how to say homework in swedish

HowToSayGuide

Speak with Confidence

How to Say Homework in Swedish: A Complete Guide

Learning how to say “homework” in different languages not only enhances your vocabulary but also allows you to communicate effectively in various social and academic contexts. If you’re looking to expand your Swedish language skills, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll explore the formal and informal ways to say “homework” in Swedish, providing you with numerous tips and examples along the way.

Table of Contents

Formal Ways to Say Homework in Swedish

In formal settings, such as academic institutions or professional environments, it’s crucial to use appropriate and respectful language. Here are some formal ways to express “homework” in Swedish:

1. Skoluppgifter

Skoluppgifter is a common term used in formal contexts to refer to “homework.” It literally translates to “school assignments.” Here’s an example:

Jag behöver göra mina skoluppgifter. (I need to do my homework.)

2. Lektionsuppgifter

Lektionsuppgifter is another formal word for “homework” that emphasizes the connection to specific lessons or lectures. Here’s an example:

Läraren gav oss lektionsuppgifter att göra över helgen. (The teacher gave us homework to do over the weekend.)

Informal Ways to Say Homework in Swedish

In informal or casual conversations, you might prefer less formal expressions. Here are some alternative and commonly used ways to say “homework” in a more relaxed context:

Läxor is the most common and versatile word for “homework” in Swedish. It can be used in almost any informal situation. Here’s an example:

Kommer du hem snart? Jag behöver hjälp med mina läxor. (Are you coming home soon? I need help with my homework.)

Plugg is a colloquial term for “studying” or “doing homework.” It can be used interchangeably with läxor in informal conversations. Here’s an example:

Jag måste plugga för morgondagens prov. (I need to study for tomorrow’s test.)

Regional Variations

Swedish is spoken in different regions, and sometimes there can be regional variations in vocabulary. However, when it comes to “homework,” the terms mentioned above are widely understood and used throughout Sweden. Therefore, regional variations for this specific word aren’t a significant concern.

Additional Tips and Examples

Now that we’ve covered the formal and informal ways to say “homework” in Swedish, here are some additional tips and examples to help you further:

1. Remember to use possessive pronouns

In Swedish, it’s common to use possessive pronouns with “homework.” Here’s an example using läxor:

Har du gjort dina läxor? (Have you done your homework?)

2. Create meaningful study groups

To make completing your homework more enjoyable, consider forming study groups with your classmates. This way, you can discuss and work on assignments together. Here’s an example:

Vi träffas varje måndag för att göra skoluppgifterna tillsammans. (We meet every Monday to do our homework together.)

3. Utilize online resources

The internet offers a wealth of resources to assist you with your Swedish homework. Online language forums, dictionaries, and language learning platforms can be valuable tools throughout your language journey.

4. Practice your Swedish regularly

Consistent practice is key to improving your language skills. Set aside dedicated time each day to practice speaking, reading, and writing in Swedish. This practice can include doing your homework or engaging in conversations with native Swedish speakers.

With these tips and examples, you’ll be well-equipped to express “homework” in Swedish confidently. Remember, language learning is a rewarding process that requires patience and dedication. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be able to communicate effectively in any situation. Lycka till! (Good luck!)

Written by Kyle Scott

Hej! Jag heter Kyle. A lover of Swedish language and culture, I find joy in teaching others the subtleties and nuances of the Swedish language. Away from my writing, I enjoy cooking traditional Swedish dishes such as Swedish meatballs and Swedish fish. My interests also include music and travel, especially to Swedish-speaking countries. Min favoritdag är tisdag (My favorite day is Tuesday), it's the perfect day to curl up with a good Swedish book and a sandwich! Through my posts, my goal is to help you appreciate the beauty of Swedish idiom and the richness of its culture. Tack för att du lyssnar (Thanks for listening)!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Say Homework in Swedish

8 Everyday Swedish Words & Phrases You Need to Learn

Written by Lauren

04 Dec 2018

Written by Usisipho

01 Nov 2018

Written by Sanjay

10 Apr 2018

Written by Emma

03 Mar 2018

It’s true, you definitely don’t need to learn Swedish to study here because so many people speak English really well, but my personal feeling is that I like to know at least enough Swedish to be polite in my new country (and to show off to my friends when they come to visit!).

Even if you decide not to take Swedish classes, you will probably pick up some Swedish words anyway in your everyday life. And Duolingo is great and all, but I can’t remember the last time I said “The boy eats an egg” or “Mother is wearing an orange belt” in casual conversation. In this post are 8 Swedish words/phrases I actually DO use every day!

What does it mean? Hello! When should I say it? When you greet your friend, neighbour, tutor etc. Alternatives: Hej hej / Hejsan

What does it mean? Thank you! When should I say it? When someone holds open a door for you, gives you a cinnamon bun or does any other nice thing! Alternatives: Tack så mycket! (Thank you so much) / Tusen tack! (Thousand thanks)

3. Varsagod!

What does it mean? You’re welcome! When should I say it? When someone says Tack! to you Alternatives: Ingen orsak! (No problem!)

What does it mean? Excuse me. When should I say it? Trying to get off the bus during rush hour and people are blocking your way? Not looking where you’re going and accidentally walk into someone on the street? Trying to get a waiter’s attention? Ursäkta is the magic word that will make everything ok! Alternatives: None that I know of yet!

5. Vad sa du?

What does it mean? What did you say? When should I say it?

What did you say?

I use this when someone speaks to me in Swedish and I don’t fully understand. To be honest, my Swedish is not great so I usually still don’t understand when they repeat it… but at least it buys me a second chance! Alternatives: You can use “Ursäkta?” here too.

What does it mean? Good! When should I say it? It’s an excellent stock response when someone asks me Hur mår du? (”How are you?”) Alternatives: Det ar bra! / Det ar fint! / Jättebra! (‘Very good!’ – to use, for example, on days when you’ve finished all your assignments and the sun comes out)

7. Vill du ha ditt kvitto?

What does it mean? ( drumroll )………… Would you like your receipt? When should I say it? You shouldn’t! (Unless you really are giving someone a receipt, obv.) This is something you are more likely to HEAR than say. I’ve put this in because in my first few weeks in Sweden I heard it all the time in shops, bars and restaurants and my response was always silence and a confused look on my face (this was before I learned to say Vad sa du?). A simple ja or nej, tack are both good responses. Alternatives: Kvitto? / Ditt kvitto?

8. Talar du engelska?

What does it mean? Do you speak English? When should I say it? If someone is speaking A LOT of Swedish to me and ‘Vad sa du?’ isn’t working, I usually ask if they speak English.

Want to know more Swedish words and phrases?

I hope this post has given you a good idea of Swedish you will use in your everyday life! If you want to know more Swedish words and phrases, let me know in the comments below!

***The Swedish in this blogpost has been verified by a genuine Swedish person, Lotta Hammar!

Basic Swedish Phrases, Words & Common Sentences – for Your Trip to Sweden

Jag pratar inte svenska. – I don’t speak Swedish.

