snabb

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from the stem of Middle High German snaben (“to hurry”).

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /snab/

Adjective

snabb (comparative snabbare, superlative snabbast)

1. fast, quick

   Synonyms: ferm, hurtig, kvick

2. (electricity, electronics) fast, fast-blow (of a fuse)
3. (idiomatic) instant (very quickly and easily prepared)

   snabbkaffe ― instant coffee (literally, “fast-coffee”)

   snabbnudlar ― instant noodles (literally, “fast-noodles”)

Declension

Inflection of snabb

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	snabb	snabbare	snabbast
neuter singular	snabbt	snabbare	snabbast
plural	snabba	snabbare	snabbast
masculine plural2	snabbe	snabbare	snabbast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	snabbe	snabbare	snabbaste
all	snabba	snabbare	snabbaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Alternative forms

• snapp (dialectal)

Derived terms

• blixtsnabb
• snabb som en vessla
• snabba
• snabbis
• snabbspår (“fast track”)
• snabbspårväg (“high-speed tramway”)

Related terms

• snabbhet

References

• “snabb”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “snabb”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)