General

Numerals indicate how many referents (cardinal numbers) or which referent in an ordered set of referents (ordinal numbers) we are talking about: five men, threehundred stones, a million people; my second husband, this is the fifth one,

Swedish

3.7.1. Syntactic function

Syntactically and semantically the cardinal numbers function like multitude pronouns. They can be used as predicatives (1) and as attributes, both in definite and indefinite noun phrases (2):

(1) Antalet deltagare var trehundraförtiosex.

number.the participants was threehundred-fortysix

The number of participants was threehundred and forty six.

Compare: Deltagarna var många.

participants.the was many
 
 

(2) a. Jag älskar mina två döttrar.

I love my two daughters

b. Han såg två katter på vägen.

he saw two cats on way.the

Compare: Vill du ha mina många böcker? Det finns många böcker i affären.

want you have my many books there are many books in shop.the

The cardinal numbers indicate the exact amount or number of something. An indefinite noun phrase with a cardinal number as attribute may have specific or non-specific reference:

(3) a. Jag träffade två elektriker idag. (specific reading)

I met two electricians today

b. Vi måste anställa två elektriker. (non-specific reading)

we must employ two electicians

Cardinal numbers can also be used in a nominal function. Example (4a) illustrates that they can function as a possessive attribute, (4b) that they may occur together with a pronoun in a noun phrase without nominal head, and (4c) illustrates that they may be used absolutively:

(4) a. de åttas beslut

the eight's decision

b. vi fem, alla tre, båda två

we five all three both two

c. Fem är ett lyckotal.

five is a lucky-number

Ordinal numbers usually function as a prenominal descriptive attribute in a singular definite noun phrase:

(5) den sjunde vågen, den tredje uppgiften, min andra hustru

the seventh wave the third task my second wife

Compare: det sista barnet, min nästa cykel

the last child.the my next bike

Ordinals can also be used in indefinite noun phrases: ett första försök 'a first try'.
 
 

3.7.2. Morphology

3.7.2.1. Cardinal numbers

The cardinal numbers 0-12, and 20, are specific morphemes:

(6) noll, en, två, tre, fyra, fem, sex, sju, åtta, nio, tio, elva, tolv, tjugo

null one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve twenty

The only cardinal number which is inflected is the word for 'one', which is homophonous with the indefinite article and is inflected for gender in the same way: en common gender, ett neuter gender.

The cardinal numbers for 13 to19 are formed by adding the suffix -ton to the morphemes for 3-9, in some cases with morphological adjustments of the root: tretton 'thirteen', fjorton 'fourteen', femton 'fifteen', sexton 'sixteen', sjutton 'seventeen', arton 'eighteen', nitton 'nineteen'. Note also the word tonåring for 'teenager'.

The cardinal numbers for 20 to 99 are formed in the following way. As mentioned, the word for ‘twenty’ is the morpheme tjugo, whereas the remaining tens are formed by adding -tio to the words for 3 to 9, with some adjustments: trettio 'thirty', förtio 'forty', femtio 'fifty', sextio 'sixty', sjuttio 'seventy', åttio 'eithty' and nittio 'ninety'. The words for 21-29, 31-39 etc. are formed by adding the words for 1-9 directly to the word for the ten, thus tjugotvå 'twentytwo' trettiotre 'thirtythree' fyrtiofyra 'fortyfour'. femtiofem 'fiftyfive', sextiosex 'sixtiosix' etc.

The cardinals for higher numbers are formed by adding the word for the hundred, thousend etc. in front of the rest. Words for hundreds are formed by combining the words for 1-9 with the morpheme hundra 'hundred': etthundrafemtioåtta 'one hundred and fiftyeight', trehundranittiofem 'threehundred and ninetyfive'. Words for thousands are formed by combining the words for 1-999 with the morpheme tusen 'thousand', tretusenåttahundratjugotvå 'threethousand eighthundred and twenty two', sextiofemtusenniohundra 'sixtyfivethousand ninehundred', fyrahundratjugofemtusen niohundratrettiosex 'fourhundredtwentyfivethousand ninehundred and thirtysix', and so on and so forth. Words for millions are formed accordingly; notice that miljon ‘million’ is inflected for number: en miljon ‘one million’, två miljoner ‘two millions’: femton miljoner tvåhundrafemtusen trehundratjugofem ‘fifteen millions twohundredfivethousand threehundred and twentyfive’. Thousand millions (billiard) is called miljard, like miljon it is inflected for plural: tre miljarder ‘three billiards’.