… but soon you will. Well, at least some basic Swedish ;)

Are you going to Sweden? For a trip, work or maybe a semester abroad? You probably haven’t learned any Swedish yet. No Problem, Swedes speak excellent English. So you can communicate without learning a single Swedish word.

But, of course, learning a few basic Swedish sentences, to impress the attractive shop assistant or barkeeper can’t be wrong.

• Top 10 Tips: Learning Swedish Fast – for Beginners & Advanced Learners

To get prepared for simple Swedish conversations, here are basic Swedish sentences and phrases for Sweden tourists.

Basic Swedish survival phrases for travelers

Say hello in swedish.

Let’s get started with the number 1 word you have to know in Swedish…

Swedish for Hello

Hej! – Hello!

Alternatively you can also say:

More Swedish greetings

• Formal: God morgon/dag/kväll – Good morning/day/evening
• Formal person trying to be funny (old style): Goddagens – Good day/hello
• Buddy-level: Tjenare – Hi
• Close buddy: Tja (short form of tjenare ) – Yo
• Buddy who is fed up saying tjenare or tja too often: Tjabba – Yooo

At arrival at someone’s place, the host says to the guest

• Välkommen! – Welcome!
• Välkommen in! – Welcome in!

Basic Swedish sentences & phrases

How to say i don’t speak english in swedish.

• Jag pratar inte svenska – I don’t speak Swedish

Introduce yourself in Swedish

My name is … in swedish.

• Hej, jag heter … – Hello, my name is … 

What is your name in Swedish

• Vad heter du? – What is your name?

Swedish words and phrases for your flirt or small talk in Sweden, here

How are you in Swedish

• Hur mår du? – How are you? (formal)
• Hur är läget? – What’s up? (informal)

Funny Swedish Words & Phrases (bra, puss, kock & more)

How to say “ I love you” in Swedish

• Jag älskar dig! – I love you!

Please in Swedish

• .., snälla. – …, please. 
• … är du snäll. – Could you … (like in “Skulle du kunna sätta dig, är du snäll?” – “Would you please sit down?” )

You’re welcome in Swedish

• Varsådgod! – You’re welcome!

How to say yes in Swedish

• Ja – Yes

Sorry in Swedish

• Förlåt – Sorry

Alternatively:

• Ursäkta – Excuse me

Thank you in Swedish, formal

• Tack! – Thank you!
• Tack så mycket! – Thanks a lot!

Thank you in Swedish, informal

• Tack som fan! – Thanks (lit.) like the devil!  (I know, sounds funny. Swedes use a lot of “devil” in their language. But more about that further below.)

Swedish phrase for good luck

• Lycka till! – Good luck!

Swedish swear sentences

• Håll din jävla skäft! – Shut the fuck up!
• Jävla fitta! – ( lit. Devilish cunt) Fucking cunt!
• Stick, din jävel! – (lit. Walk off you devil! ) Piss off!

Popular Swedish swear words, here

Swedish word to say when someone sneezes

In Sweden isn’t considered impolite not to say anything when someone sneezes. Sometimes you hear someone saying the following:

• Prosit! – Bless you!

Swedish phrase for goodbye

• Hejdå – Goodbye

More from Hej Sweden about the Swedish language

• Funny Swedish Words & Phrases
• Swedish national anthem (lyrics in Swedish and English)
• Swedish alphabet: A-Z/Ö

slut – finish

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Email
• Share on WhatsApp
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Reddit

Related Posts:

3 thoughts on “Basic Swedish Phrases, Words & Common Sentences – for Your Trip to Sweden”

Can you write in swedish dirty sentence

Yes, of course, I could. I mean, I could … ;)

How about some audio so we know how the words sound?

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Understand Swedish Quirks

In this book you’ll learn how to ...

• Interact with Swedes, without embarrassing yourself
• Celebrate Swedish traditions
• Flirt like a Swede
• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies
• 3rd Party Cookies
• Cookie Policy

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side.

To view our full privacy policy click here

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

This website uses Google Analyticsand Facebook Pixel to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

More information about our Cookie Policy

Translation of "homework" into Swedish

läxa, hemläxa, hemuppgift are the top translations of "homework" into Swedish. Sample translated sentence: I forgot to bring my homework to school. ↔ Jag glömde att ta med mig min läxa till skolan.

Work that is done at home, especially school exercises set by a teacher. [..]

English-Swedish dictionary

work that is done at home [..]

I forgot to bring my homework to school.

Jag glömde att ta med mig min läxa till skolan.

The dog ate my homework .

Hunden åt upp min hemläxa .

work that is done at home

Tom was the only one who didn't hand in his homework on time.

Tom var den ende som inte lämnade in hemuppgifterna i tid.

Less frequent translations

• hemuppgifter
• skoluppgift

Show algorithmically generated translations

Automatic translations of " homework " into Swedish

Translations with alternative spelling

Homework (film)

Homework (album)

Images with "homework"

Phrases similar to "homework" with translations into swedish.

• do homework läsa läxor

Translations of "homework" into Swedish in sentences, translation memory

homework translation | English-Swedish dictionary

Additional comments:

• Edit the entry
• Delete the entry
• Add a suggestion
• Add comment
• ! Put in pending

homework , housework , home , homesick

Sign up to add your entry

What is "Homework" in Swedish and how to say it?

Learn the word in this minigame:, more study routine vocabulary in swedish, example sentences, learn the word for "homework" in 45 more languages., other interesting topics in swedish, ready to learn swedish, language drops is a fun, visual language learning app. learn swedish free today..

• Drops for Business
• Visual Dictionary (Word Drops)
• Recommended Resources
• Redeem Gift
• Join Our Translator Team
• Help and FAQ

Drops Courses

Swedish pronunciation guide

Phonetical alphabet ipa.

Special characters

• Show translation:
• Related word/phrases:
• Last entry:

Translation of "Homework" in Swedish?

You can translate this in the following languages:

Related Words or Phrases:

Last 50 Translation Published

100+ Swedish Words and Phrases You Need to Master

Interested in learning Swedish but can’t find a Swede to help you? Let us be your guide! There are plenty of reasons why you’d want to get a handle on Swedish, but finding a good place to begin can be tricky.

To help you out, we’ve put together more than 100 of the most common Swedish words and phrases. You’ll learn how to say hello in Swedish , as well as other basic and useful Swedish phrases. We’ve broken it down into sections so if you’re looking for something specific, jump straight ahead.

Otherwise, let’s get started!

Swedish greetings & introductions

First among our vital Swedish words list are ways of saying hello. There are loads of variations on this, but we’re just going over the basics now.

If you’re interested in learning more Swedish greetings, we’ve got a more comprehensive article for you: How to Say Hello in Swedish

• Hej – Hi
• Hallå – Hello
• Mitt namn är – My name is
• Hur mår du? – How are you?
• Hejdå – Goodbye
• Vi ses – See you soon
• Kul att träffas – Nice to meet you

What to say when you don’t know what to say

Sometimes our minds go blank. Other times people just speak too fast. Whatever situation you’re in, here are the basic Swedish phrases you need to let someone know you can’t keep up!

