ören

Åren is the definite plural form of the neuter noun år in Swedish, meaning “the years.” The indefinite singular is ett år, the definite singular is året, the indefinite plural is år, and the definite plural is åren. The term is used when referring to specific years that are understood from context or previously mentioned information.

Usage and examples

Åren is commonly used in phrases that refer to a span of time. For example, under åren 1990–2000 would translate to “during the years 1990–2000.” De senaste åren means “the most recent years.” The related idiom åren som gick refers to “the years that have passed.” These forms help distinguish a known set of years from a general sense of year(s).

Etymology and related forms

The Swedish år is from Old Norse ár and is cognate with the Danish år and Norwegian år. The definite plural åren is formed through standard Swedish noun inflection for neuter nouns in the definite plural. The word is typically used in time-related expressions, dates, histories, and for discussing periods rather than individual years.

See also

År (the word for “year”) and related phrases such as årets, årsrapport, and årsdag. The term is primarily a time-oriented noun and does not function as a standalone concept beyond its relation to time.