sånt

Sånt is a Swedish word that functions as a demonstrative pronoun or determiner meaning “such,” “that kind of,” or “that sort of thing.” It is primarily a colloquial form and is commonly heard in everyday speech, including informal writing. In more formal Swedish, the equivalent constructions are usually realized with sådant (neuter singular pronoun) or with sådan/sådana as determiners depending on the noun’s gender and number.

The form sånt is often used with phrases like sånt här and sånt där to talk about a category of things in a general sense or to refer back to something already mentioned. For example: Jag vill inte ha sånt; Sånt här väder gör mig trött. In these phrases sånt acts as a stand‑in for the noun rather than naming it directly, which is typical in spoken Swedish.

Grammatically, sånt is the condensed, informal counterpart to the more formal sådant (neuter) and sådan/sådana (en-words and plural forms). The choice between these forms depends on formality and on whether the noun is common gender (en-ord) or neuter (ett-ord). Sånt can also function as a standalone pronoun: Jag gillar inte sånt.

Usage notes include that sånt is particularly frequent in speech, while skrivein that aims for formality may favor the longer forms sådant or sådan/sådana. Regional variation exists, but sånt is widely understood across Swedish-speaking regions.