👨‍👩‍👧 People & Family

En eller ett?

en person

en-word

Person (meaning "person") is a common-gender noun in Swedish - it takes the article en. Definite singular: personen. Indefinite plural: personer. Definite plural: personerna.

Indefinite en person
Definite personen
Plural personer
Plural def. personerna

Example sentences

1

en person väntar vid dörren.

indefinite singular

2

De såg personen.

definite singular

3

Personer väntar vid dörren.

plural

Why is person 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

Artikulera icon

Practice person 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 person en or ett in Swedish?
Person (meaning "person") is an en-word in Swedish. Indefinite: en person. Definite: personen. Plural: personer. Definite plural: personerna.
What is the definite form of person?
The definite singular of person is personen. En-words take the suffix ‑en in the definite singular. The definite plural is personerna.
What is the plural of person in Swedish?
The indefinite plural of person is personer. The definite plural is personerna.
Why is person an en-word?
Animals and people are almost always en-words. Person follows this pattern.