Ending questions with prepositions (Vem pratar du med?)

Prepositions at the end of questions

In everyday Swedish, just like in English, questions often end with a preposition. When you ask "Who are you talking with?" or "What are you looking for?", the preposition is separated from the question word and "stranded" at the end of the clause.

To form these questions, start with a question word like Vem (Who) or Vad (What). Then use standard question word order (verb followed by the subject), and place the preposition at the end.

Let's look at some questions you might ask a potential flatmate. First, you might want to know who they live together with (ihop) and what they are studying (plugga):

When asking about chores, you can use the verb ansvara (to be responsible), which pairs with the preposition för (for), and hushållet (the household):

You will also likely want to ask about sharing tvättstugan (the laundry room):

Verbs with fixed prepositions

Many Swedish verbs always pair with a specific preposition. When turning these into WH-questions, the preposition simply drops to the end of the question phrase.

For example, syfta (to refer) pairs with på (to/at). Let's use it to ask about oväsendet (the noise):

Similarly, pyssla (to tinker / to do) and slarva (to be careless) both pair with the preposition med (with):

Another useful reflexive verb for living with others is irritera sig (to get annoyed), which pairs with på (at):

Questions with "vilken"

This same rule applies when your question starts with vilken (which). The preposition still waits at the end of the clause, even if the question phrase is a bit longer.