B2 · Upper Intermediate Chapter 45

Nominalization

4 Total Rules
48 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of turning actions and traits into formal, professional Swedish nouns.

  • Convert active verbs into formal noun phrases.
  • Transform adjectives into abstract concepts using suffixes.
  • Condense complex sentences for academic and professional writing.
From action to essence: Elevate your Swedish prose.

What You'll Learn

Turning verbs and adjectives into nouns. This is essential for academic writing.

  • Nominalization
    Swap your verbs for nouns to make your Swedish sound academic, formal, and precise.
  • Verbal Nouns
    Turn any verb into a noun by adding -ande or -ende to describe the action as a thing.
  • Adjectival Nouns
    Just treat the adjective like a noun by adding 'den', 'det', or 'de' before it.
  • Nominalization in Writing
    Turn actions into things by adding suffixes like -ande or -ende to make your writing sound professional.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to identify and create nominalized forms from common Swedish verbs.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to rewrite informal sentences into formal academic structures.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to form abstract nouns from adjectives using -het and -skap suffixes.

Key Examples (8)

1

Genomförandet av projektet gick enligt planen.

The implementation of the project went according to plan.

Nominalization
2

Sannolikheten för regn är hög.

The probability of rain is high.

Nominalization
3

Genom noggrant planerande lyckades de.

Through careful planning they succeeded.

Verbal Nouns
4

Deras agerande väckte kritik.

Their actions sparked criticism.

Verbal Nouns
5

Det är det otänkbara som har hänt.

It is the unthinkable that has happened.

Adjectival Nouns
6

De närvarande var överens.

Those present were in agreement.

Adjectival Nouns
7

Genomförandet av reformen kräver samarbete.

The implementation of the reform requires cooperation.

Nominalization in Writing
8

Deras förhållningssätt till krisen är kritiskt.

Their approach to the crisis is critical.

Nominalization in Writing

Tips & Tricks (3)

🎯

The 'En' Rule

When in doubt, guess that a nominalized noun ending in -ning or -het is an 'en' word. You'll be right 99% of the time!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization
💡

Abstract is Neuter

Always use 'det' for abstract ideas.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adjectival Nouns
💡

Avoid Noun Sickness

Don't turn every verb into a noun. Keep some verbs to maintain flow.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization in Writing

Key Vocabulary (6)

undersökning investigation utveckling development ärlighet honesty vänskap friendship beslut decision genomförande implementation/carrying out

Real-World Preview

briefcase

A Corporate Presentation

Review Summary

  • Verb Stem + -ing/-ning
  • Verb Stem + -ande / -ende
  • Adjective + -het / -skap

Common Mistakes

Do not use the infinitive marker 'att' with a nominalized noun. It's either the verb or the noun.

Wrong: Jag gillar att läsning.
Correct: Jag gillar läsning. / Jag gillar att läsa.

Don't use the abstract noun as an adjective. 'Snabbhet' is 'speed' (the concept), 'snabb' is 'fast'.

Wrong: En snabbhet bil.
Correct: En snabb bil.

Nouns ending in -ing are almost always 'en' words. -ande/-ende words are often 'ett' words. Mixing these up is a common gender error.

Wrong: Ett undersökning visade...
Correct: En undersökning visade...

Next Steps

You've just unlocked the 'Academic' level of Swedish! This is a major milestone that separates intermediate learners from advanced communicators. Keep practicing these transformations, and your writing will shine.

Read a Swedish newspaper editorial (e.g., DN or SvD) and circle every noun ending in -ing or -het.

Write a 5-sentence summary of your week using only formal nominalized structures.

Continue to: Advanced Passive Constructions

Quick Practice (10)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

De fattiga personerna behöver hjälp.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: De fattiga behöver hjälp.
Redundant noun.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Adjectival Nouns

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Min läsa är bra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mitt läsande är bra.
Läsande is neuter (ett-word).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization in Writing

Turn the verb 'utbilda' into a noun.

Han har en lång ___ bakom sig.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: utbildning
The suffix -ning is used for education/training.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization

Fill in the blank.

___ av projektet är klart. (genomföra)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Genomförandet
Definite form needed.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization in Writing

Which suffix is used for adjectives like 'trygg'?

Barn behöver ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: trygghet
-het is the standard suffix for turning adjectives into abstract quality nouns.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization

Fill in the blank.

Hennes ___ (måla) är fantastiskt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: målande
Verbal noun.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbal Nouns

Correct the gender error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ett lång utbildning är bra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: En lång utbildning
Utbildning is an 'en' word.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization

Fill in the blank.

Ditt ___ (deltaga) är viktigt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: deltagande
Suffix -ande for -a verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbal Nouns

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Deras springande i korridoren är förbjudet.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Deras springande i korridoren är förbjudet.
The sentence is already correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Nominalization in Writing

Fix the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Deras agera var fel.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Deras agerande var fel
Need -ande suffix.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Verbal Nouns

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Läsning refers to the activity or the material (e.g., 'kvällsläsning'), while läsande refers to the actual process of reading in progress.
Yes, almost all of them are en-words. This is a very reliable rule in Swedish grammar.
Yes, but they are more common in formal writing.
Yes, they are always 'ett'-words.
Yes, almost any adjective can be nominalized.
It's used in all registers.
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Complex Syntax
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Advanced Passive Constructions
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