Målets

Målets is the possessive form used in Swedish with the definite singular form målet (the goal, the aim). Målet means a target or objective, and it is also used for the physical goal in sport. The possessive enkelt form målets expresses something belonging to or associated with the goal; for example, målets betydelse means the significance of the goal, and målets storlek means the size of the goal. In Swedish, possessives are typically formed by adding the suffix -s to the appropriate form of the noun, so målet becomes målets.

In the plural, the definite form of mål is målen, and its possessive would be målenas for “the goals’.” The use of målets is therefore most common when referring to a specific goal in a defined context, such as a particular football goal or a defined objective within a project.

Common contexts include sports commentary, where you might refer to målets vänstra stolpe (the goal’s left post), or in planning and analysis, where you discuss målets uppgift or målets syfte (the goal’s task or purpose). The term is primarily grammatical rather than a separate lexical entry, since målets derives from målet and shares its meaning.

Etymology is anchored in the North Germanic family, with mål meaning goal or aim in contemporary Swedish. The form målets is the standard definite singular possessive, used across formal and informal Swedish to attribute characteristics or ownership to the goal.