Learn Swedish: Numbers 1–20

Mastering the numbers from one to twenty is a fundamental step in your Swedish language journey. These words are essential for everyday tasks, such as telling the time, discussing prices, giving your phone number, or sharing your age. This lesson introduces you to the basic digits from ett (one) to tio (ten), as well as the unique words for eleven and twelve, and the systematic teen numbers ending at tjugo (twenty).

One helpful pattern to notice is the transition from the single digits to the teens. Much like the English suffix teen, Swedish uses the suffix ton for numbers thirteen through nineteen. For instance, if you know that sex (six) is the base, it becomes easy to recognize sexton (sixteen). Similarly, the number fem (five) becomes femton (fifteen). Pay close attention to the pronunciation of sju (seven) and sjutton (seventeen), as the initial sj-sound is a characteristic feature of the Swedish language. You will also notice that while nine is nio and ten is tio, the numbers elva (eleven) and tolv (twelve) follow their own distinct forms before the ton pattern begins with tretton (thirteen). Learning these twenty words provides the building blocks for all higher numbers and helps you navigate daily life in Sweden with much greater confidence.