Dörren stängs klockan nio.

The door is closed at nine o'clock.

Breakdown of Dörren stängs klockan nio.

• dörren: the door
• nio: nine
• klockan: the clock
• stängas: to be closed

Questions & Answers about Dörren stängs klockan nio.

What does stängs mean here?

It’s the present passive of stänga (to close). Dörren stängs means “the door is closed/gets closed” (the closing happens to the door, without saying who does it). In English you might translate it as “the door closes” or “the door is closed,” depending on context.

Why is the present tense used for something that happens at nine?

Swedish often uses the present to talk about scheduled or regular future events. Dörren stängs klockan nio is like saying “the door closes at nine (as a rule/schedule).” You could also say Dörren ska stängas klockan nio or Dörren kommer att stängas klockan nio, but the simple present is the most natural for timetables and routines.

What’s the difference between stängs and stänger?

• stängs = passive: “is (being) closed / gets closed.” Focus on the door as the thing affected. Very natural for doors, gates, etc.: Dörren stängs klockan nio.
• stänger = active: “closes” or “is closing.” Needs an agent or a subject that actively closes. Common with businesses: Butiken stänger klockan nio. With a door, Dörren stänger is unusual except in certain contexts (e.g., automatic doors being described as acting on their own); Dörren stängs is preferred.

Could I say Dörren är stängd klockan nio instead?

Yes, but it describes a state, not the event. Dörren är stängd klockan nio = “at nine, the door is in a closed state.” Dörren stängs klockan nio highlights the closing event/time. Use the state version if you care about the condition at nine; use the passive if you’re telling when the closing happens.

Why is it klockan nio and not just nio?

When giving clock time in Swedish, you use klockan + time: klockan nio, klockan 21, etc. It literally means “the clock (is) nine,” but functions like “at nine o’clock.” The definite form klockan is required in this time expression. You’ll also see the abbreviation kl.: Kl. 21 stängs dörren.

How do I say 9 p.m. vs 9 a.m.?

• Spoken: add a part of the day: klockan nio på kvällen (9 p.m.), klockan nio på morgonen (9 a.m.).
• Written schedules often use 24‑hour time: klockan 21.00 for 9 p.m., klockan 09.00 for 9 a.m. Both 21.00 and 21:00 are used in Sweden.

Can I put the time first, like in English?

Yes: Klockan nio stängs dörren. Swedish has the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in second position. So if you front the time (Klockan nio), the verb (stängs) comes next, and the subject (dörren) follows.

How do I negate the sentence?

Place inte after the finite verb:

• Dörren stängs inte klockan nio. If you front the time:
• Klockan nio stängs inte dörren.

How do I say who closes the door?

Add an agent with av in the passive: Dörren stängs av vakten klockan nio.
Or use the active voice: Vakten stänger dörren klockan nio.

What are the main forms of stänga?

• Active: infinitive stänga, present stänger, past stängde, supine stängt.
• Passive (s‑passive): infinitive stängas, present stängs, past stängdes, supine stängts.
  Participles: stängd (closed), stängda (plural/definite), stängt (neuter).

Why is it Dörren and not dörr?

Dörren is the definite form: “the door.” Swedish marks definiteness by a suffix:

• Indefinite singular: en dörr (a door)
• Definite singular: dörren (the door)
• Indefinite plural: dörrar
• Definite plural: dörrarna
  If you mean “the doors,” say Dörrarna stängs klockan nio.

How is the sentence pronounced?

Approximate pronunciations:

• Dörren: /ˈdœrːɛn/ (ö like the vowel in English “bird” but rounded; double r lengthens the consonant)
• stängs: /stɛŋs/ (ä like “bed”; ngs is /ŋs/, the g is not separately pronounced)
• klockan: /ˈklɔkan/ (short open o)
• nio: /ˈniːo/ (long i)
  Put it together roughly as: /ˈdœrːɛn stɛŋs ˈklɔkan ˈniːo/.

Is stänges also possible?

Yes, stänges is a more formal/old‑fashioned variant of the present passive, sometimes seen on signs or in legal/official texts: Dörren stänges klockan nio. In everyday speech and writing, stängs is standard.

Can I say “around nine”?

Use vid for “around/at about”: Dörren stängs vid nio.
Do not use om nio here; om nio means “in nine (hours/days).”

How would I ask “When does the door close?”

• Passive: När stängs dörren? (most natural for doors)
• Active with agent: När stänger de dörren? (when do they close the door?)
  Avoid När stänger dörren? unless you really mean the door itself is the agent (which is unusual).