Plurals
Learn the Swedish plural endings, how plural forms can change the stem vowel, and why Swedish plurals are best learned together with the noun.
Plural endings
Swedish plurals are formed in several different ways. Unlike English, Swedish does not have one main plural ending like -s.
Traditionally, they are organized into several declensions or plural groups. The classic system includes endings like -or, -ar, -er, -r, zero plural, and -n. Modern loanwords can also have -s plurals.
en flicka → flickor
en bil → bilar
en röst → röster
en sko → skor
ett äpple → äpplen
ett hus → hus
Some nouns also change their vowel in the plural.
en man → män
en bok → böcker
Because Swedish has several plural patterns, it is best to learn the plural form together with the noun just like the gender of the noun.
A useful "hack" is that the -or, -ar, and -r groups are used with en words. The -n group is mostly ett words ending in a vowel, and zero plural is very common with ett words as well, ending in a consonant.
The -er group is mixed, so it is harder to predict from gender alone.
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The full grammar article explains the main Swedish plural patterns, including endings, stem changes, irregular forms, and the most common learner mistakes.