🫀 Body & Health

En eller ett?

en hälsa

en-word

Hälsa (meaning "health") is a common-gender noun in Swedish - it takes the article en. Definite singular: hälsan. Indefinite plural: hälsa. Definite plural: hälsorna.

Indefinite en hälsa
Definite hälsan
Plural hälsa
Plural def. hälsorna

Example sentences

1

Hon har god hälsa.

indefinite singular

2

Hon sköter hälsan.

definite singular

3

Folk har hälsor.

plural

Why is hälsa an en-word?

Nouns with an unstressed -a ending 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 hälsa en or ett in Swedish?
Hälsa (meaning "health") is an en-word in Swedish. Indefinite: en hälsa. Definite: hälsan. Plural: hälsa. Definite plural: hälsorna.
What is the definite form of hälsa?
The definite singular of hälsa is hälsan. En-words take the suffix ‑en in the definite singular. The definite plural is hälsorna.
What is the plural of hälsa in Swedish?
The indefinite plural of hälsa is hälsa. The definite plural is hälsorna.
Why is hälsa an en-word?
Nouns with an unstressed -a ending are almost always en-words. Hälsa follows this pattern.