What you will learn
You can talk about more than one thing with the plural of nouns, also after a number.
Six plural groups
A Swedish noun has its own form for two or more. We organize the common plural patterns into six groups. The ending belongs to the noun, so learn the singular and plural together.
| Ending | One | Two or more | Which nouns |
|---|---|---|---|
| -or | en flaska | två flaskor | Most en-words that end in a. The a goes away. |
| -ar | en kopp | två koppar | Many en-words. A final e goes away, as in en påse, två påsar. |
| -er | en banan | två bananer | Many en-words, including many with stress on the last syllable. Some other nouns use this ending too. |
| -r | en sko | två skor | Some nouns that end in a vowel add just r. Keep the vowel. |
| -n | ett äpple | två äpplen | Most ett-words that end in a vowel. Kafé is one that takes -er instead, två kaféer. |
| no ending | ett glas | två glas | Most ett-words that end in a consonant, and en-words that end in -are, as in en lärare, två lärare |
The groups are -or, -ar, -er, -r, -n and no ending. Some explanations combine -er and -r and therefore show five groups. The plural word forms are the same under either grouping. A few borrowed words have other patterns, so these six groups are a useful starting point, not a rule for every noun.
This lesson is about the plural without the ending for the, such as koppar (cups). The plural with the ending for the comes in chapter 8.
How to guess
| If the noun is | The plural is usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an en-word that ends in a | -or | en kaka, två kakor |
| an ett-word that ends in a vowel | -n | ett kvitto, två kvitton |
| an ett-word that ends in a consonant | no ending | ett kort, två kort |
| an en-word with -are | no ending | en lärare, två lärare |
| another en-word | often -ar or -er, sometimes -r | en smörgås, två smörgåsar, en tomat, två tomater, en sko, två skor |
For the last group there is no sure rule, so learn the plural together with the word. The vocabulary page gives the plural of every noun you can count.
Do not choose the ending from the last letter alone. Both sko and äpple end in a vowel, but en sko becomes skor and ett äpple becomes äpplen. The noun’s gender and its own pattern both matter.
Plurals that change more
| One | Two or more | English |
|---|---|---|
| en man | två män | men |
| en bok | två böcker | books |
| en bror | två bröder | brothers |
| en son | två söner | sons |
| en natt | två nätter | nights |
| en dotter | två döttrar | daughters |
| en nyckel | två nycklar | keys |
| ett kilo | två kilo | kilos |
Man, bok, bror, son, natt and dotter change a vowel. Dotter, syster, nyckel and cykel lose an e before the ending, as in döttrar, systrar, nycklar and cyklar. Kilo stays the same after a number.
You already know three nouns that keep their form, barn, år and rum, as in två barn and nio år. They follow the pattern with no ending.
After a number
After en or ett the noun has the form for one. After two or more it has the plural form.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag köper tre tomater. | I buy three tomatoes. |
| Greta köper två flaskor mjölk. | Greta buys two bottles of milk. |
| Ett kilo äpplen kostar trettio kronor. | A kilo of apples costs 30 kronor. |
| Tariq har två bröder. | Tariq has two brothers. |
Swedish needs no word for of in två flaskor mjölk and ett kilo äpplen.
Mina and dina
Before a plural noun, min becomes mina and din becomes dina. Hans, hennes and hens stay the same.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| mina nycklar | my keys |
| dina böcker | your books |
| hans skor | his shoes |
Common mistakes
| Not like this | Like this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| två kopp | två koppar | After a number above one, use the plural. |
| tre äpplar | tre äpplen | Äpple is an ett-word that ends in a vowel, so it takes -n. |
| två glaser | två glas | Glas is an ett-word that ends in a consonant, so it takes no ending. |
| två bokar | två böcker | Bok has its own plural with ö. |
| två mäner | två män | Man has its own short plural. |
| två skoer | två skor | Sko adds only -r, keeping the o. |