öppen

Öppen is a Swedish adjective meaning open. It describes things that are not closed, such as a door or a window, as well as spaces, hours, and opportunities that are accessible. It can also refer to transparency, candor, or willingness, as in open communication or an open attitude toward others. The term is common in everyday Swedish and appears in phrases such as en öppen dörr (an open door) and öppen information.

Usage and senses: Physically open objects are described as öppen (for a common-gender noun) or öppet (for a neuter noun). Availability and accessibility are expressed with öppettider (open hours) or an open invitation. Intangible qualities include transparency or candor, expressed as öppenhet. A person described as öppen is considered approachable or frank; a policy described as öppen implies it is accessible to scrutiny.

Inflection and forms: In Swedish, adjectives agree with noun gender and definiteness. The base form is öppen for singular common-gender nouns in indefinite use (en dörr). For neuter singular indefinite, the form is öppet (ett fönster). Plural indefinite takes öppna (öppna dörrar). Definite forms are den öppna dörren, det öppna fönstret, and de öppna dörrarna.

Etymology and related terms: The adjective derives from the verb öppna, to open, which originates in Old Norse opna. The related noun öppenhet means openness or transparency. Other related expressions describe accessibility or candor, such as open-minded or open and honest contexts.