Prepositions are hard. In just about any language. Just think about some of the prepositions we use in English. They don’t always make sense. Trying to learn a different language, like Swedish, prepositions can be a challenge. There are plenty of prepositions to choose from. Below you’ll find a quick list, but this post will be focusing on the prepositions på and i.

Ok, so now we have a solid list of prepositions. But what do we do with them? We can’t always use the English equivalent when we’re speaking Swedish. Especially when it comes to på and i or on and in. Luckily, while there might not be a hard and fast rule, there are a few things we can follow.

When it comes to på, there are a few categories that we want to use it with. First, just a few places that you use på with:

When describing a specific street address, you also need to use the word på. Along with these places, if you find yourself on an island, you’ll need to use på.

So if you’re on vacation at 123 Main Street on the island of Gotland you would say, in Swedish: Jag är på semester och bor på 123 Main Street på Gotland.

No problem right? Now let’s take a look at i. Same thing here, there are a few places that you just need to use i with. They are as follows:

You’ll notice that we use på with university, but i with school. Just a heads up. Finally, in Swedish, we also use the word Ii when describing a country, city, or place. For example, if you live in Stockholm, in Sweden you would say: Jag bor i Stockholm i Sverige. Or for a place, maybe you want to describe that you saw a fish in the Pacific Ocean (I know, not the most exciting conversation starter, but work with me here) you would say in Swedish: Jag såg en fisk i Stilla havet.

Good luck with your prepositions!