The writing convention for cardinal numbers is to write the whole number as a single word, unless it becomes too long; this convention has been followed in the examples above.

3.7.2.2. Ordinal numbers

The ordinal numbers to 1 and 2 are inflected as adjective in definite form: första, förste (masculine sg) 'first', andra, andre 'second':

(7) den första kvinnan, den första/förste mannen

the first woman the first/first.MASC. man

The ordinal numbers for 3-12 has -e/-te/-de added to the corresponding cardinal numbers, with some morphological adjustments: tredje 'third', fjärde 'forth', femte 'fifth', sjätte 'sixth', sjunde 'seventh', åttonde 'eight', nionde 'nineth', tionde 'tenth, elfte 'eleventh', tolfte 'twelfth'. To get the ordinal numbers for 13-19, -de is added: tretton-de 'thirteenth', femton-de 'fifteenth' etc. The ordinals corresponding to the tens are formed by adding -nde to the cardinal number: tjugo-nde 'twentieth', fyrtio-nde 'fortieth', sextio-nde 'sixtieth' etc. The ordinals for hundred and thousand are formed by adding -de to the cardinal number: hundrade 'hundreth', tusende 'thousanth'. The ordinals for 21-29, 31-39 etc. are composed of the cardinal for the tenth in front of the ordinal: tjugoförsta 'twentyfirst' trettioandra 'thirtysecond' fyrtiotredje 'fortythird'. femtiofjärde 'fiftyforth' etc. Higher ordinals are formed in the same way, i.e. the last segment is the ordinal, preceded by the cardinal number, e.g. femtiofemtusentrehundratjugoförsta 'fiftyfivethousandthreehundred and twentyfirst'. As for cardinals, the spelling convention is to write the whole number as a single word, unless it becomes too long.

3.8. CONJUNCTIONS, SUBJUNCTIONS, and the infinitive marker

General

Conjunctions, i.e. words like and, but, or, are used to link together elements of the similar kind.

(1) a. John is in Lund and Mary is in Stockholm.

b. John and Mary are siblings.

c. John likes apples, but Mary doesn't.

Subjunctions, i.e. words like that, if, are used to indicate that a clause is incorporated in a higher clause:

(2) a. John said that Mary kissed him.

b. If you read the book I will give you an apple.

The infinitive marker, in English to, indicates that an infinitival phrase is incorporated in a clause:

(3) John asked Mary to open the door.

Swedish

3.8.1. Conjunctions

The conjunctions used in Swedish are och 'and', samt 'and (also), together with', eller 'or', men 'but', fast 'though, although', utan 'but', ty 'for, because, för 'for, as’, så 'so'. The conjunction is usually found between the two elements that are conjoined (4a), but sometimes they are put in the beginning of a sentence (4b):

(4) a. Johan och Maria grälade. Johan argumenterade men Maria lyssnade inte.

John and Mary quarrelled John argued but Mary listened not

John and Mary was quarrelling. John argued, but Mayr didn't listen.

b. Och jag som ville se den filmen! Men han kom aldrig.

and I who wanted-to see that film but he came never

Depending on the relation between the two elements conjoined, different conjunctions are used. Five types of relations can be discerned:

3.8.1.1. Copulative conjunctions

Copulative conjunctions are used when there is no difference implied between the two conjoind elements. The Swedish copulative conjunctions are och 'and' and samt 'and'. Samt is only found in formal written Swedish, and is used as a variant of och:

(5) a. Han hade bjudit Eva, Lisa och Anna.

he had invited Eva Lisa and Anna

b. Styrelsen beslutade att instifta ett stipendium, samt att utdela det den 6 juni varje år

board.the decided to institute a scholarship and to distribute it the 6 June every year

The board decided to institute a scholarship and to distribute it June 6^th every year

The coordination may be strengthened by adding både 'both' to the first conjunct:

(6) Han var både sjuk och trött.

he was both sick and tired

3.8.1.2. Disjunctive conjunctions

Disjunctive conjunctions are used to conjoin an alternative; the Swedish disjunctive conjunction is eller 'but':

(7) Har du köpt ett äpple eller ett päron?

have you bought an apple or a pear

The coordination may be strengthened by adding antingen 'either', varken 'neither', or (only in negative sentences) vare sig 'neither'. Notice that when clauses are conjoined with any of these modifiers, the word order is inverted in both conjuncts (8a).

