karaktärernas

Karaktärernas is a Swedish possessive form used to indicate something that belongs to or is associated with the characters, i.e., the people created within a narrative. It represents the genitive plural of karaktärer, meaning it refers to more than one character. The form is created by taking the definite plural karaktärerna and adding the genitive suffix -s, yielding karaktärernas. In Swedish, this construction does not require an apostrophe.

Usage and function: Karaktärernas typically appears before a noun to express possession or relation. It is common in literary analysis, film criticism, and narrative writing. Examples include karaktärernas motivation (the characters’ motivations), karaktärernas utveckling (the characters’ development), and karaktärernas relationer (the characters’ relationships). The construction helps attribute aspects of the story to the collective group of figures rather than to a single character.

Context and notes: The term is part of standard Swedish grammar and is used across genres—from academic writings to reviews and synopses. It is one of several possessive forms in the language, with the singular karaktärens and plural karaktärernas being related derivatives. The choice between singular and plural possessives depends on whether the text refers to one character or multiple characters.

See also: karaktärer (plural, indefinite), karaktären (singular, definite), karaktärens (singular possessive).