Breakdown of Min syster är läkare och hon är bra på sitt jobb.
vara
to be
hon
she
och
and
jobbet
the work
systern
the sister
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
sin
his/her/its/their own (en-word)
läkaren
the doctor
bra på
good at
Questions & Answers about Min syster är läkare och hon är bra på sitt jobb.
Why isn't there an "en" before läkare? Shouldn't it translate directly to "är en läkare"?
In Swedish, when stating someone's profession, nationality, or religion, you usually drop the article (en or ett). You just say är läkare (literally "is doctor"). This is very similar to how you drop the article when talking generally about mass nouns, like saying jag dricker kaffe instead of "ett kaffe".
Why use på after bra? Doesn't på mean "on"?
Prepositions rarely translate word-for-word between languages. In Swedish, the set phrase for being "good at" something is bra på. You will also see this same pattern with its opposite: dålig på (bad at).
Why does the sentence use sitt jobb instead of hennes jobb?
Sitt is a reflexive possessive pronoun, which means it refers back to the subject of the clause (hon, meaning "she"). If we used hennes jobb, it would technically mean she is good at some other woman's job. You use sin/sitt/sina when the subject is the owner of the object in that same clause.
How do I know whether to use sin or sitt for her job?
You choose the form based on the gender of the noun being owned, not the gender of the owner. Since "job" is an ett word in Swedish (ett jobb), you must use the matching ett-form of the pronoun, which is sitt.
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