Whether you want to talk about the time, prices, quantities, weights, or dates in the Swedish language, you can’t get by using Swedish numbers. As you learn Swedish words and build your vocabulary, you’ll quickly notice that quite a few conversations require the use of numbers in Swedish.
Without numbers, how are you going to go shopping in Sweden or give away your phone number to your new Swedish friends? Yes, as you can see, numbers truly are vital building blocks in languages. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to count to a trillion in Swedish.
Swedish Numbers 1–10
We’ll start at the beginning, learning to count from one to ten. Even Swedish beginners will probably learn to count to ten in one of their first lessons. Memorizing these numbers won’t be too difficult for English speakers, as there is a resemblance between English numbers and Swedish numbers.
One thing to note is, however, the number one in Swedish. You might already have learned that there are two words for one in Swedish:
- en: used for common gender nouns, for example, “en katt” (one cat) or “en man” (one man)
- ett: used for neuter gender nouns, for example, “ett hus” (one house) or “ett äpple” (one apple)
What if you just want to say number one without a noun afterwards? Well, it’s not a written rule, but when Swedes count, they usually use “ett” rather than “en”. However, as you might need to use both gender versions of the word, we’ll list them both in the lists in this article.
Let’s get started:
Numbers |
Swedish Numbers |
1 |
en/ett |
2 |
två |
3 |
tre |
4 |
fyra |
5 |
fem |
6 |
sex |
7 |
sju |
8 |
åtta |
9 |
nio |
10 |
tio |
Swedish Numbers 11–19
As is true in English, Swedish numbers get pretty easy to form after twenty, whereas eleven to nineteen are more irregular and need to be memorized.
However, there is still a pretty close resemblance between the Swedish and the English numbers 11–19. Just as the English thirteen to nineteen end with “teen”, the Swedish equivalents end with “ton”:
Numbers |
Swedish Numbers |
11 |
elva |
12 |
tolv |
13 |
tretton |
14 |
fjorton |
15 |
femton |
16 |
sexton |
17 |
sjutton |
18 |
arton |
19 |
nitton |
Swedish Numbers 20–99
The next step is to learn how to say twenty to ninety. After that, learning how to count to 99 is pretty easy. All you need is to add the number 1–9 to the base number 20–90.
As an example, if you want to form forty-two, all you need to do is say “fyrtio” (forty) and add “två” (two): “fyrtiotvå”.
Let’s see how to count from 20 to 99. My suggestion would be to start by memorizing twenty, thirty, forty and so on, before going on to see how to create numbers such as twenty-eight, etc:
20: tjugo |
30: trettio |
40: fyrtio |
50: femtio |
21: tjugoen/tjugoett |
31: trettioen/trettioett |
41: fyrtioen/fyrtioett |
51: femtioen/femtioett |
22: tjugotvå |
32: trettiotvå |
42: fyrtiotvå |
52: femtiotvå |
23: tjugotre |
33: trettiotre |
43: fyrtiotre |
53: femtiotre |
24: tjugofyra |
34: trettiofyra |
44: fyrtiofyra |
54: femtiofyra |
25: tjugofem |
35: trettiofem |
45: fyrtiofem |
55: femtiofem |
26: tjugosex |
36: trettiosex |
46: fyrtiosex |
56: femtiosex |
27: tjugosju |
37: trettiosju |
47: fyrtiosju |
57: femtiosju |
28: tjugoåtta |
38: trettioåtta |
48: fyrtioåtta |
58: femtioåtta |
29: tjugonio |
39: trettionio |
49: fyrtionio |
59: femtionio |
60: sextio |
70: sjuttio |
80: åttio |
90: nittio |
61: sextioen/sextioett |
71: sjuttioen/sjuttioett |
81: åttioen/åttioett |
91: nittioen/nittioett |
62: sextiotvå |
72: sjuttiotvå |
82: åttiotvå |
92: nittiotvå |
63: sextiotre |
73: sjuttiotre |
83: åttiotre |
93: nittiotre |
64: sextiofyra |
74: sjuttiofyra |
84: åttiofyra |
94: nittiofyra |
65: sextiofem |
75: sjuttiofem |
85: åttiofem |
95: nittiofem |
66: sextiosex |
76: sjuttiosex |
86: åttiosex |
96: nittiosex |
67: sextiosju |
77: sjuttiosju |
87: åttiosju |
97: nittiosju |
68: sextioåtta |
78: sjuttioåtta |
88: åttioåtta |
98: nittioåtta |
69: sextionio |
79: sjuttionio |
89: åttionio |
99: nittionio |
Swedish Numbers 100–999
Now, all you need to be able to count to 999 is the Swedish word for hundred: “hundra”. To build a number between 100–999, all you need to do is add numbers before “hundra”.
For example, to say 457, you simply say “fyra” (four), and add “hundra” (hundred), “femtio” (fifty) and “sju” (seven): “fyrahundrafemtiosju”.
Numbers |
Swedish Numbers |
100 |
etthundra |
200 |
tvåhundra |
300 |
trehundra |
400 |
fyrahundra |
500 |
femhundra |
600 |
sexhundra |
700 |
sjuhundra |
800 |
åttahundra |
900 |
niohundra |
Let’s look at some examples of how to build numbers between 100–999:
- 128: etthundratjugoåtta
- 395: trehundranittiofem
- 674: sexhundrasjuttiofyra
Swedish Numbers 1000 and beyond
Larger numbers might seem daunting at first, but you can create them by simply following the same logic we’ve been used up until now.