(8) a. Antingen gillar han äpplen eller (så) driver han med oss.

either likes he apples or so pulls he with us

Either he likes apples or he is making fun of us.

b. Han äter antingen kött eller fisk.

he eats either meat or fish

c. Han äter varken kött eller fisk.

he eats neither meat nor fish

d. Han vill inte ha vare sig kött eller fisk.

he want not have neither meat nor fish
 
 

3.8.1.3. Adversative conjunctions

Adversative conjunctions are jused to conjoin a contrast, restriction or correction. The Swedish disjunctive conjunctions are men 'but' and fast 'but, although':

(9) a. Den här boken är svår men intressant.

this here book is difficult but interesting

b. Han dricker mycket fast äter lite.

he drinks much but eats little

As with the other types of conjunctions, there are ways to modify the relation, e.g. by adding dock or ändå 'nevertheless' to the second conjunct, and/or visserligen 'admittedly' to the first one.

(10) a. Den här boken är visserligen svår men dock/ändå intressant.

this here book is admittedly difficult but nevertheless interesting

b. Han skrattade men var ändå inte glad.

he laughed but was nevertheless not glad

c. Visserligen skrattade han, men han var inte glad.

admittedly laughed he but he was not glad

3.8.1.4. Explanative conjunctions

Explanatory conjunctions are used when a second clause is added to give the reason why it is as stated in the first clause; it follows that explanative conjunctions must conjoin clauses. The Swedish explanatory conjunctions are för 'for, as' and ty 'for, as'; ty is only used in written language.

(11) a. Han vill inte för/ty han är trött.

he will not as he is tired

b. Hennes kind var blöt, för/ty hon hade nyss gråtit.

her cheek was wet as she had just cried

3.8.1.5. Conclusive conjunctions

Conclusive conjunctions are used to add a clause indicating the result to another clause. Swedish uses så as the conclusive conjunctions.

(12) Det regnar just nu, så vi stannar hemma.

it rains just now so we remain at-home

It is raining just now, so we will remain at home.

3.8.2. Subjunctions

3.8.2.1. Syntax and morphology

Subjunctions are mainly used to indicate that a clause is integrated within another clause. The basic Swedish subjunctions, att 'that (non-relative)' som 'that (relative), as', om 'if', än 'than' have very general meanings, whereas other subjunctions denote a more specific relation between the embedded clause and the matrix clause. Most embedded clauses are introduced by a subjunction. In the general schema of the basic word order of the Swedish clause, the subjunctive is in the second position, called Finite; this position is filled by the tensed verb in main clauses, and by the subjunction in embedded clauses.
 

	M i d d l e p a r t			F i n a l p a r t (Verb phrase)
	Finite	Subj.	Sent.advl	Verb	Object	Advl
(Jag vet) vem I know who	som that		inte not	har läst has read	den här boken this book	än yet
(Det är) min bok it is my book	som that	han he	faktiskt actually	har läst has read
(Du vet) you know	att that	Erik Erik	inte not	har öppnat has opened	fönstret window.the	än yet
(Han kommer) he will-come	om if	du you		går leave
(Han är större) he is bigger	än than	du you		är are

The Swedish subjunctions do not inflect. Structurally they are either simple roots, as att, som, om, än, sedan 'after, since', innan 'before', or they may be compouns, like eftersom 'because', förrän 'not until', alltsedan 'ever since', fastän 'although'. Some of them are lexicalized combinations of several words, like därför att 'because' trots att 'though', även om 'even though', för att 'in order that', så att 'so that', genom att 'by the fact that', utan att 'not that', efter det att 'after', så snart som 'as soon as'.

3.8.2.2. The most common subjunctions att, som, om, and än

The use and meaning of the four most common subjunctions are listed below alphabetically.

Att

The sujunctive att introduces narrative and consecutive embedded clauses. Its written form is identical to the infinitival marker, but unlike the infinitival marker it is always pronounced [at:].

(1) a. Han bekräftade att Ulla hade kramat honom.

he confirmed that Ulla had hugged him

b. Han var så lycklig att han dansade.

he was so happy that he danced

Att is further used as the last member of several multi-word subjunctions, where it is often preceded by a preposition or an adverb: därför att 'because', efter det att 'after', för att 'in order that', förutsatt att 'provided that', genom att 'by the fact that', i det att 'in view of the fact that', i och med att 'as soon as', på det att 'that', på grund av att 'because', på villkor att 'on the condition that', så att 'so that', trots att 'though', under det att 'while', utan att 'not that'.

