Städerna

Städerna is a Swedish term that functions as the definite plural form of the noun stad, meaning cities. It is used when referring to a specific set of cities that is known from context or has been mentioned earlier. The indefinite plural form is städer, while the definite singular is staden.

In Swedish grammar, nouns have both singular and plural forms and can be definite or indefinite. The plural indefinite städer refers to cities in general, whereas the definite plural städerna denotes particular cities that are being singled out. Adjectives agree with the noun, as in stora städerna (the big cities) or nya städerna (the new cities).

Städerna can be used to discuss geography, urban development, history, or demographics when talking about multiple urban centers. For example, in a sentence about Sweden, one might say, De största städerna i Sverige är Stockholm, Göteborg och Malmö. In broader contexts, städerna may refer to cities within a region, country, or continent.

Historically, stad has long been used in Swedish to denote a settled, organized urban center, and its plural forms emerged with standard Swedish noun inflection. The definite plural städerna is a common construction in formal and descriptive writing, as well as in encyclopedic and journalistic styles.

See also: stad, städer, storstad, urbanisering.