Possessive relexive pronouns
In Swedish, reflexive possessive pronouns are used to show that something belongs to the subject of the clause. Choosing between sin, sitt, sina and hans, hennes, dess, deras can change the meaning of a sentence.
Compare:
Hon talar med hennes syster. (She is talking to her sister.)
Hon talar med sin syster. (She is talking to her own sister.)
The sentences look almost identical, but they mean different things. So whose sister is it?
Possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns show who or what something belongs to:
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min vän (my friend)
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ditt rum (your room)
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vårt hus (our house)
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deras hund (their dog)
Most Swedish possessive pronouns change form depending on the noun that follows:
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min vän (my friend)
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mitt rum (my room)
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mina vänner (my friends)
Personal pronouns
jag (I)
du (you)
han (he)
hon (she)
den, det (it)
vi (we)
ni (you)
de (they)
Possessive pronouns
min, mitt, mina (my)
din, ditt, dina (your)
hans (his)
hennes (her)
dess (its)
vår, vårt, våra (our)
er, ert, era (your)
deras (their)
What are reflexive possessive pronouns?
The reflexive possessive pronouns are sin, sitt and sina. They refer back to the subject, in other words, the person or thing carrying out the action in the clause.
Emil träffar ofta sina kusiner. (Emil often sees his cousins.)
The cousins are Emil’s own. Sina refers back to the subject, Emil.
Compare:
Emil träffar ofta hans kusiner. (Emil often sees his cousins.)
Here, the cousins are those of another man or boy. Hans does not refer to Emil.
The key difference is:
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sin, sitt, sina = the subject’s own
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hans, hennes, dess, deras = someone else’s
Sin, sitt or sina?
The form you choose depends on the noun that follows.
Use sin before an en-word:
Anton klappar sin katt. (Anton is stroking his cat.)
Use sitt before an ett-word:
Klara målar om sitt rum. (Klara is redecorating her room.)
Use sina before a plural noun:
Olivia glömmer ofta sina nycklar i dörren. (Olivia often leaves her keys in the door.)
Possessive pronouns
min, mitt, mina (my)
din, ditt, dina (your)
hans (his)
hennes (her)
dess (its)
vår, vårt, våra (our)
er, ert, era (your)
deras (their)
Reflexive possessive pronouns
min, mitt, mina (my)
din, ditt, dina (your)
sin, sitt, sina (his)
sin, sitt, sina (her)
sin, sitt, sina (its)
vår, vårt, våra (our)
er, ert, era (your)
sin, sitt, sina (their)
Han packar ner sin bok i väskan. (He puts his book in his bag.)
When are hans, hennes, dess and deras used?
Use hans, hennes, dess or deras when the pronoun does not refer back to the subject.
John brukar låna hans skor.
(John often borrows his shoes.)
John is the subject. The shoes belong to someone else, not to John.
Lisa och Lukas ska provspela i deras lag.
(Lisa and Lukas are going to have a trial with their team.)
The team is not Lisa and Lukas’s team, but that of some other people.
These pronouns are also used when they form part of the subject:
Hennes bror går i min klass. (Her brother is in my class.)
The whole phrase hennes bror is the subject.
Deras lag vann turneringen. (Their team won the tournament.)
The whole phrase deras lag is the subject. Because the pronoun forms part of the subject, it cannot refer back to that same subject.
When are sin, sitt and sina used?
Use sin, sitt and sina when the pronoun refers back to the subject of the same clause.
Agnes läser sin bok. (Agnes is reading her book.)
It is Agnes’s own book.
Adrian skriver i sitt anteckningsblock. (Adrian is writing in his notebook.)
It is Adrian’s own notebook.
William ställer sina väskor på golvet. (William puts his bags on the floor.)
They are William’s own bags.
How to choose the right pronoun
Start by finding the subject: who or what is carrying out the action?
Then ask: does the person or thing belong to the subject?
If the answer is yes, use sin, sitt or sina:
Stella tar på sig sin jacka. (Stella puts on her jacket.)
The jacket belongs to Stella.
If the answer is no, use hans, hennes, dess or deras:
Stella tar på sig hennes jacka. (Stella puts on her jacket.)
The jacket belongs to another woman or girl.
Remember
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Sin, sitt and sina refer back to the subject.
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Hans, hennes, dess and deras refer to someone or something else.