Language/Swedish/Grammar/Compound-adjectives

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Swedish Grammar → Swedish Adjectives → Compound adjectives

Compound adjectives are two or more words put together to create a new adjective that describes a single noun. In Swedish, compound adjectives are very common and can be formed using several methods.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: How to Use Be & How to Express Feelings of Joy and Anger.

Formation of compound adjectives

There are three main ways to form compound adjectives in Swedish:

Adjective + Noun

In this case, an adjective is added before the noun to create a compound adjective. The adjective usually takes the form of its base form (nominative) and not its declined form.

Example:

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
starköl	/stɑrkˈøːl/	strong beer
rödvin	/røːdˈviːn/	red wine

Noun + Noun

In this case, two or more nouns are combined to create a new noun, which then functions as the compound adjective. The first noun is usually in the definite form (using the suffix -en, -et, or -na) and the second noun is in the base form.

Example:

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
biljettpris	/bɪlˈjɛtːˌpriːs/	ticket price
vinflaska	/vɪnˈflasːka/	wine bottle

Verb Participle + Noun

In this case, a past participle of a verb (e.g. slut, öppen) is added before the noun to create a compound adjective.

Example:

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
stillasittande	/ˈstɪlːaˌsɪtːandɛ/	sedentary
nyöppnad	/nyːˈœpːnad/	newly opened

Usage of compound adjectives

Compound adjectives, like regular adjectives, need to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

Example:

• En stortradera trädgård är ett bra ställe att ta en promenad. ('A large-scale garden is a good place to take a walk.')

• De gamla böckerna säljs till halva priset. ('The old books are sold at half price.')

Exceptions

Some compound adjectives have become so common that they are considered as single words and are written together without a hyphen.

Example:

• blodsband ('blood bond', meaning close blood relations)
• högskola ('university', literally "high school")
• kaffekopp ('coffee cup')

Summary

Compound adjectives are very common in Swedish and can be formed using different methods. They usually consist of two or more words put together to describe a single noun. When using compound adjectives, it is important to remember that they need to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

Sources

• Swedish grammar - Wikipedia
• 142. Swedish

Table of Contents - Swedish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Swedish

• Greeting people
• Saying goodbye
• Asking for directions
• Going to a restaurant

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Swedish Pronouns

• Personal pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns
• Demonstrative pronouns
• Possessive pronouns

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Colors and Numbers

• Colors
• Numbers 0-20
• Numbers 20-100
• Numbers above 100

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Swedish Culture

• Swedish customs
• Swedish food
• Swedish holidays
• Swedish geography

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Swedish Verbs

• Present tense
• Past tense
• Future tense
• Verbs with prepositions

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Body parts and health

• Body parts
• Symptoms and illnesses
• At the doctor's

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Swedish Nouns

• Gender of nouns
• Definite and indefinite nouns
• Plural nouns

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Travel and directions

• Means of transportation
• Booking a trip
• Giving directions

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Sweden's history

• Vikings and Middle Ages
• Modern Sweden
• Swedish politics and society

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Swedish Adjectives

• Basic adjectives
• Comparison of adjectives
• Compound adjectives

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Jobs and professions

• Types of jobs
• Job applications and interviews
• Workplace Swedish

Other Lessons

• Common Interjections
• How to Use Have
• Future Tense
• How to Use Be
• How to Talk About How Something Smells
• Nouns
• Reflexive pronouns
• How to express disagreement
• Prepositions
• Conditional Tense

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