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Nouns & Gender

En-words (utrum) and ett-words (neuter)

Two grammatical genders: en (common) and ett (neuter)

About 75% of nouns are en-words; 25% are ett-words.

📊 Gender overview
Gender Indef. article Def. suffix Example
common (utrum) en -(e)n en bil → bilen
neuter ett -(e)t ett hus → huset
common plural — -(r)na / -na bilar → bilarna
neuter plural — -en / -n hus → husen
💬 Examples
en bil / en bok / en dag
a car / a book / a day
📝 common gender (en) examples
ett hus / ett barn / ett bord
a house / a child / a table
📝 neuter gender (ett) examples
Gender must be learned with each noun

There are no reliable rules — always learn en/ett with the word.

💬 Examples
en hand / ett finger
a hand / a finger
📝 both body parts but different genders
en flicka / ett barn
a girl / a child
📝 living things are not always en
Some gender patterns give useful hints

Words ending in -ing, -ion, -het, -else are almost always en-words.

💬 Examples
en tidning / en station / en frihet
a newspaper / a station / a freedom
📝 ending -ning/-ion/-het → en
ett problem / ett system / ett centrum
a problem / a system / a centre
📝 many loan words in -um/-em → ett