In everyday Swedish, relative clauses usually rely on the word som (that/which), with any prepositions tacked onto the end of the phrase (e.g., Huset som hon bodde i).
In more formal contexts—such as official hotel policies, surveys, or business correspondence—Swedish uses a structure that closely mirrors the English "in which" or "on which."
To construct this, place the preposition directly before vilken, vilket, or vilka. The form you choose must match the gender and number of the noun you are describing:
- vilken for singular en-words
- vilket for singular ett-words
- vilka for plural words (both genders)
Describing Ett-words
When referring back to an ett-word, such as våningsplanet (the floor/level) or konferensrummet (the conference room), use a preposition followed by vilket.
| The caretaker cleans the floor on which the suite is located. | Vaktmästaren städar våningsplanet på vilket sviten ligger. |
| The conference room, from which one sees the suite, is available today. | Konferensrummet, från vilket man ser sviten, är ledigt idag. |
Describing En-words
When referring back to an en-word, such as enkäten (the survey) or huvudentrén (the main entrance), use a preposition followed by vilken.
| We are reading the survey in which you talk about the stay. | Vi läser enkäten i vilken ni berättar om vistelsen. |
| We stopped at the main entrance, in front of which the caretaker was waiting. | Vi stannade vid huvudentrén, framför vilken vaktmästaren väntade. |
Using Different Prepositions
This formal structure is highly flexible and pairs with almost any preposition you need to express direction, location, or source, such as genom (through) or enligt (according to).
| This is the corridor through which one reaches the emergency exit. | Detta är korridoren genom vilken man når nödutgången. |
| They discuss the survey, according to which the staff is fantastic. | De diskuterar enkäten, enligt vilken personalen är fantastisk. |