Questions & Answers about Fåglarna, om vilka vi hörde, är här.
Why do we use om vilka here instead of the standard som?
Using a preposition followed by vilka (about which) is a formal construction, mostly used in written Swedish. In everyday speech, you would typically use som and place the preposition at the end of the relative clause: Fåglarna som vi hörde om är här.
Why is it vilka instead of vilken or vilket?
The relative pronoun must match the noun it replaces. Because it refers back to fåglarna (the birds), which is plural, you must use the plural form vilka.
If I wanted to say 'about which we did NOT hear', where would inte go?
Because om vilka vi hörde is a subordinate clause, it follows the BIFF rule. This means sentence adverbs like inte must be placed before the verb. You would say: ...om vilka vi inte hörde...
Does vilka change if we are talking about people instead of animals or things?
No. Unlike English, which requires a shift from 'which' to 'whom' when talking about people, Swedish uses vilka for people, animals, and things alike when plural. 'The teachers about whom we heard' would be Lärarna, om vilka vi hörde.