Varje & Varandra

Varje, Var Sin och Varandra — Distributive and Reciprocal Expressions

Swedish has a set of distributive and reciprocal expressions that have no single-word English equivalents and therefore require special attention. Understanding the difference between varje (every — collective), var sin / var sitt / var sina (each their own — distributive), and varandra (each other / one another — reciprocal) is essential for natural, precise Swedish.

The word varje you already know — it means 'every' and refers to all members of a group collectively: varje elev (every student). But var sin adds a crucial nuance: it means each person has their own individual instance of something. The difference is subtle but important: eleverna läser varje bok suggests they all read the same book; eleverna läser var sin bok means each student reads their own (different) book. This distributive meaning — one per person — is what var sin expresses and what makes it indispensable.

Varandra (each other) expresses reciprocal action — two or more people doing something to or with each other simultaneously. It is an invariable form: it does not change for gender, number, or case, which makes it easy to use once you know it.

Studenterna fick var sitt rum på hotellet — ingen behövde dela. De hjälpte varandra med bagaget i trappan. På morgonen drack de kaffe och läste var sin tidning i tystnad. De hade känt varandra sedan barndomen och trivdes i varandras sällskap utan att behöva prata varje minut. Var och en av dem hade sin egen stil men de kompletterade varandra perfekt.

På middagen fick alla beställa var sin rätt och betala för sig. De skålade och tittade på varandra med värme. Efteråt kramade de om varandra och sa hej då. De lovade att skriva till varandra och ses igen varje år.

What to notice: Var sin agrees with the gender and number of the noun that follows — var sin (en-word), var sitt (ett-word), var sina (plural). Varandra never changes form but can take the genitive -s: varandras (each other's). Var och en (each one / every single one) is an emphatic distributive used when you want to stress individual accountability. Track these three expressions through the passage above and notice how each one creates a different meaning — collective (varje), individual-per-person (var sin), and mutual (varandra).