Learn Swedish Numbers: Complete Guide from 1 to Billions

Essential Numbers Vocabulary

When you learn Swedish numbers, you'll discover a logical system that shares roots with English and other Germanic languages. Here are the core numbers every learner needs to know:

Word	Pronunciation	English	Example
noll	nol	zero	Temperaturen är noll grader. (The temperature is zero degrees.)
ett / en	et / en	one	Jag har ett äpple. (I have one apple.)
två	tvoh	two	Vi har två katter. (We have two cats.)
tre	treh	three	Det finns tre böcker på bordet. (There are three books on the table.)
fyra	FEW-ra	four	Hon har fyra barn. (She has four children.)
fem	fem	five	Klockan är fem. (It's five o'clock.)
sex	seks	six	Jag arbetar sex dagar i veckan. (I work six days a week.)
sju	hwoo	seven	Det är sju kilometer härifrån. (It's seven kilometers from here.)
åtta	O-ta	eight	Mötet börjar klockan åtta. (The meeting starts at eight.)
nio	NEE-o	nine	Nio av tio rekommenderar det. (Nine out of ten recommend it.)
tio	TEE-o	ten	Jag köpte tio ägg. (I bought ten eggs.)
elva	EL-va	eleven	Hon fyller elva år. (She's turning eleven.)
tolv	tolv	twelve	Det finns tolv månader. (There are twelve months.)
tretton	TRET-on	thirteen	Fredag den trettonde. (Friday the thirteenth.)
tjugo	KHOO-go	twenty	Jag är tjugo år gammal. (I am twenty years old.)
hundra	HUN-dra	hundred	Det kostar hundra kronor. (It costs one hundred kronor.)
tusen	TOO-sen	thousand	Stockholm har en miljon tusen invånare. (Stockholm has over a million inhabitants.)

Common Phrases

These everyday expressions will help you use Swedish numbers naturally in conversation:

• Hur mycket kostar det? (hoor MEW-ket KOS-tar deh) — How much does it cost?
• Det blir femtio kronor. (deh bleer FEM-tee KROO-nor) — That will be fifty kronor.
• Jag tar nummer tre. (yahg tahr NUM-mer treh) — I'll take number three.
• Vad är ditt telefonnummer? (vahd air dit teh-leh-FOHN-num-mer) — What is your phone number?
• Första, andra, tredje (FUSH-ta, AN-dra, TRED-ye) — First, second, third (ordinal numbers)
• Hälften av (HELF-ten ahv) — Half of
• En kvart (en kvart) — A quarter
• Dubbelt så mycket (DUB-belt soh MEW-ket) — Twice as much

Usage Notes

Understanding these cultural and grammatical points will help you learn Swedish numbers more effectively:

• Ett vs. En: The number "one" has two forms in Swedish. Use ett with ett-words (neuter nouns) like ett hus (one house) and en with en-words (common gender) like en bil (one car).
• Phone Numbers: Swedes typically read phone numbers in pairs: 08-12-34-56 is read as "noll åtta, tolv, trettiofyra, femtiosex."
• Decimal Comma: Sweden uses a comma instead of a period for decimals. So 3.5 is written as 3,5 and pronounced tre komma fem.
• Large Numbers: A billion in Swedish (en miljard) equals 1,000,000,000, same as in American English. A biljon is a trillion (1,000,000,000,000).
• Time Expressions: When telling time, Swedes often use the 24-hour clock in formal contexts. "15:30" is femton trettio.
• Ordinal Numbers: Most ordinals add -te or -de to the cardinal number, but the first three are irregular: första, andra, tredje.

Practice Sentences

Use these example sentences to practice your Swedish numbers in context:

• Jag har bott här i femton år. — I have lived here for fifteen years.
• Bussen kommer om tjugofem minuter. — The bus comes in twenty-five minutes.
• Det finns trettioen dagar i januari. — There are thirty-one days in January.
• Min farfar är åttiofyra år gammal. — My grandfather is eighty-four years old.
• Kan jag få fyra koppar kaffe, tack? — Can I have four cups of coffee, please?
• Vi bor på femte våningen. — We live on the fifth floor.
• Klockan är halv tre. — It's half past two. (Literally: "half three" in Swedish)
• Tåget avgår klockan sexton fyrtiofem. — The train departs at 16:45.
• Jag behöver köpa ett dussin ägg. — I need to buy a dozen eggs.
• Det är minus femton grader ute. — It's minus fifteen degrees outside.