Breakdown of Hon är den enda som vet.
vara
to be
veta
to know (facts, information)
den
the (with en-words)
som
who / which / that (relative pronoun)
enda
only, sole
Questions & Answers about Hon är den enda som vet.
Why doesn't the sentence add a word for "one" at the end of den enda?
In Swedish, den enda translates fully to "the only one". You do not need to add an extra word like en after it. A common mistake for English speakers is trying to say den enda en, but Swedish leaves the extra word out when the meaning is already clear.
Why does the sentence use som instead of vem for "who"?
Vem is strictly a question word used to ask "Who?" (for example, Vem vet? means "Who knows?"). When you are connecting parts of a sentence with "who", "which", or "that", you must use the connecting word som.
How do I know whether to use vet or känner for "knows" here?
Swedish uses vet when you know a fact, a secret, or a piece of information, which fits this sentence perfectly. You only use känner when you are talking about knowing or being familiar with a person or a place.
Would enda change if we were talking about a man instead of a woman?
You can use den enda for anyone. You might occasionally see den ende used specifically for a male in formal writing, but den enda is standard and perfectly correct for both men and women in everyday modern Swedish.
Learn Hon är den enda som vet and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free