A1 Swedish GrammarPlural Nouns
Swedish has five main plural endings: -or, -ar, -er, -r, and -n. The plural form depends on the noun's gender and ending. Learn these patterns to form plurals correctly and express quantities in Swedish.
1Plural Group 1: -or
En-words ending in -a drop the -a and add -or: flicka → flickor (girls), vecka → veckor (weeks). This is one of the most common plural patterns. The definite plural adds -na: flickorna (the girls).
Group 1 Plurals (-or)
| Singular | Plural | Definite Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en flicka | flickor | flickorna | girl(s) |
| en vecka | veckor | veckorna | week(s) |
| en skola | skolor | skolorna | school(s) |
| en klocka | klockor | klockorna | clock(s) |
Examples
Två flickor leker.
Two girls are playing.
flicka → flickor
Det finns tre skolor här.
There are three schools here.
skola → skolor
Veckorna går snabbt.
The weeks go by fast.
Definite plural: veckorna
Alla lampor är på.
All the lamps are on.
lampa → lampor
2Plural Group 2: -ar
Many en-words add -ar to form plural: bil → bilar (cars), dag → dagar (days). This is the most common plural ending for en-words not ending in -a. Definite plural adds -na: bilarna (the cars).
Group 2 Plurals (-ar)
| Singular | Plural | Definite Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en bil | bilar | bilarna | car(s) |
| en dag | dagar | dagarna | day(s) |
| en hund | hundar | hundarna | dog(s) |
| en väg | vägar | vägarna | road(s) |
Examples
Vi har två bilar.
We have two cars.
bil → bilar
Hundarna skäller.
The dogs are barking.
Definite: hundarna
Dagarna är långa.
The days are long.
dag → dagar
Jag ser många stjärnor.
I see many stars.
stjärna → stjärnor
3Plural Group 3: -er
Some en-words and ett-words add -er: telefon → telefoner (phones), muskel → muskler (muscles). Many loanwords and longer words follow this pattern. Definite plural adds -na: telefonerna (the phones).
Group 3 Plurals (-er)
| Singular | Plural | Definite Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| en telefon | telefoner | telefonerna | phone(s) |
| en dator | datorer | datorerna | computer(s) |
| en station | stationer | stationerna | station(s) |
| en muskel | muskler | musklerna | muscle(s) |
Examples
Alla telefoner ringer.
All phones are ringing.
telefon → telefoner
Det finns många stationer.
There are many stations.
station → stationer
Datorerna är nya.
The computers are new.
Definite: datorerna
Jag behöver fler idéer.
I need more ideas.
idé → idéer
4Plural Groups 4-5 and Ett-words
Ett-words ending in a vowel add -n: äpple → äpplen (apples). One-syllable ett-words often stay the same: ett hus → två hus (houses). These are the zero plural forms. Always learn the plural with the noun.
Ett-word Plurals
| Singular | Plural | Definite Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ett äpple | äpplen | äpplena | apple(s) |
| ett öga | ögon | ögonen | eye(s) |
| ett hus | hus | husen | house(s) |
| ett barn | barn | barnen | child(ren) |
| ett bord | bord | borden | table(s) |
Examples
Jag köpte tre äpplen.
I bought three apples.
äpple → äpplen (-n ending)
Det finns fem hus.
There are five houses.
Zero plural: hus → hus
Barnen leker ute.
The children are playing outside.
Definite: barnen
Ögonen är blå.
The eyes are blue.
öga → ögon (irregular)