8. Jag talar inte svenska – I don’t speak Swedish 9. Talar du engelska? – Do you speak English? 9. Jag förstår inte – I don’t understand 10. Kan du säga det igen? – Can you say that again? 11. Vad sa du? – What did you say? 12. Förlåt? – Sorry?/Pardon?

Helpful tip : The vast majority of Swedes will instinctively start speaking English to you if they detect any kind of accent. This can be annoying if you’re trying to learn Swedish, but helpful when you can’t remember the correct response. Don’t be afraid to resort to English!

How to say “thank you” in Swedish

Languages give astounding evidence of a nation’s attitude towards etiquette. Swedes, in general, don’t say “please” often (if at all), but “thank you” is a biggie. Here are the most basic ways to say your P’s and Q’s.

Want more information about saying thank you in Swedish? Check this article out: 15 Ways to Say Thank You in Swedish

13. Tack – Thanks 14. Tack så mycket – Thanks so much 15. Är du snäll? – Please (if requesting something such as a drink or a favor) 16. Varsågod – You’re welcome

Visiting a Swedish restaurant

Ordering meatballs or a classic cinnamon bun? Whatever’s on the menu, you’ll want to know how to get it from the kitchen to your belly. Again, in all likelihood, your server will be able to speak English. If you’re determined to order in Swedish however, here’s how to do it.

17. Jag vill ha – I would like 18. Kan jag få…? – Can I get…? 19. Finns menyn på engelska? – Do you have a menu in English? 20. Vad rekommenderar du? – What do you recommend? 21. Kan jag få notan? – Can I get the bill? 22. Vad kostar det? – How much does it cost? 23. Ingår dricka? – Is a drink included? Helpful tip: Swedes LOVE lunching. Lunch time is actually the cheapest time to eat at Swedish restaurants, and most have specific lunch menus. Often, a meal will cost up to 10% less than the dinner menu. Also, at most restaurants, a soft drink, coffee and a cookie are included in the lunch price.

Allergies and dietary requirements:

Just in case, here are the Swedish words for common dietary requirements. Some reports state that 1 in 4 Swedes have some kind of allergy, so if you’re a sufferer you’re in the right place for it. Most restaurants cater for all kinds of dietary requirements, and these are the words to look out for if that’s you: 24. Glutenfri – Gluten free 25. Laktosfri – Lactose free 26. Vegan – Vegan 27. Vegetarisk – Vegetarian 28. Soja – Soya 29. Ägg – Eggs 30. Mjölk – Milk 31. Nötter – Nuts

Transport in Sweden

Depending on where you visit (or live) will have an impact on your transport options. Big cities in Sweden are built with public transport in mind, so you probably don’t need to hire a car. Be that as it may, it’s important to know how to navigate Sweden. Here are the basics:

32. Bilen – The car 33. Bussen – The bus 34. Tåget – The train 35. Tunnelbanan – The subway 36. Båten – The boat 37. Färjan – The ferry 38. Pendeltåget – The commuter train 39. Spårvagnen – The tram

Helpful tip : Number plates in Sweden for privately owned vehicles are white. Buses, taxis and vehicles permitted to use the bus lanes have yellow plates. So, you’ll be able to tell your Uber apart from a randomer’s car (always helpful!).

Asking for help about transport in Sweden:

Don’t know which platform to go to? Confused about which bus stop to go to? No problem. Here’s how to ask for directions in Swedish: 40. Vilket spår? – Which platform? 41. Vilken station? – Which station? 42. Är jag på rätt busshållplats? – Am I at the right bus stop? 43. Vilken tid går bussen/tåget? – What time does the bus/train leave? 44. Åker den mot…? – Does this (bus, train, etc) go to…? 45. Hur kommer jag dit? – How do I get there? 46. Vet du hur jag kommer till…? – Do you know how I get to…?

And here’s how to understand directions:

47. Ja – Yes 48. Nej – No 49. Höger – Right 50. Vänster – Left 51. Rakt fram – Straight ahead 52. Runt hörnan – Around the corner 53. Bakom dig – Behind you Helpful tip : Swedes use the metric system, so you’re likely to receive directions in meters and kilometers.

Swedish words to describe relationships

Whether you’re heading to a Swedish wedding or you’re introduced to someone’s many friends and family, it’s definitely worth deciphering who is who in a room. These are the words you need to know: 54. Mamma – Mom 55. Pappa – Dad 56. Bror – Brother 57. Syster – Sister 58. Flickvän – Girlfriend (romantic) 59. Pojkvän – Boyfriend (romantic) 60. Sambo – Partner (romantic) 61. Fru / Maka – Wife 62. Man / Make – Husband

Romantic Swedish phrases

Speaking of weddings, you’ll probably hear these words a lot. Stay in the know by learning what these romantic Swedish words mean!

By the way, we’ve got a whole article hopelessly devoted to the language of love in Sweden. Find it here: How to Say I Love You in Swedish 63. Jag älskar dig – I love you 64. Älskling – Darling / My love 65. Min käraste – My beloved 66. Lyckliga paret – The happy couple

Helpful tip : The word for “married” in Swedish is the same as the word for “poison”: gift . They’re pronounced the same but context is key here (obviously!). Weddings won’t suddenly turn into a case for Sherlock or Poirot but it’s something to be aware of!

Swedish phrases for celebrating

Of course, It’s not just weddings that warrant a party in Sweden. There are plenty of times Swedes raise a glass to congratulate or celebrate. Learn these words so you can join in!

Don’t forget, there’s an article all about saying happy birthday in Swedish, find it here: How to Say Happy Birthday in Swedish

67. Grattis – Congratulations 68. Grattis på födelsedagen – Happy birthday 69. Gott nytt år – Happy new year 70. God jul – Happy Christmas 71. Glad påsk – Happy Easter 72. Glad midsommar – Happy midsummer

Days of the week in Swedish

If you are invited to a party, it might be worth your while knowing the days of the week in Swedish.

For even more info on this, including months and seasons, read: Days of the Week, Months & Seasons in Swedish

73. Måndag – Monday 74. Tisdag – Tuesday 75. Onsdag – Wednesday 76. Torsdag – Thursday 77. Fredag – Friday 78. Lördag – Saturday 79. Söndag – Sunday

Helpful tip : Opening and closing times vary in Sweden on weekends. Some things you might take for granted back home become tricky. For instance, Systembolaget stores (liquor stores) are closed on Sundays, and some close as early as midday on Saturdays. Days of the week are abbreviated to the first three letters (Mån, Tis, Ons, etc).

Most common verbs in Swedish

These are the 10 most common verbs in Swedish. We’ve provided them in their present form with their English translations.

80. Vara – To be 81. Få – To get 82. Gå – Go (Walk) 83. Åka – Go (Travel) 84. Se – See 85. Äta – Eat 86. Prata – Speak 87. Ha – Have 88. Sova – Sleep 89. Gilla – Like

Helpful tip : A great resource for conjugating Swedish verbs is bab.la, and you’ll find all the conjugations to the words listed above in the link!