Att may also be the first word in an exclamative main clause (1.9.4):

(2) Att han kan vara så dum!

that he may be so stupid

Som

The subjunction som introduces relative clauses and comparative clauses, and occurs together with an intrrogative wh-word in embedded wh-questions; it is also used to introduce comparative phrases:

(3) a. boken som jag köpte

book.the that I bought

b. Han är lika lång som du är.

he is as tall as you are

c. Han hade mer ved än (vad) som rymdesi boden.

he had more firewood than (what) that was-room-for in shed.the

c. Han vet vem som stal din bil.

he knows who that stole your car

d. Köp en lika fin bil som den här!

buy a as fine car as this here

Buy a car as fine as this one!

Som is also used to introduce predicative subjunction phrases:

(4) Du kan använda nyckeln som öppnare.

you may use key.the as opener

Som is further used as the last member of several multi-word subjunctions, bara i den mån som 'only in so far as', samtidigt som 'at the same time as' så snart som 'as soon as', så ofta som 'as often as', så länge som 'as long as'.

Som may also be the first word in an exclamative main clause:

(5) Som han uppförde sig!

as he behaved himself

Om

The subjunctive om is used to introduce conditional clauses or indirect yes/no-questions. It is also used as the first word in exclamative main clauses:

(6) a. Om du går så går jag också.

if you leave so leave I too

b. Jag undrar om han har några pengar?

I wonder if he has any money

c. Om du bara visste!

if you only knew

Om is used after även 'even' to form the complex subjunction även om 'even though'.

Än

The subjunction än introduces comparative embedded clauses or comparative subjunctive phrases:

(7) a. Han är snabbare än min bror är.

he is faster than my brother is.

b. Eva hade fler hästar än hundar.

Eva had more horses than dogs

3.8.2.3. The Swedish subjunctions grouped according to their meaning

Temporal subjunctions

Temporal subjunctions are då 'when', när 'when', tills 'until', inte ... förrän 'not until', innan 'before', medan 'while', sedan 'after, since', alltsedan 'ever since', efter det att 'after', under det att 'while', i och med att 'as soon as', så snart som 'as soon as', så länge som 'as long as', så ofta som 'as often as'.

(1) a. Han log när/då han gick.

he was-smiling when he left

b. Han log medan han gick.

he smiled while he walked

c. Sedan han hade parkerat bilen gick han in.

after he had parked car.the went he in

d. Stanna här tills vi ringer.

Stay here until/till we call

Causal subjunctions

Causal subjunctions are för att 'because', eftersom 'as, because', därför att 'because', då 'as', emedan 'because', genom att 'in that', på grund av att 'because', som 'as', enär 'insofar as'.

(2) a. Han köpte en pizza för att/därför att/eftersom han var hungrig.

he bought a pizza because he was hungry

b. Då han inte begrep ringde han sin mor.

as he not understood called he his mother

Conditional subjunctions

Conditional subjunctions are om 'if', ifall 'if', såvitt 'insofar as', såvida 'provided that', på villkor att 'on the condition that', förutsatt att 'provided that', bara i den mån som ' only in so far as', om...inte 'unless'.

(3) a. Om/Ifall du vinner får du möta Maria.

if you win get you meet Maria

If you win, you will meet Maria.

b. Om du inte öppnar så slår vi in dörren.

if you not open then break we in door.the

Unless you open we will break the door.

Concessive subjunctions

Concessive subjunctions are fastän 'although', fast 'although', trots att 'though', även om 'even though', ehuru 'though', om...så 'even if', samtidigt som 'at the same time as'.

(4) Han är glad fast/fastän/trots att han är trött.

he is glad although he is tired

Final subjunctions

Final subjunctions are för att 'in order that', på det att 'that'.

(5) Vi måste sälja bilen för att vi ska klara det.

we must sell car.the for that we shall manage it

We must sell the car in order to do it.
 
 

Consecutive subjunction

Consecutive subjunction is så att 'so that'.

(6) Han tog i så att han blev röd i ansiktet.

he took in so that he became red in face.the

He got at it so that he got red in his face.

Comparative subjunctions

Comparative subjunctions are lika ... som 'as...as', (så)som 'as', liksom 'as', än 'than', ju...desto 'the...the', som om 'as if'.

