# Swedish: Annan, Annat, olika, andra - differences and similarities



## 3Nex

Hejsan. 

I don't understand the differences between words expressing (ironically) differences (but also similarities). For a while i thought i figured it out and that "annan" was used like "else" in the context of "something else = något annan", and that andra meant "other" like "some other stuff = några andra saker". But when i asked a swedish friend (who doesn't know how to explain the differences, only tells me if something is correct or not) for some examples, and for "I am a different person", she wrote "Jag är en annan person", which confused me... (i thought i would have to use the word "olika").

Further more, once i asked her how would you say "I want a car like that", and she used a phrase "en bil son där", which is something that tyda.se doesn't even translate, is that slang..? She also once used the phrase "något sånt" for "something like that", which is also a word that tyda.se doesn't translate.. 

So i would much appreciate if you could explain the meanings and usages for the following words: Annan, annat, olika, andra, son där, sånt, and any other that might be used in similar contexts, because these are really confusing me right now...


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## AutumnOwl

3Nex said:


> "I am a different person",  she wrote "Jag är en annan person", which confused me... (i thought i  would have to use the word "olika").


"A different person" = another person is in Swedish _"en annan person"_. You could say _"vi är olika personer"_ meaning "we are different persons", that we are not the same person_, _but you can't say _"jag är en olik person"_, it would mean "I'm an unlike/dissimilar person". 


3Nex said:


> Further more, once i asked her how would you say "I want a car like  that", and she used a phrase "en bil son där", which is something that  tyda.se doesn't even translate, is that slang..? She also once used the  phrase "något sånt" for "something like that", which is also a word that  tyda.se doesn't translate..


"I want a car like that" - _"Jag vill ha en sån där bil"_ or _"Jag vill ha en bil som den där"_. _Sån där (= sådan där) _is not slang, but it's spoken language, the same for _något sånt (= något sådant_) in correct written Swedish. _Sådan/sådant_ = such in English.


3Nex said:


> So i would much appreciate if you could explain the meanings and usages  for the following words: Annan, annat, olika, andra, son där, sånt, and  any other that might be used in similar contexts, because these are  really confusing me right now...


_Annan, annat, andra _means another, a second, a different
_En annan bok_ - another book/a different book
_Ett annat land_ - another country/a different country
_En andra chans _- a second chance
_En andra blus_ - a second blouse/a different blouse

Olik, olikt, olika means different, unlike, dissimilar
_Han är olik sig själv_ - he is unlike himself
V_ädret är olikt från igår_ - the weather is different from yesterday
_Olika färger _- different colours, dissimilar colours

_Sån där, sånt (så'n där, sån't_) - such, like
_En sån där glass_ - an ice cream like that
_Sånt är livet - _life is such

_Annorlunda_ - different 
_Du ser annorlunda ut, har du klippt dig?_ - You look different, have you cut your hair?


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## MattiasNYC

Just briefly:

"_Han är olik sig själv_ - he is unlike himself": I think the English version sounds odd. It sounds as if you are comparing a persons normal state to his normal state, and the former is different. That sounds nonsensical of course. I think a better translation would be:

_Han är inte sig själv_ _lik _- he is not himself: In this case "inte lik" = "olik", just written differently essentially, and to my recollection more commonly used.


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## AutumnOwl

MattiasNYC said:


> Just briefly:
> 
> "_Han är olik sig själv_ - he is unlike himself": I think the English version sounds odd. It sounds as if you are comparing a persons normal state to his normal state, and the former is different. That sounds nonsensical of course. I think a better translation would be:
> 
> _Han är inte sig själv_ _lik _- he is not himself: In this case "inte lik" = "olik", just written differently essentially, and to my recollection more commonly used.


_Han är olik sig själv, han har färgat håret blått av någon anledning._ He's unlike himself, he has coloured his hair blue for some reason - he has done something out of character.
_Han är inte sig själv lik, han har blått hår._ - He's not himself, he has blue hair - he doesn't look the way he usually does.
For me there is a difference in the meaning between the sentences.


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## 3Nex

AutumnOwl said:


> _Annan, annat, andra _means another, a second, a different
> _En annan bok_ - another book/a different book
> _Ett annat land_ - another country/a different country
> _En andra chans _- a second chance
> _En andra blus_ - a second blouse/a different blouse


Thank you very much for your answers. Olik and Sån där make much sense now. 

But I'm still not sure if I understand when I should use "annan" as opposed to "andra". Like your last example, you used "andra" for "different", whereas before you used "annan" for "different". So how can I know I wasn't supposed to say "En annan blus"? 

Also, what I just thought of, how can I express "The other blouse" or "The other book", as if I had a specific book or blouse in mind?


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## AutumnOwl

3Nex said:


> But I'm still not sure if I understand when I should use "annan" as opposed to "andra". Like your last example, you used "andra" for "different", whereas before you used "annan" for "different". So how can I know I wasn't supposed to say "En annan blus"?


You can say both "en annan blus" and "en andra blus" but they mean different things.
_"Jag vill inte ha den här blusen, jag vill ha en annan (blus) för det finns ett hål i ärmen"_ - I don't want this blouse, I want another (blouse) because there is a hole in the sleeve" (buying one blouse)
_"Jag vill ha den här blusen och en andra blus i blått"_ - I want this blouse and a second blouse in blue (buying two blouses)


3Nex said:


> Also, what I just thought of, how can I express "The other blouse" or "The other book", as if I had a specific book or blouse in mind?


_"Jag vill ha den andra blusen du visade"_ - I want the other blouse you showed me
_"Den andra boken var bättre"_ - the other book was better


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## 3Nex

Ok thank you very much. So let me try to solve some example sentences, just to make sure if I got it. 

If i didn't really like the sandwiches you made me, I can say "Jag vill ha något annat". 

But if I ate the first one and you're wondering whether I'm going to eat the second one as well, then I can say "Jag vill ha den andra". 

Is that correct?


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## AutumnOwl

3Nex said:


> Ok thank you very much. So let me try to solve some example sentences, just to make sure if I got it.
> 
> If i didn't really like the sandwiches you made me, I can say "Jag vill ha något annat".
> 
> But if I ate the first one and you're wondering whether I'm going to eat the second one as well, then I can say "Jag vill ha den andra (också)".
> 
> Is that correct?


Yes, you have got it right.


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## MattiasNYC

Has it pointed out that "andra" is also used for plural?

The others went to the beach. = De andra gick till stranden.


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## Tjahzi

It's indeed worth noting that _andra_ is not only the indefinite plural form but also the definite singular form of _annan_.

_en annan bil, ett annat hus, flera andra bilar/hus
den andra bilen, det andra huset, de andra bilarna/husen
_ 
In addition to this usage, which translates to _other_, _andra_ is also an independent adjective with the meaning of _second._ It's conjugation is somewhat simpler though (there are no plural forms).

_en andra bil, ett andra hus_
_den andra bilen, det andra huset_


As for the distinction between _olik_ and _annan_, my advice would be to always keep in mind that _olik_ is derived _lik - similar_ and as such means _different/dissimilar _rather than _other/second_.


(While all of the above has more or less been said already, this post should summarize it.)


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## Tjahzi

Here is another thread where the differences between _olik_ and _annorlunda_ have been discussed. And here and here are two more.


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