Learn Swedish: Svartsjuka är smärtsamt, men ibland oundvikligt. - Jealousy is painful, but sometimes inevitable.

This is called categorizing neuter agreement. When you talk about an abstract concept or mass noun in a general, philosophical way (like jealousy as a broad concept), Swedish adjectives take the neuter -t form, regardless of the noun's actual gender.

If I were talking about someone's specific jealousy, would the adjectives change?

Yes! If you referred to a specific feeling, like hennes svartsjuka (her jealousy), the adjectives must match the en-word: Hennes svartsjuka är smärtsam och oundviklig. The neuter -t is only used here because the sentence treats jealousy as a general category.

How is the word svartsjuka formed?

It literally translates to black sickness. Svart means black, and sjuka means sickness or disease. It is the standard Swedish word for romantic or envious jealousy.

How does the word oundvikligt break down?

It means unavoidable or inevitable. It is built from the negative prefix o- (un-), the verb att undvika (to avoid), and the adjective suffix -lig (which works like the English suffix -able). Finally, the neuter -t is added to agree with the abstract concept in the sentence.