Swedish nouns, or substantiv, name people, things, places and ideas. Learn each new noun with its article, en or ett, and its plural form. For example: en bil, bilen, bilar, bilarna means a car, the car, cars and the cars.
En and ett: the two noun genders
En marks common gender (utrum); ett marks neuter gender (neutrum). The choice is a property of the noun. It does not depend on whether the first letter is a vowel or consonant: compare en apelsin and ett äpple.
Write en bok, not just bok, in your vocabulary notes. Useful patterns exist, but they do not replace checking an unfamiliar word in a dictionary. Do not assume that every unfamiliar noun is an en-word.
The four forms: singular, plural, indefinite and definite
| Meaning | One, indefinite | One, definite | Several, indefinite | Several, definite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car | en bil | bilen | bilar | bilarna |
| Pen | en penna | pennan | pennor | pennorna |
| Apple | ett äpple | äpplet | äpplen | äpplena |
| House | ett hus | huset | hus | husen |
| Teacher | en lärare | läraren | lärare | lärarna |
| Book | en bok | boken | böcker | böckerna |
Indefinite forms introduce or name something without identifying it as already known. Definite forms identify a particular thing or set of things in context. Compare: Jag har en bil. Bilen är blå. — I have a car. The car is blue.
The four-form table is especially useful for countable nouns. Words for substances or abstract ideas do not always use all four forms in the same way.
Swedish plural patterns
Many beginner courses organise nouns into five broad patterns. Treat the groups as a memory aid: individual nouns can have exceptions, changes inside the word or alternative forms.
| Plural pattern | Example | Helpful clue |
|---|---|---|
| -or | en flicka → flickor | Many en-words ending in unstressed -a replace that -a with -or. |
| -ar | en bil → bilar; en pojke → pojkar | A common en-word pattern; a final unstressed -e may disappear. |
| -er / -r | en student → studenter; en sko → skor | The ending and any stem changes need to be learned with the noun. |
| -n | ett äpple → äpplen | Common with ett-words ending in an unstressed vowel. |
| No new plural ending | ett hus → hus; en lärare → lärare | Includes many ett-words ending in a consonant and en-words such as lärare. |
En-word plurals and exceptions
En-words do not all add the same ending. Learn en bok → böcker and en stad → städer as complete pairs because the vowel changes. In en cykel → cyklar, an unstressed vowel disappears. These patterns become easier to recognise as your vocabulary grows.
Lärare does not add -er in the plural: en lärare, två lärare, lärarna. The Swedish Academy’s dictionary entry for lärare shows the forms.
Ett-word plurals
Compare ett bord → bord with ett kvitto → kvitton. Their definite plurals are borden and kvittona. Do not apply one ending to every ett-word; words such as ett bageri → bagerier follow another pattern.
Why noun gender matters for adjectives
Adjectives can change with a noun’s gender and number: en stor bil, ett stort hus, stora bilar. In a definite phrase with an adjective, compare den stora bilen and det stora huset. Our Swedish adjective guide explains agreement in more detail.
Watch the en/ett lesson
Use the existing lesson below to review noun gender, then practise with your own vocabulary list.
Common questions about Swedish nouns
Can I tell en or ett from the English translation?
No. Learn the Swedish article with the word. English “a” and “an” do not tell you the Swedish noun’s gender.
Can I always add -na to make a definite plural?
No. Compare bilarna, äpplena and husen. Learn the definite plural alongside the indefinite plural.
How do I say “more books”?
Use fler böcker. For the difference between “more” and “several”, read our explanation of flera and fler.
How should I practise new nouns?
Choose five useful nouns, write their articles and forms, and make a short sentence with each. Review the same words later instead of only adding new ones. Fit this into your Swedish learning routine and study plan.
For structured beginner practice, explore Swedish A1. If you already know the basics, see the A2 Swedish syllabus or compare all Swedish courses.