Skeppets

Skeppets is the genitive or possessive form of the Swedish noun skepp, meaning ship. It denotes ownership or association and translates to "the ship's" or "of the ship" in English. The form is typically used when the head noun is definite.

Formation and usage: In contemporary Swedish, the possessive suffix -s is added to the definite form of a noun. The definite singular of skepp is skeppet, so the possessive becomes skeppets. For the definite plural skeppen, the possessive is skeppens, meaning "the ships'." The suffix remains attached to the noun rather than forming a separate word. Possessive determiners such as min, din, hans, deras, or constructions with av are used when the noun is not definite.

Examples: skeppets däck means “the ship's deck.” skeppens segel means “the ships' sails.” For a non-definite reference, speakers would typically rely on possessive determiners (mitt skepp, din skepp) or alternative phrasing (däcket på skeppet, the deck of the ship).

Usage notes: Skeppets serves primarily in descriptive, nautical, or historical contexts where a definite ship is in focus. In everyday speech, speakers may prefer the possessive determiner form or other constructions to avoid ambiguity about definiteness or number.

See also: Skepp, Swedish grammar, Genitive case.