Någonting

Någonting is a Swedish indefinite pronoun and determiner that roughly corresponds to the English word "something." It refers to an unspecified object, matter, or idea and is used to introduce or describe an unknown element in a sentence.

In use, någonting can function as the subject or the object, and it can be modified by adjectives or coupled with other expressions, as in examples like någonting viktigt (something important) or någonting nytt (something new). The form is commonly heard in spoken Swedish and appears in everyday writing as well. It is often considered a variant of the more formal någott/något, with någonting carrying a slightly more colloquial or emphatic nuance in many contexts.

Grammatically, någonting behaves like other indefinite pronouns in Swedish. It is typically used in affirmative clauses; in negated contexts Swedish tends to prefer other forms such as inget or ingenting to express "nothing," while någonting would not be used in the same way.

Translation and nuance: the basic sense of någonting is "something." The exact meaning can shift with context, punctuation, and emphasis, just as with English equivalents. It can introduce a non-specific object of discussion or action and is often replaced by någonting else if a more precise term is needed.

See also: indefinite pronouns in Swedish, including någonting, något, något annat, inget, ingenting.