antalets

Antalet is a Swedish noun meaning the number or count of something. It is commonly used in mathematics, statistics, science, and everyday language to refer to quantities. The word is neuter (ett-ord) and forms its definite singular as antalet. The genitive (possessive) form is antalets, which is built by adding an -s to the definite form, as in antalets ökning (“the increase of the number”).

Usage and meanings

Antalet can denote a specific count when the context makes the value known: Antalet invånare i staden har ökat. (“The number of inhabitants in the city has increased.”) It can also appear in generic or comparative statements: Ett stort antal människor deltog i konserten. (“A large number of people participated in the concert.”) In statistical language one often talks about the "antalet" i en datamängd, corresponding to the data’s count.

Form and grammar notes

In Swedish, antal is used with the definite form antalet when referring to a particular number, and its genitive is antalets. The phrase ett antal means “a number of” or “some,” and is used to indicate an unspecified quantity: Ett antal studenter gav sig av. The word contrasts with tal, which more often denotes a numeral or figure itself rather than a count of items.

See also

Swedish grammar, count nouns, genitive forms in Swedish.