annan/annat/andra

Other/another

Level 2

Use annan for en-words, annat for ett-words, and andra for plural nouns to mean 'other' or 'another'.

How It Works

The word for 'other' or 'another' in Swedish changes based on the noun it modifies. This is a fundamental concept of adjective agreement.

1. Indefinite Singular Forms
You must know the noun's gender (en or ett) to choose the correct form.

  • For en-words, use annan.
    en annan dag (another day)
    en annan bok (another book)
  • For ett-words, use annat.
    ett annat hus (another house)
    ett annat problem (another problem)

2. Plural Form
For all plural nouns, regardless of gender, use andra.

  • andra dagar (other days)
  • andra hus (other houses)

3. Definite Form ('the other')
When you mean 'the other' (specific), you also use andra, preceded by a definite article.

  • Den andra bilen (The other car)
  • Det andra huset (The other house)
  • De andra bilarna (The other cars)

4. As a Pronoun
Annan/annat/andra can also stand alone as pronouns.

  • Några kom, men andra stannade hemma. (Some came, but others stayed home.)
  • Jag gillar inte den här, jag tar en annan. (I don't like this one, I'll take another.)

In masculine definite singular, andre is also possible: den andre mannen. Definite phrases can use other determiners too, as in mina andra böcker. Andra is also the ordinal second; context distinguishes den andra restaurangen as the other restaurant or the second restaurant.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag vill ha en annan färg.

    I want another color.

    Word by Word: I want have an other color.

    färg is an en-word, so annan is used.

  2. Vi kan försöka ett annat sätt.

    We can try another way.

    Word by Word: We can try an other way.

    sätt is an ett-word, so annat is used.

  3. Har du några andra frågor?

    Do you have any other questions?

    Word by Word: Have you any other questions?

    frågor is plural, so andra is used.

  4. Den andra restaurangen var stängd.

    The other restaurant was closed.

    Word by Word: The other restaurant was closed.

    Here the intended reading is the other restaurant, using definite den andra. The same wording can mean the second restaurant in an ordered sequence.

  5. Några elever läser, andra skriver.

    Some students are reading, others are writing.

    Word by Word: Some students read, others write.

    Here, andra is used as a pronoun to mean 'other people' or 'others'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong form for the noun's gender or number.

    Kan jag få ett annan glas?
    Kan jag få ett annat glas?

    The word must agree with the noun. Since 'glas' is an 'ett' word, you must use 'annat', not 'annan'.

  • Using 'annan' or 'annat' for plural nouns.

    Jag har annat problem.
    Jag har andra problem.

    For plural problems, use andra problem. The singular is ett annat problem. Problem has the same surface form in indefinite singular and plural, so determine number from the intended phrase rather than the noun spelling alone.

How It Connects

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annan/annat/andraLevel 2Other/another

Learn This First

To use 'annan', 'annat', and 'andra' correctly, you need to understand that these words change based on the noun they describe. This requires knowledge of Swedish noun genders (en/ett), how to form plural nouns, and the general principle of adjective agreement.

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annanannatandra