(7) a. De gjorde som han bad dem att göra.

they did as he asked them to do

b. Ju större de är, desto hårdare faller de.

the bigger they are the harder fall they

The bigger they are the harder they fall.

Descriptive subjunction

Descriptive subjunctions are genom att 'by the fact that', i det att 'in view of the fact that', utan att 'not that'.

(8) a. Han räddades genom att kamraterna ingrep.

he was-saved in that friends.the intervened

b. Det är viktigt att sanera ekonomin utan att någon skadas.

it is impoatant to reorganize economy.the without anybody is hurt

3.8.3. The infinitival marker

The infinitival marker in Swedish is written att, i.e. it has the same form as the subjunction att. In spoken Swedish the two are usually distinguished, however, since the infinitival marker is pronounced [ç] and sometimes spelled /å/ when the spoken language is imitated, whereas the subjunction att is always pronounsed [at:]. The function of the infinitive marker is to introduce infinitival phrases:

(1) a. Det är skönt att bada.

it is nice to bath

b. Han lovade att inte sjunga.

he promised to not sing

As (1b) shows, the infinitival marker precedes adverbials of all kinds. Some further examples:

(2) a. Han bad henne att genast öppna dörren.

he asked her to immediately open door.the

b. Han tvingade henne att faktiskt inte ringa.

he forced her to actually not call

3.9. WORD FORMATION

General

Words are the building blocks of phrases. They are of three kinds: root morphemes, like ant, horse, meet, on, some, town and wet, words derived by affixation, like act-ion, hard-ly, sing-er, un-happy and wet-ness, and words derived by compounding, like black bird, folk-song, to-day, under-go and with-out.

Swedish

3.9.1. Derivation by suffixation

The suffix determine the word class of the word. The root ung 'young' is an adjective, and the noun ungdom 'youth' is derived by adding the nominal suffix -dom. Adding the adjectival suffix -lig will yield the adjective ungdomlig 'youthful', to which the nominal suffix -het can be added, deriving the noun ungdomlighet 'youthfulness'.

Nouns

The following suffixes are used, among others, to derive nouns,

-an ansökan 'application', vädjan 'appeal', tvekan 'hesitation, uncertainty, doubt

-are rökare 'smoker', löpare 'runner', köpare 'buyer', sändare 'sender', bagare 'baker'

-(a)tor kurator 'wellfare officer', kommentator 'commentator', diktator 'dictator'

-dom ungdom 'youth', sjukdom 'illness', barndom 'childhood', fattigdom 'poverty'

-else skapelse 'creation', bränsle 'fuel', väckelse '(religious revival'

-ent skribent 'writer', agent 'agent', dirigent 'conductor'

-eri rederi 'shipping, shipping company'. fylleri 'drunkenness', måleri 'painting',

-het frihet 'freedom', svaghet 'weakness', nyhet 'news', rättighet 'right, authority', dumhet 'stupidity'

-is kändis 'public person', fegis 'coward'

-ism bilism 'motoring', pessimism 'pessimism', cynism 'cynisism'

-ist optimist 'optimistic person', flottist 'seaman', fyllerist 'drunken person', cyklist 'cyclist',

-itet rivalitet 'rivalry', identitet identity', produktivitet 'productivity'

-lek storlek 'size, magnitude', tjocklek 'thickness'

-(l)ing främling 'stranger', yngling 'young man'

-nad vårdnad 'custody', tystnad 'silence', vävnad 'weaving, woven fabric'

-(n)ing handling 'act, action, story, document, shopping', odling 'cultivation', plantation'

-skap kunskap 'knowledge', bekantskap 'acquaintance', galenskap 'madness'

-tion aktion 'action', opposition 'opposition', sanktion 'sanction', produktion 'production'

-ör dansör 'dancer', regissör 'director', observatör 'observer

Adjectives

The following suffixes are used, among others, to derive adjectives:

-abel acceptabel 'acceptable', riskabel risky’, diskutable ‘debateable’

-artad likartad 'similar', storartad 'grand, splendid'

-sam hjälpsam ‘helpful’, sparsam ‘economical, thrifty’, tröttsam ‘tiring, fatiguing; tiresome’

-sk engelsk ‘English’, hemsk ‘horrible’, svensk ‘Swedish’

Verbs

-är reaktionär 'reactionary', litterär 'litterary'

-ös generös 'generous', nervös 'nervous'

