sin / sitt / sina vs hans / hennes / deras

📌 Grammatiknotering

When a third-person subject (han, hon, den, det, man, någon, de, or any noun) owns the object within the same clause, Swedish MUST use the reflexive possessive 'sin' (en), 'sitt' (ett), or 'sina' (plural). Using 'hans/hennes/deras' changes the meaning to 'someone else's'.

📌 Grammatiknotering

'Sin/sitt/sina' agrees in gender and number with the thing owned, regardless of whether the subject is singular ('hon') or plural ('de'): 'sin bil' (en-word), 'sitt hus' (ett-word), 'sina vänner' (plural). By contrast, 'hans/hennes/deras' never inflect.

📌 Grammatiknotering

Because 'sin' must refer back to the subject of its own clause, it can never stand inside the subject phrase itself—even in compound subjects with 'och' (e.g., 'Hon och hennes bror'). In subjects, ALWAYS use 'hans/hennes/dess/deras'.

📌 Grammatiknotering

A finite subordinate clause (introduced by 'att', 'eftersom', 'när', 'som', etc.) has its own grammatical subject. Therefore, if the possessive inside the subordinate clause refers back to the main clause's subject—and is NOT the subject of the subordinate clause—check who the local subject is!

📌 Grammatiknotering

An infinitive phrase has an implied (logical) subject. 'Sin' refers to the logical subject of the infinitive. In 'Jag såg honom städa sitt rum', 'honom' is the logical subject of 'städa', so 'sitt' refers to him!

📌 Grammatiknotering

When the subject is an indefinite third-person pronoun such as 'man' (one), 'någon' (someone), 'ingen' (no one), 'alla' (everyone), or 'var och en' (each one), the possessive MUST be 'sin/sitt/sina' (there is no 'mans' possessive in this role).

📌 Grammatiknotering

When a clause contains both a third-person subject and a third-person object (e.g., 'Han gav Olle...'), 'sin' strictly refers to the subject ('Han'), while 'hans' refers to the object ('Olle') or a third party.

📌 Grammatiknotering

For animals, organizations, cities, or things (en/ett-words), 'sin/sitt/sina' is used when they are the subject of the clause. When they are NOT the subject, formal Swedish uses 'dess' (its).

📌 Grammatiknotering

In comparisons like 'Hon är lika gammal som sin bror' vs 'Hon är äldre än hans bror', if the phrase after 'som/än' is felt as a reduced clause where the noun is the subject ('än hennes bror [är]'), 'hans/hennes' is traditional, though 'sin' is also very common when no verb follows.

📌 Grammatiknotering

To emphasize ownership ('his very own'), Swedish places 'egen' (en), 'eget' (ett), or 'egna' (plural) after 'sin/hans/min'. Crucially, after a possessive, 'egen' inflects STRONG (egen/eget/egna), NOT weak (-a), and the noun remains indefinite!