spädbarnets

Spädbarnets is the Swedish possessive form used to indicate something belonging to an infant. The base noun is spädbarn, meaning infant. In Swedish, the indefinite singular is spädbarn, the definite singular is spädbarnet, and the possessive is formed by adding the suffix -s to the definite form: spädbarnets means “the infant’s” or “of the infant.”

Function and usage: It acts as a determiner before another noun, as in spädbarnets utveckling (the infant’s development) or spädbarnets hud (the infant’s skin). For the plural, the corresponding possessive is spädbarnens (the infants’ or of the infants). The possessive suffix is written without an apostrophe, unlike English.

Notes on style and scope: The -s possessive is common in written Swedish and in many registers of speech for singular nouns. It is typically used with concrete or countable nouns and is a standard way to express possession in contemporary Swedish. In some contexts, speakers may choose alternate phrasing, such as using a prepositional phrase (till barnet eller av barnet), depending on formality or clarity.

Related terms: Spädbarn (infant) is the base noun; spädbarnet is the definite singular, and spädbarnen the definite plural. The same possessive formation applies to other Swedish nouns when indicating ownership.