"A glass"

Translation: Ett glas

[CallingForsythe]

I keep having trouble with when to use "en" or "ett". Is there a rule to help with this?

[brose23]

wondering the same thing! Someone told me there is no pattern... is that true?

[Arnauti]

I think this is the best topic about it so far: https://www.duolingo.com/comment/6329293

[cloudcalculator]

Tack

[satwita]

Funny, I read "a glass" as being Swedish, and tried to translate it into English, "an ice cream" even though ice cream is usually not a countable noun.

[Arnauti]

That would be "en glass". You can count ice cream in Swedish if you're talking about ice cream cones or things like this,whatever you call them:

The thing above could be called just en glass in Swedish, or to specify, en pinnglass. An ice cream cone is en glasstrut (cone = strut).

[hcarleton]

Ice cream is a countable noun in American English, depending on the situation. Saying "I'd like an ice cream" is very common when purchasing a single serving such as a cone, cup, or stick. I have no experience with British English.

[alexknick]

To say "the glass" would be "glassett"? I'm lost. Tack :)

[Arnauti]

the glass = glaset. This is an ett word: ett glas, glaset, plural glas, glasen.
But the ice cream word is an en word: en glass, glassen, plural glassar, glassarna
You can also use the ice cream word as a mass noun of course.
The definite singular ending is always either -en or -et, there will never be two t in there.

[AnaLciaPal]

I still don't get the diffence between ice cream and glass. Is it en glas for the 1st one and ett glass for the second?

[Arnauti]

an ice cream = en glass
a glass = ett glas

[Promethea.b]

My non native aunt didn't get the difference either. She wondered why none of us kids would come when she called us to eat glas.

[tahscenery]

I'm still confused - which indefinite article says that the noun is feminine or masculine? Is 'ett' for feminine nouns and 'en' for masculine?

[MarkBorkBorkBork]

The masculine and feminine in Swedish have largely merged into the gender (en words). The neuter (ett words) remains as well. You may sometimes come across the masculine, but it's rare.

[EltaninSSB]

Could someone please explain why 'ett glas' is compatible but 'en glas' isn't?

[ion1122]

Nouns in Swedish are either en words or ett words. The word 'glas' is an ett word.

[EltaninSSB]

I got it, I really should have delted that comment earlier since I found out before you told me. thank you though

[LeviMiller18]

Why is it "ett glas" and not "en glas"?

[MarkBorkBorkBork]

Similar to how Spanish has male and female nouns, Swedish has gendered (the male and female forms merged) and neuter nouns. You have to memorize it for each noun.