Ändliga

ändliga is the plural form of the Swedish adjective ändlig, describing something that has determined, bounded limits in extent, number, or duration. It is used in everyday language as well as in technical contexts. The opposite is oändlig (infinite) or obegränsad (unlimited). The adjective agrees with the noun in number and gender, producing ändliga for plural nouns, as in ändliga mängder or ändliga tal.

In mathematical or logical usage, ändlig denotes finiteness. Phrases such as ändlig mängd (finite set) and ändlig följd (finite sequence) describe structures with a limited number of elements or a bounded length. By contrast, oändlig mängd or oändlig följd refers to an infinite set or sequence. These notions underpin counting, algorithms, and proofs, and they help distinguish bounded problems from those that are unbounded or infinite.

In broader usage, ändlig can describe limits in time, space, or scope. The adverbial form endligt is rarely used; more common is ändligt in phrases indicating degree, such as ändligt många (a finite number) or äändligt bra in informal speech, though the latter may be considered colloquial. The term functions across disciplines to convey the idea of something that is finite, restricted, or bounded, in contrast to infinity or limitless variation.

Overall, ändliga is a key linguistic and mathematical term in Swedish for expressing finiteness, with clear grammatical rules and established mathematical usage.