från

Från is a Swedish preposition used to indicate origin, source, or starting point. It marks where someone or something comes from (jag kommer från Stockholm), the point from which movement begins or away from a place (hon gick från huset), and the source of information or a thing (en bok från biblioteket). In time expressions it denotes the start of a period, especially in phrases like från och med nästa vecka or från klockan tre. It also appears in phrases that express a basis or cause in a broad sense, though more precise constructions are often preferred.

Etymology and related forms: Från comes from Old Norse frá and is cognate with the English from. In modern Swedish, från is the standard form. There exists a less common, more archaic or formal variant, från i- or frånståtligen written asifrån? The more familiar alternate spelling is ifråga? In practice, fråån is not standard; most speakers use från in all everyday contexts.

Usage notes: From is versatile but generally uninflected by case, since Swedish relies on prepositions rather than noun declension. A few fixed phrases use from in special ways, such as från och med to mean “from and including” or starting at a given point. The variant från is far more common in contemporary usage, while från is preferred in formal writing and speech.

Pronunciation: Från is pronounced roughly as fron with a long or tense o-sound, IPA commonly given as /frɔːn/ in standard Swedish.

See also: prepositions in Swedish, other directional prepositions like till and från, and phrases such as från och med.