👨‍👩‍👧 People & Family

En eller ett?

en fru

en-word

Fru (meaning "wife") is a common-gender noun in Swedish - it takes the article en. Definite singular: fruen. Indefinite plural: fruar. Definite plural: fruarna.

Indefinite en fru
Definite fruen
Plural fruar
Plural def. fruarna

Example sentences

1

Hon talar med en fru.

indefinite singular

2

Han älskar fruen.

definite singular

3

Männen älskar sina fruar.

plural

Why is fru an en-word?

Animals and people are almost always en-words

This is one of 30 rules of thumb in Artikulera for predicting Swedish grammatical gender. The rule isn't absolute, but it holds for the vast majority of nouns that match the pattern.

Rare exceptions exist, but this rule correctly predicts the gender of most Swedish nouns that match the pattern.

Same rule - also en-words

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Frequently asked questions

Is fru en or ett in Swedish?
Fru (meaning "wife") is an en-word in Swedish. Indefinite: en fru. Definite: fruen. Plural: fruar. Definite plural: fruarna.
What is the definite form of fru?
The definite singular of fru is fruen. En-words take the suffix ‑en in the definite singular. The definite plural is fruarna.
What is the plural of fru in Swedish?
The indefinite plural of fru is fruar. The definite plural is fruarna.
Why is fru an en-word?
Animals and people are almost always en-words. Fru follows this pattern.