Swedish words to use in emergencies

We hope you never have to use them, but knowing them could make all the difference. Here are the names of people you might need to call on in an emergency, and what to say to them.

Lastly, a final reminder that in a real emergency, English is fine and you will be understood. However, there are times where knowing these words will speed a process up or get to safety quicker.

90. Hjälp mig – Help me 91. Jag behöver en läkare – I need a doctor 92. Ring polisen – Call the police 93. Ring efter en ambulans – Call an ambulance 94. Lämna byggnaden – Leave the building 95. Eld – Fire 96. Stopp – Stop 97. Jag är sjuk – I’m sick 98. Jag behöver medicin – I need medicine 99. Mot närmaste sjukhuset – To the nearest hospital (say to a taxi driver)

Helpful tip : Calling an ambulance is free of charge in Sweden and should be the first thing you do in an emergency. We’ve listed emergency numbers in Sweden below in case you want to make a note of them:

In the case of an emergency (i.e your life or someone else’s life is in danger) dial the numbers 112. For non emergency police help, call 114 14. For non-life threatening health advice, call 1177. If you need information following an accident or crisis, call 11313.

Numbers in Swedish

Counting to ten is a must for any beginner learning a new language. We’ve thrown in the Swedish words for 100 and 1000 too, just for fun. The basics of counting in Swedish is, thankfully, very straightforward. Swedes formulate numbers much the same as English speakers, so discount your fears. Also, remember that the symbol for the Swedish currency is ” :- ” – just pretend you’re typing a smiley face!

Ett – One Två – Two Tre – Three Fyra – Four Fem – Five Sex – Six Sju – Seven Åtta – Eight Nio – Nine Tio – Ten Tjugo – Twenty Etthundra – One hundred Ettusen – One thousand

Non-essential but fun Swedish words

Beautiful Swedish words:

• Sänghimmel – Eng. Canopy (Lit trans: “bed heaven”)
• Eldstad – Eng. Fireplace (Lit trans: “Fire city”)
• Tillit – Eng. Trust (Lit trans: “To (with) trust”. Implies a meeting in the middle of both parties)
• Månskära – Eng. Crescent moon (Lit trans: (Moon-slice”)
• Sovmorgon – Eng. Lie-in (Lit trans: “sleep morning”)

Funny Swedish words:

• Fågelvapen – Eng. Crest ( of a bird ) (Lit trans: “bird weapon”)
• Svinpäls – Eng. Insult, impolite (Lit trans: “Swine fur”)
• Latmask – Eng. Insult , impolite (Lit trans: “lazy worm”)
• Badkruka – Eng. Hydrophobic person , someone who never swims (Lit trans: “Bathing pot”)
• Beslutsångest – Eng. Indecision causing feelings of panic (Lit trans: Decisions anxiety)

Untranslatable Swedish words:

• Orka – Verb : meaning to be bothered, have enough energy. Example: Jag orkar inte laga mat . “I can’t be bothered to make food.”
• Hinna – Verb : meaning to have enough time. Example: Jag hinner inte med en kaffe till . “I don’t have enough time for another coffee.”
• Mysa – Verb : meaning to cozy up. Example. Kom och mysa med mig . “Come and cozy up with me.”
• Blunda – Verb , to close one’s eyes. Example. Blunda, jag har en överraskning till dig . “Close your eyes, I have a surprise for you”
• Mångata – Noun , the slither of reflection from the moon on a water’s surface. (Lit trans: “Moon street”)

We hope you learned a lot of new Swedish words and phrases with us today. If you have a favorite Swedish word, tell us about it in the comments below! Until next time, lycka till with your Swedish learning!

3 thoughts on “100+ Swedish Words and Phrases You Need to Master”

du är inte smart

lär dig svenska bättre din lata jävel

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Which Language Do You Want to Learn?

• Inside Babbel
• Babbel Bytes

ARTICLES ABOUT

13 extremely useful swedish words and phrases (and how to use them).

Speaking a language is about more than knowing enough words and mastering the grammar — it’s also about those strange yet specific phrases and sayings that your teacher wouldn’t tell you. That’s why we’ll try to explain here what it means to be sugen , when you ask Läget? And why — trust me on this one — personal taste is like a person’s backside. Here are some of the most useful Swedish phrases if you want to sound like a native.

Literal Translation: to be sucked Meaning: the desire to do or have something; craving

You know that feeling when you really really want a coffee/fries/more snow/a beer/to swim in a lake/to have children/to travel to Kenya/to enter the Eurovision song contest?

No? Well, in Swedish it’s called sugen and is, as you can see, applicable to almost anything. A Google search suggests, in addition to the above mentioned examples: sugen på golf, sugen på att ha en shetlandsponny, sugen på att julpynta and sugen på rött hår (which tells us that Swedes on the internet are likely to feel like playing golf, rearing Shetland ponies, putting up Christmas decorations or having red hair). However, the most common way to use this Swedish phrase is when you’re talking about food and drinks, i.e. Jag är sugen på glass (“I feel like ice cream”). It also comes in countless practical compound variations, such as kaffesugen , godissugen  or shoppingsugen (“feeling like coffee, candy, shopping”).

Smakar det så kostar det

Literal Translation: tastes it so costs it Meaning: you pay for quality

Scandinavia has a nasty habit of eating its way through your wallet immediately after you get off the plane or train. Smakar det så kostar det is an expression meant to console you after you’ve decided to pay 6 dollars for a kanelbulle (cinnamon roll): good things in life will cost you, but it’s probably worth it. But the expression is also often muttered in a sarcastic way, that is, when you actually don’t think it’s worth the money.

• Den här räkmackan kostar 190 kronor! (“This shrimp sandwich costs 190 kronor!”)
• Jo jo, smakar det så kostar det.

Literal Translation: position; location Meaning: What’s up?

You might have learned “ Hur mår du? “ as the key Swedish phrase to ask how somebody is doing. I still encourage you to use that one, since it works with all demographic groups, but it also comes in handy to be able to use the more informal Läget? or, in its full version, Hur är läget? (“How does it lie?”).

This is frequently used both by teenagers and men in their fifties when they meet their polare (“friends”).

• Tja Bosse! Läget? (“Hi Bosse! What’s up?”)
• Tjena Freddie! Bra! Själv? (“Hey Freddie! All good! And you?”)
• Jo, bra! (“Yeah, good!”)

Smaken är som baken

Literal Translation: the taste is like the butt Meaning: different strokes for different folks

Consensus is very important to the majority of Swedes. Ideally, everyone should be happy with every decision ever made. And if you realize you can’t agree with someone, then it’s better to leave the discussion at a courteous “let’s agree to disagree.” So, instead of debating for hours and hours whether sour cream and onion or dill is the best chip flavor, you can just say, Ja, ja, smaken är som baken . Easy!

But wait a minute, how exactly are human buttocks and your favorite chip flavor similar? Well, this Swedish phrase makes no sense unless you know how it ends: Smaken är som baken: delad (“The taste is like the butt: divided”). Okay, it might not necessarily make more sense now, but we just have to live with that.

