Language/Swedish/Grammar/Plurals
Hi Swedish learners! đ
In this lesson, we will focus on plurals in Swedish. Creating plurals in Swedish can be tricky and confusing for non-native speakers. As a Swedish language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I will do my best to illustrate Swedish plurals with cultural information and interesting facts. Let's dive in!
Consider broadening your understanding by checking out these related lessons: Future Tense, Learn Swedish Sentense Structure. Subject, Verb and object., Questions & How to express disagreement.
Basics[edit | edit source]
Creating plurals in Swedish is generally done by adding "-ar" at the end of a word. For instance, "bok" (book) in the singular form becomes "böcker" (books) in the plural form. However, some words require different endings to form the plural, which makes Swedish plurals more difficult.
Irregular Plurals[edit | edit source]
In Swedish, there is no definitive rule to form an irregular plural. To do so, you need to memorize whether the noun takes the "r" or "er" ending or a different one, depending on the noun. Here are some examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| man | mÀn |
| kvinna | kvinnor |
| barn | barn |
| lÀrare | lÀrare |
As you can see, the nouns "man" and "kvinna" take an "en" ending in the singular form, but they become "mÀn" and "kvinnor" in the plural form. The noun "barn" remains the same in both singular and plural forms, and "lÀrare" takes the same ending in the singular and plural forms.
Compound Nouns[edit | edit source]
Compound nouns are made up of two or more words. In Swedish, compound nouns are common, and they can be a source of confusion for non-native speakers. To form the plural of compound nouns, you add the "-n" ending at the end of the last part of the word. Here are some examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| dagbok | dagböcker |
| kaffekopp | kaffekoppar |
| sjukhus | sjukhus |
| studenthem | studenthem |
As you can see, the plurals of compound nouns depend on the last part of the word. In some cases, the whole compound noun will have an "-ar" ending, such as "sÀngbord" (bedside table) and "tandborste" (toothbrush).
Common Mistakes[edit | edit source]
One of the most common mistakes that non-native speakers make is adding "-er" instead of "-ar" to form Swedish plurals. For example, instead of saying "bökar," which is incorrect, they say "böker." Another mistake is forgetting to add an "-n" to the last part of a compound noun when forming its plural. For instance, instead of saying "kaffekoppar," which is correct, they might say "kaffekopparar." To avoid such mistakes, it is essential to practice and memorize Swedish plural rules.
Examples in Context[edit | edit source]
To better understand Swedish plurals, let's imagine a dialogue between two people shopping for items at a local market:
- Person 1: Hej, jag skulle vilja ha en tomat, tack. (Hello, I would like to have a tomato, please.)
- Person 2: Visst, vill du ha fler tomater? (Sure, do you want more tomatoes?)
- Person 1: Ja, jag vill ha fyra stycken tomater. (Yes, I want four tomatoes.)
- Person 2: HÀr Àr dina fyra tomater. (Here are your four tomatoes.)
From this dialogue, we can see several examples of how to form Swedish plurals correctly.
Summary[edit | edit source]
Forming plurals in Swedish can be confusing and challenging for non-native speakers. While the "-ar" ending is the most common way to form Swedish plurals, irregular nouns and compound nouns require different endings. To improve your Swedish grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions. In addition, you can check the [Language/Swedish/Grammar|Grammar] section on the [Language/Swedish|Swedish] page for more information.
⥠If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
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Sources[edit | edit source]
- Swedish Plural Nouns - ielanguages.com
- How to create plural endings in Swedish -
- Plurals in Swedish. MySwedish is a unique tool for studying⊠| by ...