This is the 11710th most frequent Swedish word.
patienterna
"The patients."
The word 'patienterna' is the definite form of 'patients', referring specifically to a known group of patients in this context.
Patienterna väntade tålmodigt på sina läkare.
The patients patiently waited for their doctors.
Here, 'patienterna' again refers to a specific, identified group of patients arriving for examinations.
När patienterna anlände, började undersökningarna.
When the patients arrived, the examinations began.
In this instance, 'patienterna' specifies the patients located in ward four, narrowing the reference to a subset of individuals.