Amounts and Containers
When specifying a container and a substance (like "a glass of wine"), Swedish doesn't use a preposition like "of". You simply place the container directly before the substance.
When describing the substance inside that container, the adjective must agree with the substance, completely ignoring the container.
For example, kaffe is an ett-word. Even when it's in en kopp (an en-word) or en kanna, the adjective takes the ett-word ending -t: en kopp kallt kaffe.
| We do not leave a tip at the café because we get a cup of cold coffee. | Vi lämnar inte dricks på kaféet eftersom vi får en kopp kallt kaffe. |
| The waiter is coming with a jug of freshly brewed coffee in ten minutes. | Servitören kommer med en kanna nybryggt kaffe om tio minuter. |
Conversely, juice is an en-word. Even when it's in ett glas (an ett-word), the adjective takes the standard en-word form with no ending: ett glas kall juice.
| I want to order a glass of cold juice and a bottle of alcohol-free wine. | Jag vill beställa ett glas kall juice och en flaska alkoholfritt vin. |
Notice how both phrases in the sentence above follow the rule:
- ett glas (ett) + kall juice (en)
- en flaska (en) + alkoholfritt vin (ett)
At the Pub
This applies everywhere, from the café to the pub (krogen) and the bar (baren). Always look at the gender of the substance!
| The pub is popular because you can buy a glass of alcohol-free cider for twenty kronor. | Krogen är populär eftersom man kan köpa ett glas alkoholfri cider för tjugo kronor. |
| We buy a bottle of red wine at the pub. | Vi köper en flaska rött vin på krogen. |