Soft, fett, nice

These adjectives are great for the many occasions when a simple bra or trevligt (good, great) is not enough, which is — if you ask anyone under 40 — almost always. Swedes use the English adjectives “nice,” “cool,” and, more surprisingly, “soft” a lot. Soft in Swedish, however, has little to do with sensations or materials, and more to do with a feeling of satisfaction, and good times in general:

• Jag ska till Mallis nästa vecka. (“I’m going to Mallorca next week.”)
• Gud va soft! (“God, how soft!”)

Fett , literally “fat,” is used when something is really awesome, and nice has taken on the function of a general answer to any positive statement. A conversation among Swedish 20- or 30-somethings is quite likely to go something like this:

• Jag tog en öl med Berit på XYZ-baren igår. (“I had a beer with Berit in the XYZ bar yesterday.”)
• Nice! Är det ett soft ställe? (“Nice! Is it a cool place?”)
• Ja, det är fett! (“Yeah, it’s awesome!”)

Typ, liksom, alltså, såhär…

Literal Translation: type, like, so, like this… Meaning: like, kind of, like, kind of like…

You probably won’t learn these words in any formal language-learning setting, which is why I’ll teach you them here. They’re all filler words, which means that they don’t really mean anything — their function is merely to fill out the pauses in speech. You know, those kind of words that your grumpy uncle told you to use less of when you were a teenager.

These Swedish fillers often correspond to “like,” but are used a bit differently. For example, when you don’t yet know how you want to start your sentence, but you know that you have the urge to speak, say alltså (often pronounced “asså” ). Asså said just by itself has also become the perfect expression for anything which is just beyond words. If you and your friend saw — I don’t know — a parade of rollerblading clowns, you’d exchange a look and say “Assåå…” And when your friend sends you an indescribable picture of yourself from last night, you might just respond with “Asså.”

Liksom, såhär and typ are closer to “like” in English, when used as sentence fillers. If you want to describe your date from last night in a convincing Swedish way, you might opt for this kind of sentence:

Han va liksom såhär, rätt snygg, typ ganska rolig, du vet en vanlig kille liksom. (He was kind of, like, quite handsome, like, pretty funny, — a normal guy, you know.)

Or, in your grumpy uncle’s words: “Han var en vanlig kille: rätt snygg och ganska rolig.”

Det är en dag imorgon också

Literal Translation: there is a day tomorrow as well Meaning: we’d better get going

Cliché alert on this one, but it’s a practical way to call it a day. Together with Vi måste tänka på refrängen (“We’ll have to think about the refrain”), it’s canonized as an unoriginal but effective phrase to make people understand that you’re about to leave. Since it is a bit of a cliché, it’s often said with glimten i ögat (“a twinkle in the eye”).

• Va, har ni hämtat era jackor? (“What, have you collected your jackets?”)
• Ja, vi måste nog tänka på refrängen. Det är en dag imorgon också!

Jag säger inget, så har jag ingenting sagt

Literal Translation: I say nothing, so have I nothing said Meaning: I prefer not to say anything about this

This is one of the Swedish phrases that taps into the Swedish psyche better than anything. Avoid conflict and stay silent while someone is telling you what they think about something, then slip in a snide remark about actually having an opinion, but keep this opinion to yourself, because you don’t want to create a dålig stämning (“bad atmosphere”).

• Har inte Gösta en fruktansvärt ful slips? (“Isn’t Gösta wearing an awfully ugly tie?”)
• Jag säger inget, så har jag ingenting sagt.

Illustrations by Elena Lombardi .

Take a free test to find your Swedish level!

Undrar du vilken nivå din svenska ligger på just nu? 

Anmäl dig till mitt nyhetsbrev och ta testet för att se var du ligger på den Gemensamma Europeiska Referensramen för Språk för vokabulär och grammatik. 

Du får också ett mejl några dagar senare som förklarar vad varje nivå innebär och vad du behöver göra för att förbättra din svenska.

Get extra support and explanations next day

Wondering what your Swedish level is right now?

Sign up to my newsletter and take our test to find out where you are on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages for vocabulary and grammar.

You’ll also receive an email a few days later to explain what each level means and what you need to work on to improve your Swedish. 

Take the free Swedish level test

Popular swedish courses.

Not sure which course to pick for your level?

Now Drive We : Learn how to actually think in Swedish through literal translations. Decoding, Active Listening, Passive Listening, smart (literal) flashcards, Live Q&A’s for support, and an exclusive online community. Most materials in “If English were spoken like Swedish”-English. Perfect for beginners and early intermediates.

Tone Your Swedish : Unlock the secrets of impeccable pronunciation, authentic Swedish rhythm and intonation, and develop the ability to speak Swedish with finesse. Detailed anatomical insights into all Swedish phonemes, including unique MRI videos and lip/tongue coordination exercises. Stress and melody practice as well as dialect variations. In Swedish with English and Swedish subtitles. Suitable for all levels. Vowel and Consonant sections now available to buy as separate courses.

Swedish Verbs 101 Bootcamp : Memorise the most important verbs in all forms – once and for all. No more doubting or guessing. Great way to take a leap forward in speaking, writing and listening confidence. Intensive self-study course with unique bootcamp method, using unique circuit style training in Quizlet + warm ups and cool downs. Requires 6-8 hours of intensive studying per week, for 5 weeks. Suitable for A2, B1 and B2 (you need to have an idea of some of the verb forms to make the most of this course). Q&A videos in English. Materials in Swedish and English.

100 Svenska Adjektiv : learn 100 Swedish adjectives and spice up your Swedish. Compact course with combined vocabulary and extensive grammar exercises. Do it in your own time, as and when. Suitable for A2, B1 and B2+. No videos. In Swedish and English.

Swedish Grammar Made Easy : Overview course of foundational Swedish grammar rules – perfect complement to Duolingo. Do it in your own time, as and when. Suitable for total beginners, A1 and A2. Cheat sheets available as mobile/desktop wallpapers. Also suitable for intermediate learners who need a recap on the basics of Swedish grammar. In English with Swedish examples.

Swedish ÅÄÖ + SJ : Introductory pronunciation course. Suitable for anyone, beginners in particular. In English with Swedish examples.

Teach Yourself Complete Swedish Book : Suitable for beginners who want to mainly do self-studying, or those who are doing a course but feel they need more grammar instructions. Also perfect for those who have dabbled with Duolingo etc, and now want to get a bit more serious about their Swedish learning.

1-to-1 lessons with us : all levels

Språkkafé : träna på att prata svenska i liten grupp på Zoom. Passar för B1 och högre nivåer.

Popular digital downloads

Anneli's famous book Complete Swedish

Do you want to learn Swedish by yourself? This is the course book you need. 

The book covers levels A1 to early B2 (beginners to upper intermediate). 

All the answers to the exercises are available in the back of the book, so you can check them yourself.

There is also free audio for this course. It’s available to download to the Teach Yourself Library app, or to stream via the Teach Yourself Library website.

