Jag väntar på ett paket som ska levereras i dag.

I am waiting for a package that is going to be delivered today.

Breakdown of Jag väntar på ett paket som ska levereras i dag.

• jag: I
• ett: a
• som: that
• vänta på: to wait for
• i dag: today
• paketet: the package
• ska: will / be going to
• levereras: to be delivered

Questions & Answers about Jag väntar på ett paket som ska levereras i dag.

Why do we say väntar på and not just väntar?

In Swedish, vänta usually takes the preposition på when you’re waiting for something:

• Jag väntar på bussen. = I’m waiting for the bus.
  Without på, vänta often sounds incomplete unless the thing you’re waiting for is implied or the structure changes (e.g., Vänta! = Wait!).

Is ett paket the right gender, and how do I know?

Yes: paket is an ett-word (neuter), so it takes ett in the singular: ett paket.
In the plural it becomes paket (same form): flera paket.
Unfortunately, gender mostly has to be learned with the noun, but many words ending in -et like paket are ett-words.

Why is it som and not att after paket?

Because som introduces a relative clause (like English that/which):

• ett paket som ska levereras i dag = a package that is going to be delivered today
  att is used with infinitives (“to …”) or subordinate clauses after certain verbs/adjectives, not for relative clauses:
• Jag hoppas att… = I hope that…

What does ska mean here, and why not kommer att?

ska often expresses something scheduled, intended, or expected to happen—very natural for deliveries and plans:

• som ska levereras i dag = that is to be delivered / that’s scheduled to be delivered today
  kommer att is more like “will” in the sense of a prediction or future statement and can work too, but it often feels slightly more like forecasting:
• som kommer att levereras i dag = that will be delivered today (sounds a bit more neutral/predictive)

Is ska levereras a passive? How is it formed?

Yes. This is the s-passive (passive with -s):

• leverera (to deliver) → levereras (is delivered / will be delivered)
  Swedish commonly uses -s to form passives, especially in formal or neutral statements.

Could I also say som ska bli levererat i dag?

You can, but it’s usually less idiomatic here.

• ska levereras focuses on the action “to be delivered” and is the standard for deliveries.
• ska bli levererat is also passive-ish, but bli + participle often emphasizes a change of state (“become delivered”), which can sound clunkier for routine actions.

Why is it i dag as two words? Isn’t it idag sometimes?

The recommended standard spelling is i dag (two words). Idag exists and you’ll see it, but i dag is the more formal/standard choice, especially in edited text.

Where does i dag go in the sentence? Could it move?

Yes, it can move, but placement changes emphasis and sometimes sounds more or less natural. Common options:

• Jag väntar på ett paket som ska levereras i dag. (neutral)
• I dag väntar jag på ett paket som ska levereras. (emphasizes “today”)
  Inside the relative clause, i dag often comes at the end as shown.

Why is it levereras i dag and not levereras idag or levereras i dag with a comma?

• i dag is the standard spelling (see above).
• Swedish usually doesn’t put a comma before a restrictive relative clause with som (i.e., when it identifies which package). So no comma here.

How do I know this relative clause is restrictive (no comma)?

Because som ska levereras i dag specifies which package you’re waiting for—the one being delivered today. That’s “restrictive” information.
A non-restrictive clause (extra info) is less common with som in Swedish, but if it were clearly extra, you might see a different structure and punctuation choices.

Is som always required, or can it be omitted like English “a package (that) will be delivered”?

In Swedish, you generally keep the relative marker som. Omitting it is not standard in the way it can be in English. So ett paket ska levereras i dag would become a separate clause, not a noun phrase.

What’s the word order in the relative clause: why som ska levereras?

Relative clause structure is basically: som + verb phrase.
Here the verb phrase is ska levereras (modal + passive). Swedish keeps the modal before the main verb, just like English:

• ska
  • levereras = “is going to be delivered / is to be delivered”

Could I replace som with vilket?

Not naturally here. vilket usually refers to an entire preceding clause/idea (“which” = “which fact/thing”), or it’s used with ett-words in certain relative structures—but for “a package that…”, som is the normal choice:

• ett paket som… ✅
• ett paket vilket… ❌ (sounds wrong in modern Swedish)

Does Jag väntar på ett paket imply I’m waiting at home, or just that I’m expecting it?

It can mean either, depending on context. Often it implies “I’m expecting a package” (it’s on its way), not necessarily that you are physically standing somewhere waiting. If you want to stress physical waiting, you might add context:

• Jag sitter hemma och väntar på ett paket… = I’m sitting at home waiting for a package…

How would I say “I’m waiting for a package to be delivered today” (purpose/infinitive) instead?

A common Swedish way is to keep the relative clause, as in your sentence. If you truly want an infinitive idea, you might say:

• Jag väntar på att ett paket ska levereras i dag. = I’m waiting for a package to be delivered today.
  Here väntar på att introduces a clause (not a relative clause), and ett paket becomes the subject of that clause.

Why does på appear twice in Jag väntar på att…?

Because vänta på is the fixed combination, and then att introduces the subordinate clause:

• vänta på + att-clause = “wait for (it) that …” → idiomatically “wait for … to …”
  So på belongs to vänta, not to att.

Is there any difference between levereras and bli levererad in tense/aspect?

Both can translate to “be delivered,” but they differ in feel:

• levereras (s-passive) is often neutral, factual, and common for schedules/processes.
• bli levererad can feel more event-focused (“end up getting delivered”), sometimes used if delivery is uncertain or contrasted. For routine “is scheduled to be delivered,” levereras is the default.

Can I say Jag väntar på paketet… instead of ett paket…?

Yes, if it’s a specific, known package (e.g., the one you ordered):

• Jag väntar på paketet som ska levereras i dag. = I’m waiting for the package that’s to be delivered today.
  Using ett paket is more like “a package (one of them / not yet identified)” or just more general. In real life, both occur; paketet often sounds very natural if you mean “my package.”