The suffix -na is used to derive verbs with an inchoative meaning:

hårdna 'harden', mogna 'ripen', stelna 'stiffen, get stiff', klarna 'become clear, clear up'

Verbs are also derived by for instance the following suffixes:

-a färga 'color, dye', bila 'travel by car, drive',

-era debutera 'make one's début', debattera 'debate', kvalificera 'qualify', garantera 'warrant

-isera gymnastisera 'do gymnastics, exercise', kanalisera 'canalize'
 
 

3.9.2. Derivation by prefixation

Contrary to suffixes, an added prefix does not determine the word class of a word. Swedish has a number of prefixes with different meanings, like the following ones:

Negating

be- belysa 'illuminate' (cf. lysa shine'), bebo 'inhabit' (cf. bo 'live'); beräkna 'calculate'

an- anlöpa 'call at' (cf. löpa 'run'), anse 'think, consider (cf. se 'see')

Pejorative

van- vanskapt 'deformed', vanlottad 'badly treated', vantolka 'misinterpret'

miss- misshag 'displeasure', missakta 'disdain', misslyckad 'unsuccessful'

Strengthening

ärke- ärkefiende 'arch-enemy', ärkenöt 'utter fool'

3.9.3. Compounding

Compounding is a very productive way to make new words in Swedish. As a rule of thumb, the last element in the compound is determining the word-class of the compound, thus fågelvinge 'bird's wing' is a noun (vinge 'wing' is a noun), fågellik 'bird-like' is an adjective (lik 'like' is an adjective) and fågelskåda 'bird-watch' is a verb (skåda 'watch, see' is a verb). In addition there are compounded prepositions like framför 'in front of' and compounded adverbs like där-i 'in that'. Note that the last segment of a compounded adverb, contrary to the rule of thumb, is usually not an adverb by itself. In the following lists some randomly chosen examples of compounded nouns, adjectives and verbs are given
 

First part	Nouns	Adjectives	Verbs
affär 'business'	affärsbank 'commercial bank', affärsbrev 'business letter', affärsman 'business man'	affärslik 'business like'
betyg 'mark'	betygsskala 'marking scale'		betygsätta 'mark, pass judgement on',
bevis 'evidence'	beviskraft 'weight, authority'	beviskraftig 'conclusive'
bil 'car'	bildrulle 'road hog', bilmotor 'car engine', biltvätt 'car wash'	bilsjuk 'car-sick'
damm 'dust'	dammtrasa 'duster', dammmoln 'dust-cloud'	dammfylld 'dust-laden', dammgrå 'dust-coloured'	dammsuga 'vacuum-clean', dammtorka 'dust'
färg 'color'	färgbad 'dye-bath', färgprov 'colour sample'	färgblind 'colour-blind', färgstark 'colourful'	färglägga 'colour, tint'
hård 'hard'	hårdgummi 'hard rubber'	hårdfrusen 'frozen hard'	hårdkoka 'boil hard'
klar 'clear'	klartext 'in plain language'	klarvaken 'wide awake'	klargöra 'make clear, explain'
polis police'	polisbil 'patrol car', polisrazzia 'police raid'	polis	polisbevaka 'police-guard'
röd 'red'	rödlök 'red onion', rödpenna 'red pencil'	rödlätt 'ruddy', rödbrun 'reddish-brown', rödhårig 'red-haired'	rödglödga 'bring to a red heat'
snabb 'fast'	snabbförband 'sticking-plaster'	snabbtänkt 'quick-witted', snabb-fotad 'swift-footed'	snabbläsa 'quickly read'
ut 'out'	utmark 'outlying land', utlöpare 'offshoot'	utlevad 'decrepit', utfattig 'miserably poor'	utbilda 'educate', utföra 'perform, utropa 'exclaim'

In Swedish compounds, as well as in Swedish derivations, only the last part is inflected: even if the first part has a plural meaning, it is not in plural form. Thus, landskamp 'international match' (cf. land/länder 'country/-ies'), musfälla 'mousetrap' (cf. mus/möss mouse/mice'), bokhylla 'bookshelf' (cf. bok/böcker 'book/-s').

3.9.4. Mediated and non-mediated compounds

Like many other Germanic languages Swedish has two way to concatenate stems to form a compound: either the stems are simply put together, or there is a linking element -s- (sometimes -e/-o) between the two parts of the compound.

(1) Non-mediated compounds: