# Swedish: Adjective "svensk" vs "svenska"



## Lili Marlen

In the dictionary, the adjective for "Swedish" is listed as "svensk." However, I would like to know the conjugation rules for the adjective. I've noticed these 3 different cases, for example:

svensk vodka (Swedish vodka)
svenska flicka (Swedish girl)
svenska ord (Swedish words)

Why are they used differently?


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## Ellen89

Hi! You say "svensk" for singular "svensk pojke" (=swedish boy)
and you say "svenska" when its plural, for example "svenska flickor" (=swedish girls) or "svenska pojkar" (=swedish boys).

You say "svenska flicka" because its femenine! But you can also say "svensk flicka"!

svenska= the swedish language


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## Lili Marlen

Thank you! I understand now... but you're saying that both "svenska flicka" and "svensk flicka" are correct?


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## Ellen89

Yes! I would actually say "svensk flicka"!  Because "svenska flicka" sounds very old, I think only old people are saying like that...
But its correct to say "den svenska flickan" (=the swedish girl) 

And "svensk" can mean both a girl or a boy from sweden! Its very old to say "svenska", its very formal.


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## Lili Marlen

In that case, it's "svenska" whenever an article is used?


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## Ellen89

svensk= swedish girl/ swedish boy


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## jonquiliser

I think there might be a slight misunderstanding here. You _don't_ say "svenska flicka", but "(en) svensk flicka". That's the singular, indefinite utrum. En svensk pojke, same; ett svensk*t* ord (neutrum). *Den* svensk*a* flicka*n*, den svenska pojken, det svenska ord*et*. Svensk*a* ord/flickor/pojkar, plural. 

_Svenska_ as a noun means Swedish (woman, girl) but isn't, as Ellen89 notes, very common to use.

Edit: If saying "Du svensk*a* flicka!" you would say "svenska flicka" (but also Du svenska/svenske pojke! - though the -e-ending is used less frequently these days). This is not something most people would say very often


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## Södertjej

Maybe Lili needs to be referred to some basic grammar book where the use of the adjectives is explained for bestämd and obestämd form.

Jag ville bara passa på att fråga om det här är rätt (från en deckar jag läser just nu):

... dokument och stämplar från något *svensk *konsulat i Sydamerika.


Varför inte svenskt konsulat? Skrev man fel bara eller finns det undantag av något slag? Tack!


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## jonquiliser

Södertjej said:


> Jag ville bara passa på att fråga om det här är rätt (från en deckar jag läser just nu):
> 
> ... dokument och stämplar från något *svensk *konsulat i Sydamerika.
> 
> Varför inte svenskt konsulat? Skrev man fel bara eller finns det undantag av något slag? Tack!



Någon har korrekturläst lite slarvigt, bara .


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## Södertjej

Som jag när jag skev deckare  Tusen tack!


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## JeanJean

Swedish is difficult and sometimes there are no rules who can explains why something is said in that particualr way


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## Södertjej

JeanJean said:


> Swedish is difficult and sometimes there are no rules who can explains why something is said in that particualr way


Vad menar du?


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## savolax

Södertjej said:


> Som jag när jag skev deckare  Tusen tack!


 
Förlåt, men nu fattar jag inte, vad menar: att skev en deckare?
weblexikon ger ingen hjälp. 

språkrådets lexikon:

Svenskt uppslagsord  *skev* _skevt skeva_ adj. sned, krokig (bildligt "felaktig, förvrängd") Engelsk översättning *warped; askew; distorted*


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## Södertjej

LOL, jag gjorde det igen.

Jag hade skrivit "en deckar", istället för deckare, nu skrev jag "skev".


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## jonquiliser

Skrev deckare?! 



savolax said:


> Förlåt, men nu fattar jag inte, vad *betyder* : att skev en deckare?
> weblexikon ger ingen hjälp.



Jeanjean, i just det här fallet tror jag det finns klara regler, och det låter helt fel när man bryter mot dem .


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## PoulBA

All Germanic languages distinguish(ed) between strong and weak forms of the adjective. (English gave up the distinction some time in ME times.) In Scandinavian languages all that remains is the gender specific strong form, used with indefinit nouns (en god mand, et godt hus), and weak forms ending in a vowel, used with definite nouns (den gode mand, det gode hus). In the plural, weak and strong have the same form, ending in a vovel ((flere) gode mænd, (flere) gode huse; de gode mænd, de gode huse). One-syllable adjectives - ny, fri, blå, grå - tend to not take +vovel in the singular definite.


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## MattiasNYC

Poul, a lot of the threads you've posted in recently are over a decade old. The original poster hasn't been "seen" in six years.

Just pointing that out just so you're aware that people might not respond.


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