When memorizing some of the larger numbers, however, you’ll come across an annoying discrepancy. So far, Swedish numbers have looked pretty similar to their English equivalents:
- thirteen: tretton
- sixty: sextio
- hundred: hundra
And this resemblance continues for “tusen” (thousand) and “miljon” (million). It’s when we come to a billion that the confusion starts:
- billion: miljard
- trillion: biljon
Hold your horses, don’t be quick to blame the Swedes for this confusion. This system is used by a large part of Europe and was also used by the UK before they adjusted and followed the system used in the US. It’s an unfortunate discrepancy, but fortunately, you likely won’t use such large numbers in your day-to-day life too often.
Now that the elephant in the room has been addressed, let’s take a look at the building blocks for these larger numbers:
Numbers |
English numbers |
Swedish Numbers |
1000 |
one thousand |
ettusen |
10 000 |
ten thousand |
tiotusen |
100 000 |
hundred thousand |
hundratusen |
1 000 000 |
one million |
en miljon |
10 000 000 |
ten million |
tio miljoner |
100 000 000 |
hundred million |
hundra miljoner |
1 000 000 000 |
one billion |
en miljard |
1 000 000 000 000 |
one trillion |
en biljon |
When it comes to Swedish reading and writing, you’ll also want to note that Swedes generally use spaces as separators for thousands. Where English speakers would write 1,000,000, Swedes would write 1 000 000.
Now, let’s put together everything we’ve learnt so far and practice! Here are some examples of large numbers:
- 5832: femtusen åttahundratrettiotvå
- 9 986 000: nio miljoner niohundraåttiosextusen
- 400 617 900: fyrahundra miljoner sexhundrasjutton tusen niohundra
- 2 000 000 000: två miljarder
Zero, minus and decimals in Swedish
But wait, there is one number we haven’t mentioned yet. It is the number representing an empty quantity—zero. Let’s look at how to say zero in Swedish, along with how to write and say an additional few useful numbers, including numbers in minus and decimals:
- −1: minus ett
- −10: minus tio
- 0: noll
- 1,5: noll komma fem
- 100,50: hundra komma femtio
As you can see, the Swedish decimal uses a comma (“komma” in Swedish) rather than a period. Where English speakers would write 1.5 meters, Swedes would write “1,5 meter”.
Ordinal Numbers in Swedish
Up until now, we’ve learnt cardinal numbers in Swedish. Apart from these, however, ordinal numbers are also incredibly useful to know. While cardinal numbers show quantity, ordinal numbers show an order or position.
So, without further ado, let’s look at the ordinal numbers of 1–20:
Cardinal numbers |
Swedish ordinal numbers |
English ordinal numbers |
en/ett |
första |
first |
två |
andra |
second |
tre |
tredje |
third |
fyra |
fjärde |
fourth |
fem |
femte |
fifth |
sex |
sjätte |
sixth |
sju |
sjunde |
seventh |
åtta |
åttonde |
eighth |
nio |
nionde |
ninth |
tio |
tionde |
tenth |
elva |
elfte |
eleventh |
tolv |
tolfte |
twelfth |
tretton |
trettonde |
thirteenth |
fjorton |
fjortonde |
fourteenth |
femton |
femtonde |
fifteenth |
sexton |
sextonde |
sixteenth |
sjutton |
sjuttonde |
seventeenth |
arton |
artonde |
eighteenth |
nitton |
nittonde |
nineteenth |
tjugo |
tjugonde |
twentieth |
An ordinal number Swedish learners often stumble on is “sjätte” (sixth). The forming of it is a bit irregular, as one would expect it to be “sexte”. Alas, Swedish decided not to be that easy in this case. However, it is easily learned once you’re aware of this tricky ordinal.
Examples of larger ordinal numbers:
- thirtieth: trettionde
- fifty-first: femtioförsta
- seventy-eighth: sjuttioåttonde
- hundredth: hundrade
A few examples of how ordinal numbers can be used:
- I live on the third floor: Jag bor på tredje våningen.
- She will compete on the twenty-sixth of May: Hon kommer att tävla den tjugosjätte maj.
- This is the second time I run a marathon: Det här är den andra gången jag springer ett maraton.
Keep Practicing Swedish Numbers
Learning the numbers in Swedish is relatively straightforward. With practice, you’ll be counting to a trillion in no time. The only reason you’ll be afraid to ask the price in Sweden will be… well, the price.
The best way to practice is by seeing and using Swedish numbers and words in context. One great way to learn is by using Swedish resources such as Clozemaster, which allow you to fill in the gaps in authentic sentences with Swedish numbers and other words.
Clozemaster also has a blog with helpful articles on topics such as:
- 80 Common Swedish Phrases and How to Use Them
- How to Improve Your Swedish Vocabulary – The Definitive Guide
- Fastest Way to Learn Swedish: Tips and Techniques for Quick Learning
You can also keep practicing numbers in Swedish with a video, which also helps you improve your listening skills. Check out the following Swedish YouTube videos for counting:
- Fun Swedish: Swedish numbers – How to count to 10 in Swedish! Ordinal and cardinal numbers in Swedish
- SwedishPod101.com: Learn Swedish – Swedish in Three Minutes – Numbers 1-10 SwedishPod101.com: Learn Swedish – Swedish in Three Minutes – Numbers 11-100
- Svenska för alla: Lär dig räkna från 100 till 1000. Learn how to count in Swedish
Happy counting!
Challenge yourself with Clozemaster
Learning Swedish numbers might seem daunting at first, but don’t worry, it comes naturally with practice.
Test your skills and see what you’ve learned from this article by playing a selection of sentences with Swedish numbers.
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Clozemaster has been designed to help you learn the language in context by filling in the gaps in authentic sentences. With features such as Grammar Challenges, Cloze-Listening, and Cloze-Reading, the app will let you emphasize all the competencies necessary to become fluent in Swedish.
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