En or ett?
Every noun is an en word or an ett word. Learn each noun with its little word.
en and ett both mean “a” or “an”.
About three nouns in four are en words. There is no reliable rule for which group a noun is in.
If you must guess, guess en. A few patterns help. Words for people are usually en words: en mamma, en lärare. Words ending in -ning or -het are almost always en words: en tidning (a newspaper). Words ending in -um are often ett words: ett museum.
You’ll see why this matters later. In Swedish, the article changes when you say “the”. En kopp (a cup) becomes koppen (the cup), while ett glas (a glass) becomes glaset (the glass). The ending of the noun changes depending on whether it’s an en or ett word. That’s why it pays to learn the gender of each noun from the beginning.
| Swedish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| en kopp | a cup | |
| ett glas | a glass | |
| en kanelbulle | a cinnamon bun | |
| ett bord | a table | |
| en stol | a chair |