Declining 'own' (egen)

Declining egen (own)

The word egen translates to "own" and changes form based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies:

En-wordsEtt-wordsPlural
egenegetegna

Normally, an adjective after a possessive word (like min, din, or sin) takes a definite form ending in -a. However, egen is an exception.

When following a possessive, egen uses its indefinite forms. As usual after possessives, the noun that follows it also remains in its indefinite form.

En-words

For en-words, use egen:

The entrepreneur wants to run his own firm.
Företagaren vill driva sin egen firma.
She creates her own success.
Hon skapar sin egen framgång.

Ett-words

For ett-words, use eget:

I think that you should start your own company.
Jag tycker att du ska starta ditt eget företag.
The entrepreneur has used his own capital.
Företagaren har använt sitt eget kapital.

Plurals

When describing multiple things, use the plural form egna. Just like with singular nouns, the noun itself remains indefinite (e.g., projekt, not projekten):

They are working with their own projects.
De jobbar med sina egna projekt.

Without Possessives

When used with standard indefinite articles (en or ett) instead of a possessive word, egen behaves exactly like a regular adjective:

The entrepreneur runs his own firm, but the risk is big.
Företagaren driver en egen firma, men risken är stor.
Practice this lesson