Indefinite Articles
Learn how Swedish indefinite articles work, when to use en or ett, how adjectives agree with noun gender, and when Swedish leaves the article out completely.
What are indefinite articles?
An indefinite article is used when talking about something non-specific or when mentioning something for the first time.
In Swedish, the indefinite articles are en and ett and correspond to the English articles a and an.
Remember that even though English also has two indefinite articles, completely different rules decide which one to use.
Jag har en bil.I have a car.
Snigeln har ett hus.The snail has a house.
Unlike in English, the article depends on the grammatical gender of the noun, just like in German, Spanish, Italian, or French, to name a few.
Adjectives and pronouns also need to agree with the gender of the noun.
en stor bil (a big car)
ett stort hus (a big house)
When learning a new noun, try to learn its gender together with the word itself. This is not only useful for choosing the correct indefinite article, but also necessary when constructing the definite form.
Historically, the indefinite articles en and ett developed from the Swedish word for one.
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The full grammar article explains how Swedish indefinite articles work with adjectives, professions, nationalities, uncountable nouns, generic statements, and the most common learner mistakes.