Adjectives have three forms in Swedish.
| en form | ett form | plural / definite form |
|---|---|---|
| stor | stort | stora |
| vanlig | vanligt | vanliga |
| mystisk | mystiskt | mystiska |
The noun determines which form of the adjective to use:
en stor bil, ett stort hus, stora pojkar
There are some exceptions to this rule, namely a number of undeclinable adjectives and the adjective liten, which has four different forms instead of three:
| en form | ett form | definite form | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| liten | litet | lilla | små |
en liten katt, ett litet rum, min lilla hund, små blommor
The a form of the adjective is always used with plurals, but also with singulars after possessive pronouns (e.g. min, din) and demonstrative pronouns (e.g. den/det/de här/där):
Jag tar det där lilla ägget, tack.
I’ll have that little egg, please.
Certain adjectives have only one form, i.e. they are always in the same form regardless of the gender and number of the main word:
bra = good
gratis = free
extra = extra
fel = wrong
gammaldags = old fashioned
kul = nice
lagom = suitable, just right
nära = close
äkta = genuine