Word
Tjejen som ringde var min syster.
Meaning
The girl who called was my sister.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Tjejen som ringde var min syster.
vara
to be
ringa
to call
systern
the sister
min
my (min/mitt/mina)
Questions & Answers about Tjejen som ringde var min syster.
Why do we use som here instead of vem for "who"?
In Swedish, som is the relative pronoun used to connect clauses, meaning "who", "which", or "that". Vem is a question word meaning "who" and is only used when asking a direct or indirect question, not for linking parts of a sentence.
Why doesn't Swedish use a comma before the som clause?
In Swedish, you generally do not use a comma before a restrictive relative clause (a clause that identifies the specific person or thing you are talking about). Putting a comma before som here would be incorrect.
Why is it min syster and not min systern?
Possessive pronouns like min (my) must always be followed by the indefinite form of the noun. Even though "my sister" refers to a specific person, the possessive word already does the job of pointing her out, so adding the definite ending to syster is incorrect.
Is it normal to have two verbs right next to each other like ringde var?
Yes! This happens because Tjejen som ringde (The girl who called) acts as the complete subject of the main sentence. The verb ringde finishes the "who called" part, and var immediately follows as the main verb of the sentence.