Min väska ligger i huset.

My bag is in the house.

Breakdown of Min väska ligger i huset.

• i: in
• huset: the house
• min: my
• ligga: to lie
• väskan: the bag

Questions & Answers about Min väska ligger i huset.

Why is it min väska and not mitt väska or mina väska?

Swedish possessive pronouns agree with the noun, not with the speaker.

• min = my (with en-words, singular)
• mitt = my (with ett-words, singular)
• mina = my (with all plural nouns)

The word väska is an en-word (en väska), singular, so you must use:

• min väska = my bag

If it were plural, you’d say:

• mina väskor = my bags

If the noun were an ett-word, you’d say:

• mitt hus = my house (ett hus)

What gender is väska, and how do I use it?

Väska is a common gender noun (traditionally called an en-word).

• Indefinite singular: en väska (a bag)
• Definite singular: väskan (the bag)
• Indefinite plural: väskor (bags)
• Definite plural: väskorna (the bags)

In your sentence, the noun is already defined by the possessive min, so you don’t add the -n ending:

• min väska (not min väskan)

Why do we use ligger instead of är for “is” here?

Swedish often uses more specific position verbs instead of the general verb är (is):

• ligger = lies / is lying (for things lying/resting horizontally or just ‘located’ somewhere)
• står = stands (for things standing upright)
• sitter = sits (for people/animals sitting, things “sitting” somewhere)
• hänger = hangs (for things hanging)

Min väska ligger i huset suggests the bag is lying / resting somewhere in the house.

You can say:

• Min väska är i huset.

That’s grammatically correct and understandable, but sounds a bit less natural and more general; Swedes usually pick a position verb when possible.

Can I say Min väska är i huset instead, and what is the difference in meaning?

Yes, you can say Min väska är i huset.

• Min väska ligger i huset
  → Feels a bit more concrete and visual: you imagine the bag lying somewhere inside.

• Min väska är i huset
  → More neutral: simply states the bag is in the house, without picturing its position.

Both are correct. In everyday speech, people often use ligger for objects that are just “somewhere” inside a place.

What tense and form is ligger, and what are its other forms?

Ligger is the present tense of the verb ligga (to lie, to be situated).

Main forms:

• Infinitive: att ligga = to lie, to be located
• Present: ligger = lie(s), is/are lying
• Past (preterite): låg = lay, was/were lying
• Supine: legat (used with har/hade)
  
  • har legat = has lain / has been lying
  • hade legat = had lain / had been lying

The present tense ligger is the same for all persons:

• Jag ligger
• Du ligger
• Han/Hon/Den/Det ligger
• Vi ligger
• Ni ligger
• De ligger

Why is it i huset and not i hus or something with “the” in front, like i det hus?

Swedish usually marks definiteness with an ending on the noun instead of a separate “the”:

• hus = house (ett hus)
• huset = the house

So:

• i hus = in (a) house / in houses (very general, rare in this context)
• i huset = in the house

In everyday Swedish, i huset is the natural choice because you’re talking about a specific house (the one both speaker and listener know about).

You’d only say i det huset (literally “in that house”) when you want to emphasize or contrast the particular house:

• Inte i den här byggnaden, utan i det huset där borta.
  (Not in this building, but in that house over there.)

How does the word order work in Min väska ligger i huset?

The sentence follows basic Swedish main-clause word order:

1. Subject: Min väska (my bag)
2. Verb: ligger (lies/is located)
3. Adverbial (place): i huset (in the house)

So the pattern is:

Subject – Verb – Place
Min väska – ligger – i huset

This S–V–(place) order is normal in simple statements when the subject comes first.

Why is it huset and not husen or hus?

Because you are referring to one specific house, in the definite singular:

• ett hus = a house (indefinite singular)
• huset = the house (definite singular)
• hus = houses (indefinite plural)
• husen = the houses (definite plural)

In the sentence, you mean:

• i huset = in the house (one particular house)

If you meant several houses, you’d say:

• i husen = in the houses

How do you pronounce Min väska ligger i huset?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish-like, not perfect IPA for English speakers):

• Min ≈ meen (short, not as long as English “mean”)
• väska ≈ VEH-ska
  
  • ä like e in bed but a bit longer
  • sk like English sk in sky
• ligger ≈ LIGG-er
  
  • i like ee in see, but short
  • gg is a hard /g/ here: ligg-er
• i ≈ ee in see (long)
• huset ≈ HOO-set
  
  • u like French “u” or German “ü”; not exactly English “oo”, but close if you round your lips more
  • e like e in bed
  • final t is pronounced

Rough full-sentence guide:
Min VEH-ska LIGG-er ee HOO-set

What is the plural of väska, and how would the sentence change if I talk about several bags?

Plural of väska:

• Singular: en väska = a bag
• Plural: väskor = bags

Definite plural:

• väskorna = the bags

With the possessive:

• mina väskor = my bags

Your sentence in plural:

• Mina väskor ligger i huset.
  → My bags are (lying) in the house.

Why don’t we say Min väska ligger i det huset if we mean “in the house”?

You can say i det huset, but it usually means “in that (specific) house”, with an extra shade of pointing out or contrasting:

• i huset = in the house (normally assumed to be clear from context which house)
• i det huset = in that particular house (as opposed to another one)

Examples:

• Min väska ligger i huset.
  → In the house we’re already talking about.
• Min väska ligger i det huset, inte i garaget.
  → In that house, not in the garage.

In everyday neutral statements, i huset is the default.