-bar

-able Adjective Suffix

Level 5

Add -bar to a verb stem to create an adjective meaning '-able' or 'can be done'. Example: läsa (to read) → läsbar (readable).

How It Works

The suffix -bar is a powerful tool in Swedish for creating adjectives from verbs, much like '-able' or '-ible' in English. It signifies possibility or capability.

Formation:
To form a -bar adjective, many common verbs in -a lose that -a before -bar. This is a useful pattern, not a mechanical rule for every verb: compare segla → segelbar and bre/breda → bredbar.

  • använda (to use) → använd + bar → användbar (usable)
  • tvätta (to wash) → tvätt + bar → tvättbar (washable)
  • byta (to exchange) → byt + bar → bytbar (exchangeable)

Usage and Agreement:
Adjectives ending in -bar must follow the standard rules of adjective agreement.

  • en-words: `en läsbar bok` (a readable book)
  • ett-words: `ett läsbart dokument` (a readable document)
  • plural: `läsbara texter` (readable texts)

Connection to Passive Voice:
There is a strong connection between -bar adjectives and the s-passive. A sentence like "Boken är läsbar" (The book is readable) carries a very similar meaning to "Boken kan läsas" (The book can be read). The -bar suffix essentially packages the meaning of 'kan + passive verb' into a single adjective.

Nuances:
The productive pattern often has a passive possibility meaning, but learn established meanings individually: hållbar can mean durable, sustainable or tenable. Do not infer a modern derivation merely because a word ends in the letters bar.

You can also form the opposite meaning by adding the prefix o-, for example: ätbar (edible) vs. oätbar (inedible).

Choose An Established Word
The productive meaning is often can be acted on, but it does not ban every formation based on an intransitive verb: segelbar is established. For a bed that is comfortable to sleep in, say Sängen är bekväm att sova i. A newly coined -bar word may be understandable without being the usual word for that situation.

Examples (5)

  1. Den här texten är knappt läsbar.

    This text is barely readable.

    Word by Word: This here text is barely read-able.

  2. Är kranvattnet drickbart i den här staden?

    Is the tap water drinkable in this city?

    Word by Word: Is the-tap-water drink-able in this here city?

    Here, drickbart is used because vatten is an ett-word.

  3. Alla batterier i leksaken är utbytbara.

    All the batteries in the toy are replaceable.

    Word by Word: All batteries in the-toy are out-exchange-able.

    The plural form utbytbara is used to agree with alla batterier (all batteries).

  4. Det är en märkbar skillnad i kvalitet.

    There is a noticeable difference in quality.

    Word by Word: It is a notice-able difference in quality.

  5. Han kom med en ohållbar ursäkt.

    He came with an untenable excuse.

    Word by Word: He came with an un-hold-able excuse.

    This example shows how the prefix o- can be added to a -bar adjective to create its opposite meaning (hållbar means sustainable/tenable).

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to add -t for ett-words or -a for plural nouns.

    Det är ett läsbar dokument.
    Det är ett läsbart dokument.

    Adjectives ending in -bar must follow the standard rules of adjective agreement. Since 'dokument' is an ett-word, the adjective must end in -t.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-barLevel 5-able Adjective Suffix

Learn This First

To understand the -bar suffix, you need to know how to identify the stem of a verb, as this suffix is attached to the stem to create an adjective meaning 'able to be [verb]ed'. Additionally, since the resulting word is an adjective, you must be familiar with how Swedish adjectives change their endings to agree with the nouns they describe.