Relative adverbs connect sentences by referring back to a previously mentioned noun, such as a place or a time. In this lesson, we will look at how to use dit (to where) and då (when) to describe destinations you travel to and specific moments in time.
Motion and Destinations: Dit
In English, we often use the word "where" for both location (where you are) and motion (where you are going). In Swedish, when you are describing a destination that someone is traveling or moving towards, you must use the relative adverb dit (to where).
| to where (relative) | dit |
Use dit immediately after mentioning a destination—like a city, a home country, or a cottage—to introduce a clause about who went there.
| I want to return to the cottage where we went last summer. | Jag vill återvända till stugan dit vi åkte i somras. |
| He returned to the same city where he moved ten years ago. | Han återvände till samma stad dit han flyttade för tio år sedan. |
| Tomorrow they will go to the home country where they always want to return. | Imorgon ska de åka till hemlandet dit de alltid vill återvända. |
Time and Memories: Då
To describe a specific period or moment when an event occurred, use the relative adverb då (when).
| when (relative) | då |
You will frequently use då to refer back to time-related nouns, such as childhood (barndomen), a specific memory, a day, or a season.
| She misses the childhood when everything was so simple. | Hon saknar barndomen då allt var så enkelt. |
| I remember the summer when we danced all night. | Jag minns sommaren då vi dansade hela natten. |
| We enjoyed the moment when the sun went down. | Vi njöt av stunden då solen gick ner. |
Combining Time and Motion
When reminiscing about your upbringing or youth, you can use both då and dit in the same thought to set the time and describe the places you went.
| We remember the upbringing and the youth, when the forest was the place to where we ran for the adventure. | Vi minns uppväxten och ungdomen, då skogen var platsen dit vi sprang för äventyret. |