The "-ting" Pronouns
When organizing a chaotic lost and found box, you will likely use the indefinite pronouns allting (everything), någonting (something/anything), and ingenting (nothing).
These words are exclusively nominal. They function strictly as standalone pronouns acting as a subject or object. You cannot place a "-ting" word directly before a noun to modify it.
| Everything in the lost property is lying topsy-turvy. | Allting i hittegodset ligger huller om buller. |
| Everything is topsy-turvy, and we find nothing. | Allting är huller om buller, och vi hittar ingenting. |
Dual-Purpose Short Forms
Swedish also has shorter equivalents: allt, något, and inget.
These short forms are dual-purpose. They can stand alone like their "-ting" counterparts, or they can be placed directly before an ett-word noun to act as a determiner ("all", "some/any", or "no").
Notice how the short forms below pair directly with an ett-word noun, while the "-ting" forms stand completely on their own:
| All lost property is ownerless, but everything has a value. | Allt hittegods är ägarlöst, men allting har ett värde. |
| Did you find any valuable object in the bottomless box, or just something random? | Hittade du något värdeföremål i den bottenlösa lådan, eller bara någonting slumpmässigt? |
| Yesterday the box was empty. We had nothing, absolutely no valuable object. | Igår var lådan tom. Vi hade ingenting, absolut inget värdeföremål. |
In short: to modify an ett-word noun directly (like inget värdeföremål), you must use the short form. If the word stands alone, you can freely choose either the short form or the "-ting" form.