Group 1: The -or Ending
Swedish groups its nouns into different patterns for forming plurals. Almost all en-words that end in -a belong to Group 1.
To make a Group 1 noun plural, drop the final -a and replace it with -or.
| Indefinite singular | Indefinite plural |
|---|---|
| en blomma (a flower) | blommor (flowers) |
| en klocka (a clock) | klockor (clocks) |
You will often see plurals paired with words like många (many) and flera (several):
| We are buying many flowers today. | Vi köper många blommor idag. |
| We have several clocks at home. | Vi har flera klockor hemma. |
Group 2: The -ar Ending
Another very common plural ending for en-words is -ar. Many en-words that end in a consonant belong to this group.
If the noun already ends in an unstressed -e (like en kudde, a pillow), drop the -e before adding -ar (kuddar). Words ending in -el drop their final e (en spegel becomes speglar).
| Indefinite singular | Indefinite plural |
|---|---|
| en båt (a boat) | båtar (boats) |
| en kudde (a pillow) | kuddar (pillows) |
| en spegel (a mirror) | speglar (mirrors) |
Here are some examples of Group 2 plurals:
| We often wash many pillows. | Vi tvättar ofta många kuddar. |
| Who is buying several boats? | Vem köper flera båtar? |
| The house has many mirrors. | Huset har många speglar. |
Putting It Together
Many sentences will mix and match words from these different noun groups.
| We must wash several rugs and pillows. | Vi måste tvätta flera mattor och kuddar. |
| Many girls and boys often play outside. | Många flickor och pojkar leker ofta ute. |
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