Vilken vs. Vilket Posted by Marcus Cederström on Oct 5, 2010 in Grammar, Swedish Language
We all know our en and ett words by now right?
| ett hus | en bil |
| ett äpple | en familj |
| ett bord | en flodhäst |
| ett skrivbord | en penna |
| ett näbbdjur | en telefon |
There’s no real rule to knowing the en and ett words (except that there are many more en words than ett words so when in doubt…), but as you continue to learn Swedish, they become more and more important.
For example, if we want to turn those words into the definite, we need to know if they are en or ett words.
Ett hus in definite form becomes huset, and so:
| ett djur | djuret |
| ett bord | bordet |
| ett äpple | äpplet |
| ett näbbdjur | näbbdjuret |
For en words, we do something similar:
| en bil | bilen |
| en familj | familjen |
| en flodhäst | flodhästen |
| en penna | pennan |
| en telefon | telefonen |
But what if we want to ask a question about those items? Which car is yours? Or maybe: which animal is your favorite? Then we need to use vilken or vilket.
As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, vilken corresponds with the en words, vilket with the ett words, so:
Vilken bil är din?
or
Vilket är ditt favorit djur?
Now it’s your turn, good luck!
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About the Author: Marcus Cederström
Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.
Comments:
Minty:
There is a rule set I learnt in SFI that really helped – it tells you how to change common words into plural form, or decisive or indecisive forms (bestämd/ obestämd) based on whether they are an en or ett word and what letter they finish in.
It could be very helpful to do as a future blog.
Madrid:
This blog is great. I think I will use it the rest of my life! haha
Greetings from Spain
Marcus Cederström:
great suggestions, Ill see what I can do in the next week or so!
and glad to hear youre enjoying the blog!