vissa

Vissa is a Swedish word that functions as an adjective and a determiner meaning "certain" or "some." It points to a subset of a larger group rather than to the whole group, and it is common in both spoken and written Swedish.

In singular form before a singular noun, the related form is viss: en viss risk, ett visst problem. In plural before plural nouns, the form is vissa: vissa dagar, vissa personer. As a pronoun, vissa can mean "some (people)" or "some of them": Vissa säger att det är bättre, men andra håller inte med. The word is typically used when the speaker has a sense that only a specific portion of the group is being referred to, not all of them.

Nuances and usage notes: vissa implies that a particular subset has identifiable characteristics or has been implicitly defined in the context. It often contrasts with drugih general terms like flera (several) or några (a few) by signaling a non-universal, contextually defined selection. In contrast with helt universal statements, vissa allows statements about imperfect or incomplete sets.

Related phrases and examples: Vissa dagar regnar det ofta i vårregionen. Vissa människor föredrar te framför kaffe. En viss osäkerhet återstår efter undersökningen. The form varies by number and agreement, with viss used for singular and vissa for plural.

See also: the word’s role in distinguishing specified portions of a group, and its place among Swedish determiners and pronouns.