A1 Swedish GrammarNoun Gender
Swedish has two grammatical genders: common (en-words) and neuter (ett-words). About 75% of Swedish nouns are common gender. Learn to identify noun genders and understand how they affect articles, adjectives, and pronouns. This knowledge is essential for correct Swedish.
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1Common Gender (En-words)
Common gender nouns use 'en' as their indefinite article: en bok (a book), en stol (a chair). Most Swedish nouns are common gender, including words for people, animals, and many everyday objects. When in doubt, guess common gender.
Common En-words
| Swedish | English | Category |
|---|---|---|
| en man | a man | person |
| en kvinna | a woman | person |
| en hund | a dog | animal |
| en bok | a book | object |
| en bil | a car | object |
| en dag | a day | time |
Examples
Det är en fin bil.
That is a nice car.
en bil = a car (common)
Jag läser en bok.
I am reading a book.
en bok = a book (common)
Hon har en katt.
She has a cat.
en katt = a cat (common)
Det var en bra dag.
It was a good day.
en dag = a day (common)
2Neuter Gender (Ett-words)
Neuter gender nouns use 'ett' as their indefinite article: ett hus (a house), ett barn (a child). About 25% of nouns are neuter. Many abstract concepts, body parts, and things found in nature are often neuter. Always learn new nouns with their article.
Common Ett-words
| Swedish | English | Category |
|---|---|---|
| ett barn | a child | person |
| ett hus | a house | building |
| ett bord | a table | furniture |
| ett äpple | an apple | food |
| ett jobb | a job | work |
| ett år | a year | time |
Examples
Vi bor i ett hus.
We live in a house.
ett hus = a house (neuter)
Hon äter ett äpple.
She eats an apple.
ett äpple = an apple (neuter)
Jag har ett barn.
I have a child.
ett barn = a child (neuter)
Det tog ett år.
It took a year.
ett år = a year (neuter)
3Definite Forms
Swedish adds the definite article as a suffix to the noun. En-words add -en or -n: bok → boken (the book). Ett-words add -et or -t: hus → huset (the house). This is different from English where 'the' is a separate word before the noun.
Indefinite to Definite
| Indefinite | Definite | English |
|---|---|---|
| en bok | boken | the book |
| en bil | bilen | the car |
| ett hus | huset | the house |
| ett barn | barnet | the child |
| en flicka | flickan | the girl |
| ett äpple | äpplet | the apple |
Examples
Boken är intressant.
The book is interesting.
bok + en = boken
Huset är stort.
The house is big.
hus + et = huset
Bilen är röd.
The car is red.
bil + en = bilen
Barnet sover.
The child is sleeping.
barn + et = barnet
4Tips for Remembering Gender
While there are no perfect rules, some patterns help: words ending in -a are usually en-words (en flicka), words ending in -tion are en-words (en station). Many loanwords from English are ett-words (ett mail, ett team). Always learn nouns with their article.
Gender Patterns
| Pattern | Gender | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| ends in -a | en | flicka, skola, vecka |
| ends in -tion | en | station, nation, information |
| ends in -het | en | enhet, möjlighet |
| ends in -ande/-ende | ett | ätande, läsande |
| English loanwords | usually ett | mail, jobb, team |
Examples
Det är en bra idé.
That is a good idea.
en idé (ends in vowel)
Var är stationen?
Where is the station?
en station (-tion words)
Jag fick ett mail.
I got an email.
ett mail (English loanword)
Skolan är stängd.
The school is closed.
en skola (-a ending)
Practice Exercises
3 exercises
'I read a book': Jag läser ___ bok.
'We live in a house': Vi bor i ___ hus.
'The book is interesting' (book = en bok): ___ är intressant.
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