The adjective small (liten, litet, små)

The Irregular Adjective for "Small"

The Swedish word for "small" is highly irregular and completely changes its form in the plural.

FormUsed with
litenen words (singular)
litetett words (singular)
småPlural words

Singular en Words: liten

Use liten with singular en words.

I see a small insect in the window.
Jag ser en liten insekt i fönstret.
The bear is big, but the spider is small.
Björnen är stor, men spindeln är liten.

Singular ett Words: litet

Use litet with singular ett words.

This is a small leaf.
Det här är ett litet löv.
Is the elk a small animal?
Är älgen ett litet djur?

Plural Words: små

The adjective changes completely to små for all plural nouns, regardless of gender.

We can see small animals in the forest.
Vi kan se små djur i skogen.
The horse is big, but the insects are small.
Hästen är stor, men insekterna är små.

When using the definite plural (for example, "the small children"), include the standalone plural article de before the adjective.

The small children are looking at the ant.
De små barnen tittar på myran.