sina?
- sin
- singular common gender (en-words): sin bok (her book)
- sitt
- singular neuter (ett-words): sitt sovrum
- sina
- plural: sina böcker They always refer back to the subject of the same clause, regardless of the subject’s gender.
Why isn’t it “i sitt sovrummet”? Isn’t it definite?
With possessives in Swedish (e.g., min, din, hans, hennes, sin), you do not add the definite ending. So it’s i sitt sovrum, not i sitt sovrummet. Without a possessive, you can use the definite: i sovrummet = “in the bedroom.”
Why is the preposition i used instead of på?