{"id":34,"date":"2008-07-26T11:44:32","date_gmt":"2008-07-26T15:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=34"},"modified":"2008-07-26T11:44:32","modified_gmt":"2008-07-26T15:44:32","slug":"plural-ett-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/plural-ett-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Plural Ett Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a foreign neighbor who reads this blog (hi neighbor!<\/em>), and I think it\u2019s very convenient that she does. She\u2019s right under my nose, she\u2019s learning Swedish, speaks passable English and is not afraid to ask questions. So I wasn\u2019t surprised when she spied me out while I was taking my cats out for a walk (yes, you can put your cat in a special harness with a leash and take it for a stroll outside, it\u2019s quite common in Sweden) and came over to ask questions. And since she\u2019s allergic to cats, I knew this had to be serious.<\/p>\n

Our conversation went more or less like this:
\nNeighbor: \u201cYou wrote that \u201cbl\u00e5b\u00e4r<\/strong>\u201d is an \u201cett<\/strong>\u201d word, so then where does \u201cbl\u00e5b\u00e4ren<\/strong>\u201d come from? Huh?\u201d<\/em>
\nAnd she looked at me expectantly.
\nAnna: \u201cUhmm\u2026 It\u2019s like with \u201cbarnet<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cbarnen<\/strong>\u201d, one is definite singular and the other \u2013 definite plural.\u201d<\/em>
\nNeighbor: \u201cElucidate, please.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I started to explain that some plural forms, indefinite plural forms that is, look exactly like singular indefinite forms, and that those plural forms can also be made definite by attaching different endings, but she abruptly interrupted me by saying:
\n\u201cOn your blog.\u201d<\/em> And disappeared.<\/p>\n

So here it is. We\u2019ll be talking about grammar today, and all complaints about the topic can be directed to my neighbor.<\/p>\n

I think I should begin by explaining how you can turn a singular noun into a plural noun, but that is such a mind-numbingly boring topic that you\u2019d be snoring five words into it. So instead, why don\u2019t we limit ourselves to \u201cett<\/strong>\u201d words only? For now, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cEtt<\/strong>\u201d words in their plural forms can look somewhat confusing to people who are learning Swedish, but in reality the rules are very simple.<\/p>\n

1. \u201cEtt<\/strong>\u201d words that end in a vowel in their singular form, take the ending \u201cn<\/strong>\u201d in the plural (indefinite), like this:<\/p>\n