👨‍👩‍👧 People & Family

En eller ett?

en kvinna

en-word

Kvinna (meaning "woman") is a common-gender noun in Swedish - it takes the article en. Definite singular: kvinnan. Indefinite plural: kvinnor. Definite plural: kvinnorna.

Indefinite en kvinna
Definite kvinnan
Plural kvinnor
Plural def. kvinnorna

Example sentences

1

en kvinna läser boken.

indefinite singular

2

Hon letade efter kvinnan.

definite singular

3

Kvinnor läser boken.

plural

Why is kvinna 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

Artikulera icon

Practice kvinna in Artikulera

Train en/ett with spaced repetition, 30 rules of thumb, and 4,500+ nouns. Free to download.

Free · iPhone & iPad · iOS 17.6+

Frequently asked questions

Is kvinna en or ett in Swedish?
Kvinna (meaning "woman") is an en-word in Swedish. Indefinite: en kvinna. Definite: kvinnan. Plural: kvinnor. Definite plural: kvinnorna.
What is the definite form of kvinna?
The definite singular of kvinna is kvinnan. En-words take the suffix ‑en in the definite singular. The definite plural is kvinnorna.
What is the plural of kvinna in Swedish?
The indefinite plural of kvinna is kvinnor. The definite plural is kvinnorna.
Why is kvinna an en-word?
Nouns with an unstressed -a ending are almost always en-words. Kvinna follows this pattern.