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En or Ett
Look a noun up, and the shortcuts that cover most cases.
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There is no perfect rule — gender is stored with each word. These shortcuts cover most cases:
| If the word… | Guess | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| is any noun and you have no other clue — about 3 of 4 nouns are en-words | en | en bil, en fråga |
| names a person | enseveral are ett: ett barn, ett syskon, ett vittne, ett offer, ett geni | en lärare, en student |
| is a day, month, or season | en | en måndag, en sommar |
| ends in -a, -ing, -ion, -het, -dom, or -nad | en | en flicka, en tidning, en station, en nyhet |
| ends in -um or -eri | ett | ett museum, ett bageri |
| is a verbal noun in -ande/-ende | ett | ett leende, ett boende |
| is a short, one-syllable thing word — many are ett and just have to be memorized | memorize | ett hus, ett barn, ett år |
Full chapter: En, Ett, and the Definite FormSearch the full dictionary