Swedish Prepositions of Time: I & På + Days of the Week (+ Quiz)

If you’ve been learning Swedish for a little while, you’ve probably already run into phrases like i måndags, på måndag, and på måndagar – and wondered what on earth the difference is. I and på are some of the most common Swedish prepositions of time, and yes, using them in expressions of time can feel confusing at first. But there’s a clear logic behind them, and once someone walks you through it, it all clicks.

That’s exactly what our goal is here. 

In this post, I’ll show you how to use the two main Swedish prepositions of time, i and på, with days of the week, and in which form the days should follow them. Plus there’s a bonus section at the end, so stick around!

Let’s start with the basics.

First things first – we can’t talk about expressions of time without going over the days of the week, right? A quick heads-up: unlike in English, all days of the week are written with a lowercase letter in Swedish, unless they appear at the very start of a sentence.

Got those? Good. Now let’s look at how time and days of the week actually work in Swedish.

The preposition i is used when you’re referring to a day in the past – specifically the most recent time that day occurred.

• i måndags – on Monday / last Monday
• i tisdags – on Tuesday / last Tuesday
• i onsdags – on Wednesday
• i torsdags – on Thursday
• i fredags – on Friday
• i lördags – on Saturday
• i söndags – on Sunday

The key thing to notice here is the -s at the end. That little -s, along with the preposition i, signals that you’re talking about the past – the last time that day happened.

So if today is Wednesday and you say i måndags, you mean the Monday that just passed – the one earlier this week. But if it’s already Monday again and you say i fredags, you’re talking about last Friday, which was several days ago. So phrases like i måndags or i fredags can refer to a day earlier this week or a day last week, depending on which day it is today.

• Jag tränade i måndags. – I worked out on Monday.
• Vi var på konsert i fredags. – We went to a concert on Friday.
• Pratade du med henne i onsdags? – Did you talk to her on Wednesday?

Use i + day of the week + -s when referring to the most recent occurrence of that day. Think of it as: the [day] that just passed.

This i + -s combination doesn’t stop at weekdays though. It also shows up in other common time expressions, like when talking about seasons or times of day:

Same pattern, same logic – the -s marks that it’s already passed.

When you want to talk about a day that hasn’t happened yet, you use på – with the base form of the day, no -s.

• på måndag – on Monday
• på tisdag – on Tuesday
• på onsdag – on Wednesday
• på torsdag – on Thursday
• på fredag – on Friday
• på lördag – on Saturday
• på söndag – on Sunday

This works similarly to how English uses on with future days. One important thing to keep in mind: på måndag always refers to the closest upcoming Monday. So if today is Tuesday and you say på måndag, you mean the Monday coming up next week, not some vague point down the line. If today is Monday and you say på fredag, it means the upcoming Friday this week.

• Vi ses på fredag! – See you on Friday!
• Jag har läkarbesök på tisdag. – I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.
• Kan vi ses på lördag? – Can we meet on Saturday?

Use på + base form of the day (no -s) when talking about the closest upcoming occurrence of that day. Think of it as: the [day] that comes next.

This rule is actually one of the most logical and easiest to remember. When something happens regularly – every week, as a routine or habit – you use på + the plural form of the day.

The plural definite form adds -ar to the day:

• på måndagar – on Mondays (every Monday)
• på tisdagar – on Tuesdays
• på onsdagar – on Wednesdays
• på torsdagar – on Thursdays
• på fredagar – on Fridays
• på lördagar – on Saturdays
• på söndagar – on Sundays

It literally means on Mondays – so every Monday, not just one specific one. Once you see it that way, it just makes sense.

• Jag tränar på måndagar. – I work out on Mondays.
• Vi brukar ha middag med familjen på söndagar. – We usually have dinner with the family on Sundays.
• Har du alltid ledigt på fredagar? – Do you always have Fridays off?

Use på + day + -ar for things that happen regularly or repeatedly. It’s the every [day] pattern.

Once you’ve got the Swedish prepositions of time down, you can get even more specific by combining days of the week with times of day. The structure is straightforward.

Notice how the day of the week is used in the same form as when it stands alone – i måndags, på måndag – and the time of day simply follows in its base form (with the small exception of morse instead of morgon in the past expression).

Jag såg honom i fredags kväll. – I saw him on Friday evening.

Kan vi ses på onsdag eftermiddag? – Can we meet on Wednesday afternoon?

Here are some everyday Swedish time expressions you’ll use all the time. Notice that whether they refer to the past or the future, the preposition is always i:

Sweden is an amazing place if you have a sweet tooth. Swedes have special days dedicated to their favourite treats and pastries – yes, I’m not joking! Some of them fall on a specific date every year, like kanelbullens dag (Cinnamon Bun Day) on October 4th, or kladdkakans dag (Sticky Mud Cake Day) on November 7th. And some of them are celebrated on a specific day of the week – which makes them perfect examples of today’s grammar in action.😉

Take fettisdagen, for example – Fat Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday – the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. In Sweden, it’s basically a national excuse to eat a semla (a soft cardamom bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream). Or, let’s be honest, several. In Swedish you’d say:

På fettisdagen äter vi semlor. – On Fat/Shrove Tuesday, we eat semlor. (Notice how fettisdagen is in the definite form – because it’s a recurring event, something that comes around every year.)

Then there’s första torsdagen i mars – the first Thursday in March. In the Swedish province of Småland, this day has its own beloved tradition: people eat marsipantårta (marzipan cake) – known as massipantååta in the local dialect. And speaking of the dialect, the whole day is pronounced “fössta tossdan i mass” – which might just be the most charming thing I’ve ever heard Swedish do. This is one of my favourite Swedish treat days, honestly, because it’s not just about the food – it’s a celebration of local culture and the beauty of how language can vary from one region to the next.

And if you want to read more about Swedish coffee culture and the treats calendar, check out my blog post Fika: All You Need to Know About the Swedish Coffe Break.

Not sure you’ll remember the rules? Here’s your cheat sheet for Swedish prepositions of time.