Actions as Nouns
To describe a chaotic kitchen filled with endless noises and activities, you often need to talk about an action as if it were a physical thing. In Swedish, you can turn a verb into a noun to describe a continuous or repetitive action.
To do this, add -ande (or sometimes -ende) to the verb stem. These new words function as uncountable, neuter nouns (ett words).
| Verb | Continuous Noun | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| skramla | ett skramlande | a clattering |
| muttra | ett muttrande | a grumbling |
| fräsa | ett fräsande | a sizzling |
You can use the indefinite form to describe a general, ongoing activity.
| The chaos in the kitchen is an endless clattering with pots. | Kaoset i köket är ett evigt skramlande med kastruller. |
| An intense sizzling started when the grease became hot. | Ett intensivt fräsande började när fettet blev varmt. |
The Definite Form
Because these are neuter nouns, they take the standard suffix -t to form the definite form. For example, ett pipande (a beeping) becomes pipandet (the beeping), and ett letande (a searching) becomes letandet (the searching).
| The beeping from the oven quickly became unbearable. | Pipandet från ugnen blev snabbt outhärdligt. |
| The searching in the steam became the very hardest. | Letandet i ångan blev det allra svåraste. |
Possession and Quantity
Since these continuous actions act exactly like normal nouns, you can attribute them to someone using a possessive -s, or group them with words like allt (all) and detta (this).
| The head chef's grumbling is the very biggest problem. | Köksmästarens muttrande är det allra största problemet. |
| All this running and beeping must stop now! | Allt detta springande och pipande måste sluta nu! |