You can use this book in your own, or as a complement to other courses (SFI, Folkuniversitetet, or lessons with a Swedish teacher).

It’s perfect if you’ve used Duolingo for a while, but find that you need more sentence structure and grammar.

Get Complete Swedish now

Private Swedish lessons

Är du intresserad av att lära dig svenska? Funderar du på att ta svenska lektioner med en lärare? I så fall har du kommit till rätt ställe.

Are you interested in learning Swedish? Thinking of doing Swedish lessons with a teacher? If so, you’ve come to the right place.

Vi använder en myriad av olika verktyg när vi undervisar i svenska; kursböcker, digitala material, YouTube-videor, poddar, tidningsartiklar, musik och mer. Genom att göra detta skapar vi en spännande lärandemiljö för dig, tillsammans med robusta studierutiner.

Både Anneli och Daniel är  kvalificerade SWEDEX-examinatorer , så vi kan hjälpa dig om du behöver förbereda dig för ett SWEDEX-prov.

We use a myriad of different tools when we teach Swedish; course books, digital materials, YouTube videos, podcasts, newspaper articles, music and more. By doing this, we create an exciting learning environment for you, alongside robust study routines. 

Both Anneli and Daniel are  qualified SWEDEX examiners , so we can help you if you need to prepare for a SWEDEX exam.

Gifts for Swedish language learners

Welcome to Swedish Made Easy’s gift shop, where you can buy Swedish language-related gifts for a loved one.

Or if you’re a Swedish learner, browse and put on your wish list!

Browse online course, books, funny t-shirts and lesson vouchers.

You can choose your price range, starting at $10 / £8 / €9 / 110 kr.

Gifts for Swedish learners

Want to learn swedish online, is this you.

“I want to learn  Swedish online, or maybe do online courses …” “I haven’t found any resources that give me a real foundation on how to actually put sentences together, because there’s so much out there and I feel overwhelmed…” “I’d like to learn Swedish with a Swedish teacher , but I don’t want to sit in a group among other learners…”

Or maybe this is you?

“I want to learn Swedish but I don’t want to (or can’t) travel to a particular place at a particular time, so I keep putting it off…” “I’m self-conscious and feel embarrassed when trying to speak Swedish, and as a result I don’t get enough practice; I would like help with pronunciation and confidence when speaking …” “ Swedish grammar is confusing to me, and I don’t even know what an adverb or a preposition is, and therefore I feel like I can’t learn it and don’t know where to start…”

How to learn Swedish online

You can learn Swedish, no matter your age and no matter where you live. Many believe it’s impossible to learn Swedish as an adult, or that you can’t learn unless you live in Sweden. It’s not true. 

Technology = learn Swedish online

Firstly, with the help of technology you can learn Swedish online from anywhere in the world. Secondly, it’s never too late to learn a new language. One of our students only started learning Swedish in her 50’s and she’s now at the age of 60 publishing books in Swedish!

Swedish Made Easy has helped many hundreds of students over more than 15 years. What you need is guidance, tools and support , and some help navigating the learner journey.

Choose your journey to learn Swedish online

You might want to study mainly on your own, or maybe you feel you would like a teacher to help you with feedback, accountability and a study routine.

We have many options for you , from one-to-one Swedish lessons to online Swedish courses, self-study courses and an online Swedish language café. This means you can choose the perfect way for you. 

Dr Anneli Beronius Haake

Swedish teacher.

Founder & Director, Author and Course Creator. PhD in music psychology. Music maker & Dog Lover.

Anneli Beronius Haake

How to say the Swedish SJ-sound

Swedish vowels – Å, Ä, Ö

How to create plural endings in Swedish

Want to expand your swedish vocabulary, för dig som inte är nybörjare.

Språkkafé online

Konversationsträning.

Fikar du ensam? Vill du träna på att prata svenska i liten grupp? Fixa en kopp kaffe och boka en plats på vårt språkkafé på Zoom! £8 per gång

Privatlektioner i svenska

1-to-1 via zoom.

Privatlektioner med en lärare. Fokusområden, t ex specifika grammatikproblem, läs- och skrivträning, uttal/konversationsträning, eller något annat som du behöver jobba med.  

Min intervju i podden "Lätt svenska med Oskar"

I januari 2024 var jag med i Oskar Nyströms podd Lätt Svenska med Oskar .

Du kan följa och lyssna på hans podd på Spotify, eller via din podcast-app på din mobiltelefon. 

Vi hade ett roligt och fint samtal. Här kan du lyssna på avsnittet med mig!

Learn Swedish Online

Språk bygger broar. Genom språket kommer man närmare människor och förstår mer om ett lands samhälle och kultur.

Best way to learn Swedish

How to set realistic language goals (and achieve them)

Is Swedish hard to learn?

Free swedish resources, your swedish teachers, dina svensklärare.

Dr Anneli Beronius Haake Founder & Director

Swedish teacher, author of the best seller book Teach Yourself Complete Swedish, founder of Swedish Made Easy. Seen on BBC Two as the Swedish Teacher in Twinstitute. 

Anneli is passionate about helping people learn Swedish online. She is particularly interested in speaking confidence and  pronunciation, and has created the famous course Speak Like a Swede with Stefan Holmström.

Daniel Lind Teaching Associate

Swedish Teacher, translator and author. Translated the book Short Stories in Swedish for Beginners.  

Daniel leads the Swedish Made Easy språkkafé online and has a special interest in reading and writing skills.

Stefan Holmström Project Associate

Professional opera singer and voice trainer. Involved in the course Tone Your Swedish, and also creating workshops and events on Swedish pronunciation. 

Student reviews

What people say?

I needed to learn swedish to speak with my in-laws, gives me nuances of swedish culture, i began feeling competent, he guides me through the content, learn swedish with swedish music.

Följ min spellista på Spotify och lyssna på svensk musik!

Musik från 60-, 70-, 80-, 90-, och 2000+ talet. Alla genrer.

Leta upp texterna på internet (eller ‘lyrics videos’ på YouTube) och sjung med!

swedishmadeeasy

Privacy overview.

With Free Swedish Worksheets

16+ Swedish Worksheets for Beginners PDF Printables

Want to learn Swedish?

At SwedishPod101, you start speaking Swedish in minutes… with our audio/video lessons made by real teachers.

And, guess what? You can also get FREE Swedish worksheets . So you can practice what you’ve learned in our lessons.

How? Just sign up for a Free Lifetime Account and you can access all of our printable Swedish beginner worksheets below. They’re yours to download, print, and use as much as you want.

16+ Printable Swedish Worksheets at SwedishPod101

How to Use SwedishPod101’s Worksheets

Just download our Swedish worksheets PDF files and print them out! Then, practice writing out words and phrases on the provided lines on the inside. It’s as simple as that.

How the Swedish alphabet worksheet works:

The first thing any beginner should learn is the alphabet. However, most schools can take a week to teach you the alphabet. But, with these worksheets, you can learn the alphabet in an hour or less!

Just practice writing out the characters inside the worksheet. You’ll even get a chance to practice writing a few simple words. Once you’re done with the alphabet worksheet, feel free to move on to the other Swedish worksheet PDFs.

