Adjective agreement

Level 1

Adjectives have different endings depending on the noun. For example: en stor bil (a big car), ett stort hus (a big house), stora bilar (big cars).

How It Works

Adjective agreement is a fundamental concept in Swedish. When an adjective describes a noun with an indefinite article (en/ett) or no article (in plural), use the form appropriate to the noun phrase; some adjectives have identical forms in several positions. The rules depend on the noun's gender and number.

1. Singular 'en' nouns:

  • Use the adjective's base form (the form you find in a dictionary).
  • Example: en stor hund (a big dog)

2. Singular 'ett' nouns:

  • For regular adjectives, add -t to the base form, with spelling changes where needed.
  • Example: ett stort hus (a big house)
  • Note: ny → nytt and glad → glatt are useful patterns, but vowel endings do not all take -tt: bra, lila, and rosa remain unchanged. Other consonant patterns include mild → milt and lätt → lätt.

3. Plural nouns (both 'en' and 'ett'):

  • For regular adjectives, use the -a form with plural nouns of either gender. Some forms involve a stem change or stay unchanged.
  • Example: två stora hundar (two big dogs)
  • Example: flera stora hus (several big houses)

This pattern is essential for making your sentences sound correct and natural.

Frequent Exceptions And Extensions
En bra bok, ett bra hus, and bra böcker all use unchanged bra. Compare irregular en liten bok, ett litet hus, and små böcker; gammal has plural gamla.

Agreement also appears after a verb: Bilen är röd, Huset är rött, Bilarna är röda. Before a definite noun, the usual pattern is different: den röda bilen, det röda huset, de röda bilarna. Possessors likewise usually take a weak adjective form: min röda bil. This beginner article covers the common patterns rather than all agreement constructions.

Examples (6)

  1. Jag har en röd bil.

    I have a red car.

    Word by Word: I have a red car.

  2. Han bor i ett rött hus.

    He lives in a red house.

    Word by Word: He lives in a red house.

    Since 'hus' is an 'ett' word, the adjective 'röd' becomes 'rött'.

  3. De har två röda bilar.

    They have two red cars.

    Word by Word: They have two red cars.

    Since 'bilar' is plural, the adjective 'röd' becomes 'röda'.

  4. Det är en glad hund.

    It is a happy dog.

    Word by Word: It is a happy dog.

  5. Hon har ett glatt barn.

    She has a happy child.

    Word by Word: She has a happy child.

    'Barn' is an 'ett' word, so 'glad' changes to 'glatt'.

  6. Vi ser glada människor.

    We see happy people.

    Word by Word: We see happy people.

    'Människor' is plural, so 'glad' becomes 'glada'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to add '-t' for 'ett' nouns.

    Jag vill ha ett stor glas vatten.
    Jag vill ha ett stort glas vatten.

    'Ett glas' is a singular 'ett' noun, so the adjective 'stor' must take the '-t' ending, becoming 'stort'.

  • Using the singular form for plural nouns.

    Hon köper ny skor.
    Hon köper nya skor.

    'Skor' (shoes) is plural, so the adjective 'ny' must take the plural '-a' ending, becoming 'nya'.

  • Incorrectly using the base adjective form with 'ett' nouns.

    Det är ett fin väder idag.
    Det är ett fint väder idag.

    'Väder' is an 'ett' word, so the adjective 'fin' must take the -t ending to become 'fint'.

How It Connects

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Adjective agreementLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn adjective agreement, you first need to understand that Swedish nouns are divided into two genders (en and ett) and how to identify if a noun is singular or plural, as these factors directly determine the adjective's ending.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 19 more in the full list.