👨‍👩‍👧 People & Family

En eller ett?

en patient

en-word

Patient (meaning "patient") is a common-gender noun in Swedish - it takes the article en. Definite singular: patienten. Indefinite plural: patienter. Definite plural: patienterna.

Indefinite en patient
Definite patienten
Plural patienter
Plural def. patienterna

Example sentences

1

Läkaren undersöker en patient.

indefinite singular

2

Läkaren undersöker patienten.

definite singular

3

Sjukhus har patienter.

plural

Why is patient 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 patient en or ett in Swedish?
Patient (meaning "patient") is an en-word in Swedish. Indefinite: en patient. Definite: patienten. Plural: patienter. Definite plural: patienterna.
What is the definite form of patient?
The definite singular of patient is patienten. En-words take the suffix ‑en in the definite singular. The definite plural is patienterna.
What is the plural of patient in Swedish?
The indefinite plural of patient is patienter. The definite plural is patienterna.
Why is patient an en-word?
Animals and people are almost always en-words. Patient follows this pattern.