# Swedish: "Detta" är mina kusiner?



## DonHolgo

I kapitlet om demonstrativa pronomen i boken "Form i fokus C" finns ett exempel:

– Detta är mina kusiner. – Jaha. Jag har hört talas mycket om er.

Jag tycker att "detta" verkar ganska konstigt här, jag skulle ha förväntat mig "dessa" eftersom man syftar på ett flertal personer. Kan någon förklara varför det är "detta"?


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## winenous

I know it is a different language, and the answers might be different, but I asked the same question about Norwegian here
Norwegian: Dette er (folowed by plural noun)


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## AutumnOwl

I don't know if this old thread is of any help: Swedish: detta/denna/dessa vs det/den/de här
Or this: De här eller dessa?

I would probably use: "Det här är mina kusiner" or "Detta är mina kusiner" rather than "dessa" when it's about people. I would use "dessa" about objects and animals, for example "dessa nycklar går till dörren där", or "dessa katter är mina", as "dessa" for me feels very as about something that "belongs" to me, and people don't "belong".

As for the use of de här or dessa (see second link above), I grew up in the west of Sweden.


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## winenous

AutumnOwl said:


> I don't know if this old thread is of any help: Swedish: detta/denna/dessa vs det/den/de här
> Or this: De här eller dessa?
> 
> I would probably use: "Det här är mina kusiner" or "Detta är mina kusiner" rather than "dessa" when it's about people. I would use "dessa" about objects and animals, for example "dessa nycklar går till dörren där", or "dessa katter är mina", as "dessa" for me feels very as about something that "belongs" to me, and people don't "belong".
> 
> As for the use of de här or dessa (see second link above), I grew up in the west of Sweden.


So it is nothing like Norwegian, and you wouldn't say "det här är nycklar som går till dörren där"?


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## AutumnOwl

winenous said:


> So it is nothing like Norwegian, and you wouldn't say "det här är nycklar som går till dörren där"?


There is nothing wrong with "det här är nycklar som går till dörren där", but it's nothing I would use myself, if feels a bit clumsy. If I heard that phrase, I would expect some kind of further explanation, for example "men vi kan inte gå in dit för att taket har ramlat in". It's not something to say when for example giving someone the keys to a new flat, "det här nycklarna går till dörren där".


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## winenous

AutumnOwl said:


> There is nothing wrong with "det här är nycklar som går till dörren där", but it's nothing I would use myself, if feels a bit clumsy. If I heard that phrase, I would expect some kind of further explanation, for example "men vi kan inte gå in dit för att taket har ramlat in". It's not something to say when for example giving someone the keys to a new flat, "det här nycklarna går till dörren där".


The clumsiness was probably because I know very little Swedish. But I was questioning whether the important difference was not whether people or objects were involved; but whether "detta/dessa" goes immediately before the noun or is followed by "är". 

I was asking for confirmation because the examples you gave were different in usage, as well as being different in referring to people or objects.

I'm sorry if I'm still not being clear - I'm finding it difficult to explain.


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## DonHolgo

AutumnOwl said:


> I would probably use: "Det här är mina kusiner" or "Detta är mina kusiner" rather than "dessa" when it's about people. I would use "dessa" about objects and animals, for example "dessa nycklar går till dörren där", or "dessa katter är mina", as "dessa" for me feels very as about something that "belongs" to me, and people don't "belong".


Ok, thanks! I was aware that "detta" can be used for single persons too (i.e. "detta är min kusin"), and apparently the distinction between persons and objects/animals has a stronger effect than the singular/plural one in this case.


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## serbianfan

I think you have to compare the same kind of sentences, like if you imagine someone introducing his family, etc. and saying "dette er mine søskenbarn" or "dette er våre to katter" or "dette er urtene som jeg prøver å dyrke". So wouldn't a Swede say "detta är" or "det här är" in those sentences?

Of course, in Norwegian, the construction "dette er søskenbarna mine" would no doubt be more common, but that doesn't make any difference to the use of "dette".


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## winenous

serbianfan said:


> I think you have to compare the same kind of sentences, like if you imagine someone introducing his family, etc. and saying "dette er mine søskenbarn" or "dette er våre to katter" or "dette er urtene som jeg prøver å dyrke". So wouldn't a Swede say "detta är" or "det här är" in those sentences?


Exactly. That explains better what I was trying to say/ask.


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## AutumnOwl

serbianfan said:


> I think you have to compare the same kind of sentences, like if you imagine someone introducing his family, etc. and saying "dette er mine søskenbarn" or "dette er våre to katter" or "dette er urtene som jeg prøver å dyrke". So wouldn't a Swede say "detta är" or "det här är" in those sentences?
> 
> Of course, in Norwegian, the construction "dette er søskenbarna mine" would no doubt be more common, but that doesn't make any difference to the use of "dette".


I can't say what is used by all Swedes, only for what I would say, and what I expect others to say. In this link De här eller dessa? , you can see that there appears to be a difference between the use of "denna/detta/dessa" (in the west and south), and "den/det/de här" (in the east and north). As I grew up on the west coast of Sweden, for me the first ones is what I most likely would use when speaking. When it comes to writing, it's likely that I would use the second ones, as those are the ones usually seen in writing, especially as the use of "dessa" can be considered as being uneducated. 

Denna boken har jag  lånat. / Denna katten är min.
Detta är boken som jag lånade av dig. / Detta är min katt.
Dessa böcker tillhör skolan. / Dessa katter är mina.
Dessa är de böcker som tillhör skolan. / Dessa katter tillhör mig.

Den här boken har jag lånat. / Den här katten är min.
Det här är boken som jag lånade av dig. / Det här är min katt.
De här böckerna tillhör skolan. / De här katterna är mina.
Det här är de böcker som tillhör skolan. / Det här är de katter som tillhör mig.

Detta är min bror/mina bröder.
Det här är min bror/mina bröder.

When introducing someone I could say "och dessa är mina bröder X och Y", or "och detta är mina bröder X och Y".


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## MattiasNYC

Yeah I totally agree. And I'm from the mid-east of the country and typically don't say "denna/dessa/detta" all that much. In this case I would probably say "och det här är mina kusiner".


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