Asking "Whose": Vems
When sharing a dormitory or sorting out a mess, you will often need to ask who owns what. To ask "whose" in Swedish, use the interrogative genitive pronoun vems.
When vems is placed directly before the noun it modifies, that noun must be in the indefinite form (without the "-en" or "-et" ending).
| Whose toiletry bag is this? | Vems necessär är det här? |
| Whose padlock is that? | Vems hänglås är det där? |
However, if you separate vems from the noun using a verb (like är), the noun shifts to the definite form.
| Whose is that blue toiletry bag? | Vems är den där blå necessären? |
| Whose is the mess at the hostel? | Vems är stöket på vandrarhemmet? |
Expressing Ownership with Tillhöra
Another common way to ask about ownership is by using the verb tillhöra (to belong to).
| to belong to | tillhöra |
When using this verb, you are literally asking "Who does this belong to?". Because of this, you must use the standard object pronoun vem (who/whom) instead of the genitive vems.
| Who does the small padlock belong to? | Vem tillhör det lilla hänglåset? |
| Who do the pyjamas in the dormitory belong to? | Vem tillhör pyjamasen i sovsalen? |
Vems as the Subject
A phrase starting with vems can also act as the complete subject of a sentence. Remember that the entire ownership phrase (e.g., vems pyjamas) acts as a single block, which is then immediately followed by the main verb.
| Whose pyjamas are lying on the mattress in the dormitory? | Vems pyjamas ligger på madrassen i sovsalen? |
| Whose fault is the mess at the hostel? | Vems fel är stöket på vandrarhemmet? |