Learn Hardcore Swedish: Han förstår hennes ensamhet och ger henne en kram innan han går. - He understands her loneliness and gives her a hug before he leaves.

hennes = possessive pronoun (her as in her something):
- hennes ensamhet = her loneliness
- It always stands before a noun.
henne = object form of hon (her as an object):
- ger henne en kram = gives her a hug

So in the sentence:

hennes tells us whose loneliness it is.
henne tells us who receives the hug.

Why is it hennes ensamhet and not sin ensamhet?

This is a classic Swedish pronoun issue.

sin/sitt/sina refer back to the subject of the clause.
hans/hennes/deras usually refer to someone else (not the subject).

Here the subject is han (he).
So:

Han förstår sin ensamhet
= He understands his own loneliness.
Han förstår hennes ensamhet
= He understands her loneliness (some woman’s loneliness, not his).

Because the sentence clearly means her loneliness, Swedish must use hennes, not sin.

Why is there no article before ensamhet? Why not hennes ensamheten?

In Swedish, when you use a possessive pronoun (min, din, hans, hennes etc.), you don’t use the definite form of the noun at the same time.

So you say:

hennes ensamhet (her loneliness)
not
hennes ensamheten (ungrammatical)

The possessive itself (her) already makes the noun specific, so Swedish keeps the noun in the indefinite form (ensamhet, not ensamheten).

What form of the verb is förstår, and how does it conjugate?

Förstår is the present tense of the verb förstå (to understand).

Basic forms:

att förstå – to understand (infinitive)
förstår – understand(s) (present)
förstod – understood (past)
har förstått – has/have understood (present perfect)

Swedish uses the same present form for all persons:

Jag förstår – I understand
Du förstår – You understand
Han/Hon/Den/Det förstår – He/She/It understands
Vi förstår – We understand
Ni förstår – You (plural) understand
De förstår – They understand

Why is the subject han not repeated before ger?

In Swedish (as in English), when two verbs share the same subject in one clause, you don’t need to repeat the subject:

Han förstår hennes ensamhet och ger henne en kram.
= He understands her loneliness and gives her a hug.

If you added a second han ( … och han ger henne en kram ), it would still be correct, but it sounds a bit heavier and is less natural in simple sentences like this. The shorter version is more typical.

Why is it ger henne en kram and not ger en kram till henne?

Both are grammatically possible, but they differ in naturalness:

ger henne en kram – the normal, idiomatic way:
- Verb + indirect object (henne) + direct object (en kram)
- Very common pattern: ge någon något (give someone something).
ger en kram till henne – also correct, but sounds a bit more formal or marked, and is used less in everyday speech.

So Swedes will normally say:

Han ger henne en kram.
rather than
Han ger en kram till henne.

Could you also say Han kramar henne instead of ger henne en kram? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can:

Han kramar henne = He hugs her.
Han ger henne en kram = He gives her a hug.

Both are fine and natural.
Nuance:

kramar henne is a bit more direct and verbal.
ger henne en kram has a slightly softer, more “gesture-like” feeling (gives her a hug as an act of comfort).

In meaning, they are extremely close; both would fit well in this context.

Why is går used here, and not a future form like “will go”?

Swedish often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially in time clauses and when the future is clear from context:

innan han går
literally: before he goes
but the meaning in context is before he leaves / before he goes (later).

You don’t need ska (shall/will) here:

innan han ska gå is possible but sounds more marked and less neutral in this simple sentence.

So innan han går is the normal, natural way to say before he goes or before he leaves.

Does går always mean goes? Why not åker?

Both are motion verbs, but they’re used differently:

går – goes/walks, or more generally leaves, goes away (often on foot, but also metaphorically).
- Han går hem. – He walks/goes home.
- Han går nu. – He is leaving now.
åker – goes by some means of transport:
- Han åker buss. – He goes by bus.
- Vi åker till Stockholm. – We go to Stockholm (by car/train/etc.).

In innan han går, the focus is that he leaves, not how he travels, so går is the right choice.

How does word order work in innan han går? Should the verb be at the end like in German?

In Swedish subordinate clauses (introduced by words like innan, att, eftersom, när), the normal order is:

Subject – Verb – (Object/Adverbials)

So:

innan han går
= before he goes
(innan = subordinator, han = subject, går = verb)

It looks like German verb-final, but the reason the verb is last here is simply that there is nothing after it, not because Swedish requires verb-final order.

If there were more elements, you’d still have S–V–(others):

innan han går hem – before he goes home
innan han går därifrån – before he goes from there

Why is it en kram and not ett kram?

Swedish nouns have two grammatical genders:

en-words (common gender)
ett-words (neuter)

You simply have to learn the gender with each noun.
Kram is an en-word, so:

en kram – a hug
kramen – the hug

It’s not ett kram; that would be incorrect.

Is there any special meaning in the word ensamhet compared to just ensam?

Yes. They’re related but not the same:

ensam – adjective: alone, lonely
- Hon är ensam. – She is alone.
ensamhet – noun: loneliness, solitude
- Hennes ensamhet – Her loneliness

The -het ending turns an adjective into an abstract noun, similar to English -ness:

fri → frihet (free → freedom)
ensam → ensamhet (alone → loneliness)

How do you pronounce key words like förstår, ensamhet, and kram?

Approximate pronunciation (Swedish–style IPA, then a rough English guide):

förstår – /fœrˈstoːr/
- för: like fur but with rounded lips.
- står: like store with a long o.
ensamhet – /ˈɛn.sam.heːt/
- en: like en in end.
- sam: like sum but with a clearer a.
- het: like hate but shorter and without a strong diphthong.
kram – /krɑːm/
- Long a like the a in British father.

These are approximations; actual Swedish pronunciation has some sounds that don’t exist exactly in English, especially the vowel in förstår.