vilka

Vilka is a Swedish word that functions as the plural form of the interrogative determiner and pronoun meaning “which.” It is used to ask about a subset of items from a known set or to refer to multiple items in a clause. In questions, it precedes a plural noun, as in Vilka böcker vill du läsa? (Which books do you want to read?)

The main forms in Swedish are: vilken (singular common gender), vilket (singular neuter), and vilka (plural). While vilka is most common in interrogative questions, it also appears as a relative pronoun in formal or written Swedish, for example in clauses such as personerna vilka deltog i mötet, meaning “the people who/which participated in the meeting.” In everyday speech, many speakers prefer the relative pronoun som in most contexts, but vilka remains acceptable in more formal writing.

Usage notes and regional variation: Vilka is standard Swedish and widely understood across dialects. In questions, it asks to identify one or more items from a known set. In relative clauses, vilka can refer to people or things, though som is often used in contemporary speech due to its broader applicability and simplicity. The form shares cognates with other North Germanic languages, such as Norwegian hvilke and Danish hvilke, which have similar meanings and usage.

Overall, vilka is a key part of Swedish interrogatives and relative clauses, specialized for plural references and closely related to the language’s other oblik forms.