We’ve talked about adjectives quite a bit here. How to use them with en words, how to use them with ett words, how to use them with plural words. You can check out some of those posts here:

• Swedish adjective and noun
• Adjectives and specificness in Swedish
• Adjectives and specificness in Swedish, Part 2
• 30 Common Swedish Adjectives

So, a quick recap of the main rule about declinable adjectives using the word stor (big):

If it is an en word, you don’t change the adjective:
En stor man. A big man. See? No change

If it is an ett word, you add a –t:
Ett stort lejon. A big lion. Stor + t = stort.

If it a plural word, you add an –a.:
Två stora män. Two big men. Plural en word? Stor + a = stora.
Två stora lejon. Two big lions. Plural ett word? Stor + a = stora.

Of course, there are also adjectives that you can’t decline at all. Which means you’re not going to be adding a –t or an –a. But how do you know which adjectives can be declined and which can’t?

It’s actually surprisingly simple. If the adjective ends with an –a, –e, or –s, chances are you’re not going to decline the word. Then there are words like kul or fel that you also don’t decline. (And don’t forget about exceptions to the –a, –e, or –s rule. The word arbetslös (unemployed), for example, is declined. It is declined because even though it ends in –s, there’s an –ö before it.) We’re going to ignore the exceptions for right now to make things just a bit easier.

With our new rules in mind, that adjectives are (generally) not declined if they end in –a, –e, or –s, let’s take a look at some examples. I’ve listed four words for each rule, but there are plenty more to choose from.

-A
Annorlunda (Different)

• En annorlunda kvinna.
• Ett annorlunda barn.
• Två annorlunda bebisar.

Bra (Good)
Udda (Odd)
Äkta (Authentic)

-E:
Leende (Smiling)

• En leende man.
• Ett leende barn.
• Två leende bebisar.

Ordinarie (Regular)
Spännande (Exciting)
Öde (Desert/Desolate)

-S:
Gratis

• En gratis bok.
• Ett gratis SMS.
• Två gratis böcker.

Gammaldags (Old-Fashioned)
Inrikes (Domestic)
Utrikes (Foreign)

Good luck!