Adjectives with infinitives (den är svår att...)

Adjectives Before Infinitives

When saying something is "hard to do" or "easy to understand," pair an adjective with an infinitive verb (using att). In Swedish, the adjective must always agree with the subject of the sentence, even though it sits right next to the infinitive verb.

For a singular en-word subject like runan (the rune), the adjective svår (hard) stays in its base form:

If the subject is plural, the adjective takes the plural ending -a (svåra). This applies regardless of the infinitive following it:

Ett-words

A singular ett-word subject requires the adjective to take its ett-form (usually adding -t). Adjectives that already end in -tt, like lätt (easy), stay the same:

When the ett-word subject is plural, the adjective takes the standard plural -a ending:

Putting It Together

This agreement rule applies no matter what adjective or verb you use, and even in questions. Just find the subject—whether it's an en-word, an ett-word, or plural—and bend the adjective to match it!