Here’s how the Swedish writing worksheets work:

In the first part, you’ll get the Swedish word and its meaning, and your job is to write the word in Swedish.

In the second part, you get the Swedish word without any translations. Your job is to write the English translation here.

The third part will test your ability to recall the Swedish words. Here, you only get the English translation. Your job is to try and remember the Swedish word and write it out on the provided line.

By the end, you’ll remember the words because you’re tested on them in multiple ways: 1) recalling the meaning of the Swedish word and 2) recalling the Swedish word from the English translation.

You can also print out several copies of the Swedish worksheet PDFs in order to get extra practice.

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn with Worksheets

• They’re 100% FREE at SwedishPod101.
• You get practice writing in Swedish.
• You get to remember Swedish much better.
• You’ll be able to speak and understand more Swedish as a result.
• You’ll never learn if you don’t practice.

You’re here because you want to learn Swedish, right?

Well, If you want to learn and speak flowing Swedish, you can’t just passively read or listen to Swedish and hope it sticks. A few words may stick but you will forget a majority of what you hear and learn. And you’re probably already well aware of how quickly you forget what you learn, right? Let’s change that.

So, if you want to truly learn Swedish, you’ll need to practice. Repeated practice is what cements the Swedish into your brain. And that’s where our Swedish worksheets for beginners come in.

Not only will you learn words, phrases, and Swedish grammar, but you also get a chance to practice what you’ve learned and cement these words into your head. The worksheets are designed to teach and test you, so that you end up remembering the Swedish better.

Best of all? They’re free for SwedishPod101 members. So, download the printable Swedish worksheets, print them out and start practicing Swedish.

The result? You’ll know and speak more Swedish. And of course, you’ll be able to write as well.

How to Get FREE Access

If you’re an existing SwedishPod101 user, you already have access! Just log in and download.

If not, to get free access to all of the Swedish worksheets above, you must sign up for a Free Lifetime Account at SwedishPod101.

Here’s how you sign up and get the PDFs

What’s swedishpod101.

New to SwedishPod101? Welcome!

SwedishPod101 is the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Swedish.

You learn Swedish with fun audio/video lessons made by real teachers. Just press play on a lesson, absorb a conversation and start speaking in minutes. We’ll guide you from lesson 1, to 2, to 3… until fluency.

• Online Swedish Learning Program
• 16+ Years of Teaching Languages (Since 2005)
• Teaching 34 Languages with our Time-tested System
• Over 2+ Billion Lessons Downloaded to Date
• New Free Lessons Added Weekly

These Swedish worksheet PDFs are a free bonus for our members and anyone interested in learning Swedish. So, if you’re interested in learning Swedish, sign up for a FREE Lifetime Account today.

• Free Resources
• 1-800-567-9619
• Explore Archive
• Explore Language & Culture Blogs

Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. In Swedish. Posted by Marcus Cederström on Aug 19, 2016 in Grammar

Ja  by Joakim Jardenberg . Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

Learning a new language involves a lot of statements. My name is Marcus. I speak English and Swedish. I like gummy bears. You know, the usual. But to learn how to take that language and turn it into a conversation, you’ll need to know your question words: who, what, when, where, why, and how. In this post, we’ll give you the translation for each question word, as well as a few example questions to get you started.

First, the easy stuff:

• Where = var/vart
• Why = varför

Noticed that there are two words for “where,” didn’t you. It’s pretty simple really. Vart is used when you’re talking about where someone is going, where as var is used when you’re talking about where someone is. If there’s movement involved, vart is what you’re looking for. That being said, this distinction isn’t being made as much in spoken Swedish, but is still used in written Swedish.

Got it? Now let’s actually use those words in a few examples!

• Vem vill du fika med? = Who do you want to fika with?
• Vem talar du med? = Who are you talking to?
• Vem ska laga middag? = Who is going to make dinner?
• Vad heter du? = What is your name?
• Vad ska vi göra imorgon? = What should we do tomorrow?
• Vad vill du äta till frukost? = What do you want for breakfast?
• När flyttade du till Sverige? = When did you move to Sweden?
• När börjar filmen? = When does the movie start?
• När ska vi äta? = When are we going to eat?
• Var är du? = Where are you?
• Var bor du? = Where do you live?
• Var ligger Brasilien? = Where is Brazil?
• Vart ska du? = Where are you going?
• Vart tog hon vägen? = Where did she go?
• Vart går bussen? = Where does the bus go?
• Varför är himlen blå? = Why is the sky blue?
• Varför flyttade du till Sverige? = Why did you move to Sweden?
• Varför lär du dig svenska? = Why are you learning Swedish?
• Hur mår du? = How are you?
• Hur mycket kostar en biljett till Helsingborg? = How much does a ticket to Helsingborg cost?
• Hur hittar man vänner i Sverige? = How do you find friends in Sweden?

And for help with pronunciation, check out Steven ’s series on asking questions:

Asking questions, Part 1 Asking questions, Part 2 Asking questions, Part 3

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: Marcus Cederström

Marcus Cederström has been writing for the Transparent Swedish Blog since 2009. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Oregon, a Master's Degree in Scandinavian Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has taught Swedish for several years and still spells things wrong. So, if you see something, say something.

wow amzaing

Shannyn Lee:

Thank you very much, this is really helpful!!

Marcus Cederström:

Glad this has been helpful!

Life In Sweden

An expat blog about learning the Swedish language

Swedish Words for Work, and How to Use Them

Like so many others right now, over the last few months I’ve once again found myself searching for a job. Having moved to Sweden just over a year ago, this is a pretty big challenge. Part of the reason I started this blog has been as a way to structure my Swedish study to quickly get up to a work-fluent level.

As this has been a looming topic on my mind, I naturally started to wonder about the different Swedish words and phrases for work, jobs, and employment. This one has been another deep-dive into the history of these words, so I hope you find them as fascinating as I do! Don’t forget to check out my last article about how to use words for “doing” and “making” things. This post will continue on that theme of different ways to describe basic actions.

As always, I’m still learning too so please send me suggestions, corrections, advice, and any other help you’d like to send my way. This is centered on an English speaking perspective, but I try to mix in as many other languages as I can verify. Oh and get comfortable, because I really went down a lot of different rabbit holes on this one. In fact I’ll break this article up into two parts. The first will be translations and examples, then a second part on the history and etymology of work related words.

Part 1 – Swedish to english translations for Different types of work

If you’ve studied Swedish for any amount of time, you’ll have learned that it just doesn’t work to just plug a word into Google Translate and expect to use the result as a replacement for the English word. I’ll try to break down some of the different ways we use the word “work” in English, and apply them to their equivalent Swedish phrases.

How do I talk about Employment in swedish?

Arbete is the Swedish word most literally meaning “work” in the sense of employment. If you need to read through a Swedish employment contract you’ll find that your employer is your “arbetsgivare” (think work-giver), and you are the “arbetstagare” (work-taker, although there are more common words for employee such as “ anställd” ). Your workplace is an “arbetsplats” , and if you become unemployed you are “arbetslös” (think of that one like “work-less”. You can check out my previous article about Swedish words with the “lös/less suffix here ).

