Movement: till and från
When you are talking about movement or direction, Swedish uses two straightforward prepositions:
- till (to) shows your destination.
- från (from) shows your starting point.
| Tomorrow we will travel to Sweden. | Imorgon ska vi resa till Sverige. |
| Today we are taking the bus from the square. | Idag tar vi bussen från torget. |
Location: i versus på
When describing where something is currently located, you will usually choose between i (in) and på (on/at). The choice depends on the type of place.
Use i for countries, cities, and clearly enclosed spaces (like being physically inside a building).
| He lives in Sweden now. | Han bor i Sverige nu. |
| She sings very well in the church. | Hon sjunger mycket bra i kyrkan. |
Use på for surfaces (like a street or an island). You also use på for many public places, institutions, and businesses where English would typically use "at" or "in".
Common places that take på include:
- Open areas: torget (the square), landet (the countryside), ön (the island)
- Institutions and services: apoteket (the pharmacy), sjukhuset (the hospital), banken (the bank), bion (the cinema)
| Do you work at the pharmacy? | Jobbar du på apoteket? |
| The family wants to live in the countryside. | Familjen vill bo på landet. |
| The house on the island is red. | Huset på ön är rött. |
Connecting the Prepositions
You will often see these prepositions used together to describe a journey from one place to another. Notice how the noun's spelling stays exactly the same, whether you are traveling till it, leaving från it, or currently situated på/i it.
| We run from the street to the park. | Vi springer från gatan till parken. |
| They rarely go from the city to the countryside. | De åker sällan från staden till landet. |
