Let\u2019s talk about numbers today.<\/p>\n
I know, I know, another boring topic. But unfortunately, an important topic. And judging from the number of mistakes I hear when it comes to numbers (yes, I\u2019m trying to be clever here), also a necessary one.<\/p>\n
You see, Swedish numbers appear to be deceptively similar to English. So similar, in fact, that some people think they can just follow the English pattern and all will be fine. Well, in reality, it\u2019s not quite that simple \u2013 and I\u2019m talking here about ordinal numbers, of course.<\/p>\n
But since I\u2019ve been asked to explain some of the terms I use on this blog as I go along, let\u2019s cover the basics first. and so on.<\/p>\n And then come ordinal numbers (ordningstal<\/strong>)\u2013 they are those pesky little things that show the order of things, as in:<\/p>\n Seems very basic, isn\u2019t it? But you need to look at them carefully. What\u2019s a more or less regular ordinal number in English, such as 4th, is a goofy irregular-looking \u201cfj\u00e4rde<\/strong>\u201d in Swedish. Now, how did they come up with this one from \u201cfyra<\/strong>\u201d, huh?<\/p>\n It gets even goofier when you reach 6 \u2013 \u201csex<\/strong>\u201d in Swedish (get your mind out of the gutter, OK? This is numbers we\u2019re talking about here)<\/em>. The ordinal version of \u201csex<\/strong>\u201d is \u201csj\u00e4tte<\/strong>\u201d (sixth), NOT sexte.<\/p>\n Now you see that Swedish ordinals are a bit more irregular than their English equivalents \u2013 a fact that many beginning learners tend to forget. Add to that the sometimes difficult pronunciation of sj\u00e4tte<\/strong> and sjunde<\/strong> (though that depends on the region) and you can understand why ordinal numbers can be a bit frustrating. But remember \u2013 the more you use them, the easier they become!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s talk about numbers today. I know, I know, another boring topic. But unfortunately, an important topic. And judging from the number of mistakes I hear when it comes to numbers (yes, I\u2019m trying to be clever here), also a necessary one. You see, Swedish numbers appear to be deceptively similar to English. So similar…<\/p>\n
\nCardinal numbers (grundtal<\/strong>) are used for counting \u2013 they show quantity. In other words, they are your garden variety numbers you most likely learned first:<\/p>\n\n
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