Breakdown of Dagboken är gömd i bokhyllan.
Questions & Answers about Dagboken är gömd i bokhyllan.
The -en ending marks the definite singular form for an en-word (common gender noun).
- en dagbok = a diary
- dagboken = the diary
In Swedish you usually mark definiteness on the noun itself with a suffix, instead of using a separate word like “the” in English. Because we are talking about a specific diary, Swedish uses dagboken.
Är gömd is “is hidden”:
- är = is (present tense of vara, to be)
- gömd = past participle of gömma (to hide)
Together, är gömd describes a state resulting from an earlier action: someone has hidden the diary, and now it is in a hidden state.
If you said only Dagboken är i bokhyllan, it would just mean “The diary is in the bookshelf” without saying it is hidden.
Formally, gömd is the perfect participle of the verb gömma (to hide), but in this sentence it behaves like an adjective describing the diary’s state.
You can see it acts like an adjective because it agrees with the noun’s gender/number:
- en dagbok → dagboken är gömd
- ett brev → brevet är gömt
- flera dagböcker → dagböckerna är gömda
So gömd is a participle used adjectivally.
Gömma is a regular verb:
- infinitive: att gömma – to hide
- present: gömmer – hide(s) / is hiding
- preterite (past): gömde – hid
- supine: gömt – used with har: har gömt = has hidden
Participles:
- perfect participle (common gender): gömd
- perfect participle (neuter): gömt
- perfect participle (plural/definite): gömda
The form of the participle agrees with the gender/number of the noun:
- Dagboken is an en-word (common gender), so you use gömd:
- Dagboken är gömd.
If the noun were ett-word (neuter), it would be gömt:
- Brevet är gömt i lådan. – The letter is hidden in the drawer.
For plural or definite plurals, you’d use gömda:
- Dagböckerna är gömda. – The diaries are hidden.
They all involve “being hidden” but focus on different things:
är gömd – is hidden (describes the current state)
- Dagboken är gömd i bokhyllan. – The diary is (currently) hidden in the bookshelf.
blev gömd – was hidden / got hidden (focuses on the event of hiding)
- Dagboken blev gömd i bokhyllan. – The diary was (got) hidden in the bookshelf.
har blivit gömd – has been hidden (present perfect passive; result + connection to now)
- Dagboken har blivit gömd i bokhyllan. – The diary has been hidden in the bookshelf.
In your sentence, the important thing is the state right now, so är gömd fits best.
Yes, you can say Dagboken ligger i bokhyllan, but it means something slightly different:
Dagboken ligger i bokhyllan.
Focuses on the position: the diary lies in the bookshelf (physically located there). Nothing about it being hidden.Dagboken är gömd i bokhyllan.
Focuses on the state: the diary is hidden there; someone intentionally concealed it.
So ligger describes where/how something is positioned, while är gömd describes the hidden state.
Swedish distinguishes clearly between in and on:
- i = in, inside, among
- på = on, on top of
i bokhyllan means:
- the diary is inside the shelf area, e.g. among the books or behind them.
på bokhyllan would mean:
- the diary is on top of the bookshelf, on its upper surface.
Since something “hidden in the bookshelf” is usually among/behind the books, i bokhyllan is the natural choice.
Again, the -n ending marks definite singular:
- en bokhylla – a bookshelf / a bookcase
- bokhyllan – the bookshelf / the bookcase
Swedish likes to mark definiteness on the noun:
- i en bokhylla – in a bookshelf (any bookshelf, not specific)
- i bokhyllan – in the bookshelf (a particular, known bookshelf)
In your sentence, context implies a specific bookshelf, so bokhyllan is used.
Approximate pronunciation (Swedish phonology simplified for English speakers):
Dagboken – [DAHG-boo-ken]
- Dag: like “dag” in dagger, with a short a
- bo: like “boo” but shorter
- ken: like English “ken”
är – [ehr]
- Like English “air” but shorter and tenser.
gömd – [yemd] or [jömd]
- ö: similar to the vowel in British English bird, but with rounded lips.
- Final -d may be softened and blend with m.
i – [ee]
- Like the “ee” in see.
bokhyllan – [BOHK-hü-lan]
- bo: “book” without the final “k” (but long vowel)
- ky: y is a high front rounded vowel; like the “u” in French tu
- -llan: “l-lan” with the stress on bok, not on -lan
Main stress falls on DAG- and BOK-: DAG-boken … BOK-hyllan.
Both are en-words with regular plurals:
Dagbok (diary)
- singular indefinite: en dagbok
- singular definite: dagboken
- plural indefinite: dagböcker
- plural definite: dagböckerna
Note the vowel change: o → ö (dagbok → dagböcker).
Bokhylla (bookshelf / bookcase)
- singular indefinite: en bokhylla
- singular definite: bokhyllan
- plural indefinite: bokhyllor
- plural definite: bokhyllorna
Yes/no question:
You can invert subject and verb, or just use intonation.
- Är dagboken gömd i bokhyllan?
– Is the diary hidden in the bookshelf?
Where-question:
Use var (“where”) at the beginning:
- Var är dagboken gömd?
– Where is the diary hidden?
You can add more detail:
- Var är dagboken gömd någonstans?
– Where is the diary hidden (exactly)?
You can say i hyllan, but it’s less specific:
- hylla = shelf (any kind)
- bokhylla = bookshelf / bookcase (meant for books)
So:
- i bokhyllan – in the bookshelf (you’re specifying the type of shelf)
- i hyllan – in the shelf, but the listener doesn’t automatically know it’s a bookshelf unless context already made that clear.
In many contexts, bokhyllan gives a clearer picture.
The sentence follows standard main clause Swedish word order, which is normally S–V–(rest):
- Dagboken – Subject (S)
- är – Verb (V)
- gömd – Predicative (adjective/participle describing the subject)
- i bokhyllan – Place adverbial (where?)
So: [Subject] [Verb] [Description] [Place]
This is a very typical structure when you say that something is in a certain state in a place.