There is also the verb form “att arbeta” meaning “to work”, so I’ll post a conjugation list for all the verb forms I mention at the end of the post.

more casual Swedish phrases: “at work”, “work with”, etc.

Slightly more casual in use, “jobba” will be familiar to English speakers as being similar to “job”, but it gets a little trickier in practice. One example is “Jag jobbar på ____” . It’s easy to assume “jobbar på” simply means “work on”, and it can be used this way, but most of the time it’s closer to “work for” or “work at”. You’re telling someone where you work. For example “Jag jobbar på Pepsi” can be translated to English as either “I work for Pepsi”, or “I work at Pepsi”, and either way would be easily understood. To get closer to the English “worked on” as in, “I worked on the project”, you would use “Jag jobbade med projektet” .

This sounds pretty close to “I worked with” to us English speakers, and can be used in that sense as well. You can say “Jag jobbar med farliga kemikalier” (I work with dangerous chemicals), but also in the sense of working with a particular person, as in “Jag jobbar med Erik” (I work with Erik).

But what about saying something like “I’m at work”? You can use the noun form too, and it’s a nice and simple one to use as a practice “ett” word. A job is “ett jobb” . Being “at work” you would say “på jobbet” (on the job), which is a little clunky in English, but a perfectly normal Swedish phrase. When someone finally decides to hand me a contract for one of my many skills, I can celebrate by saying “Jag fick ett jobb!!” (I got a job!!).

Jobb can also be used for a specific task, very similar to how it is in English. “Gör ditt jobb” (do your job).

How to use the word “verk”

Now on to the “work” word that sounds closest to the English version – “verk” .

It might sound like someone doing a bad Swedish Chef impression, but this W to V sound shift is one of the most common giveaways that a Swedish word and an English word share common roots. They don’t always keep the same exact meanings, but the general idea stays pretty close.

“Verk” can mean a staggering variety of things, most of which we actually use in nearly the same sense in English. “Konstverk” means artwork or a work of art ( “konst” came from the Germanic word for art, where English took “art” from a Latin root). “Hantverk” is a term for a handcraft or product of a skilled trade. You can liken this to “handiwork”. “Verkstad” is a pretty close equivalent to “workshop”, for example you can call a mechanic’s shop a “ bilverkstad” . There is “järnverk” for ironwork (more on that in the history section), and the list goes on and on. By now the connection to things produced by hand and by skilled craftsmen should be apparent, and even exists in the verb “att tillverka” meaning to produce or manufacture something. But there is another context that you may have come across without even realizing it.

public works and agencies

If you plan to or have moved to Sweden, you may have had an encounter (good or bad) with a little agency called “Migrationsverket” . Usually translated as “migration agency”, lets take a look at the “verket” at the end of the word. That’s something you’ll see in the name of almost every government agency and office you’ll need to visit in Sweden. In that context of a public agency, “verket” makes a little more sense as “works”, as in a department of public works. Agency is probably still a better translation in English, but it’s still useful to see the connection and make sense of public department names.

So we can think of “Migrationsverket” as “the migration works”, or “Skatteverket” as “the tax works” ( “skatt” means “tax” or “treasure”). “Trafikverket” is the transportation agency, “Jordbruksverket” is the agricultural agency ( “jord” -earth/dirt, “bruk” -use), “Arbetslivsverket” is the work environment authority, and the list continues like that. Take a look at the list of Swedish government agencies and see how that method of breaking down the names makes it easier to understand what they do.

asking how things work

The final variety of “work” words I’d like to talk about is about how things function . “Att fungera” literally translates as “to function”, and it ultimately comes from the same root in Latin, but it’s typical for English speakers to simply want to ask “how does it work”. We wouldn’t normally think to use the word function, even though that’s correct English. In Swedish you need to be a little more specific and ask “hur fungerar det?” (how does it work). In speech you’ll hear this pronounced most of the time as “funkar” , so be on the lookout for that, as I didn’t realize they were the same word for quite a while.

Coming soon – Part 2 – Swedish and English language history

Now that you have some basic understanding of the context for words that mean “work” and how to use them, I’ll get into the history of how they’re related in my next post. There are related words for career, path, cars, carts, robots, and having energy, all tying back to the same few root words for work.

Thanks so much for reading these! I love doing this kind of research. If you bookmark this page, I’ll link it here, and also post on social media within the next few days. I finally have a Facebook page set up where I’ll post these articles, and you can find that here.

Tack så jättemycket!

Bonus – Verb Conjugations

3 thoughts on “Swedish Words for Work”

Tack My name is Ahmad I’m a teacher

This is the first time I am getting familiar with the Swedish language. It’s a very interesting yet helpful article to learn simple Swedish. Can’t wait for the next article! Jobb bra gjort.😊

• Pingback: Swedish Words for Work Part 2 • History and Etymology

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Nordic Perspective

29 Great Ways to Say Hello in Swedish (+ Pronunciations & Equivalents)

In most languages, the choice of words when you greet someone will set the bar for the rest of that conversation. Choose the wrong phrase, and you could be facing a confused local instead of a welcoming one. But have no fear! This list of Swedish ways to say Hello is here.

I’ve also included a short summary of how to pronounce it, what the American English equivalent is, and what kind of situations each phrase can be used in.

There are some local varieties in there as well, with Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö all being represented, along with other more remote dialects to spice it up a bit.

I must’ve heard a million Swedish greetings over the years, and these 29 have all made a good enough impression to be fondly remembered by me and most of the Swedish population (through TV and social media). The best of the best when it comes to Swedish greetings, if you will!

Now get out there and greet some Swedes like there’s no tomorrow!

The Easy Way: "Hej"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hi”

A short “Hej” is by far the easiest and most standard way to say hello in Swedish. It will always work, no matter the situation, but it may sound a bit too rigid and cold when used with close friends.

The word is rooted in the Old Norse language and became a common phrase among the general Swedish population around the turn of the century (early-1900s), when nationalistic trends saw a resurgence of Old Norse culture in the Nordics as a whole.

Here’s a funny and awkward short film about the word “Hej” made by the talented studio Konst i Kaos:

Historically speaking, the Gothic Association are attributed as early proponents of the word, starting to use it as a “secret” greeting as early as the 1800s, in an attempt to bring back Viking customs and traditions to the modern age.

Over time it was picked up by student societies across the country as a way to greet each other, eventually becoming the standard Swedish way to greet someone.

The Upgraded Easy Way: "Hej hej!"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey Hey”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hiiii”

Nothing says hello like saying it twice.

Swedes love to throw out a double-Hej to make the original greeting a bit more cheerful, while still not straying too far away from it.

The Nice Way: "Hejsan"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey-san”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hi there”

When you want to come off as approachable and unthreatening, a nice “Hejsan” will go a long way.

Here’s the semi-legendary Swedish Mohawk Kid with a great example of how to greet your parents with a “Hejsan”:

The Friendly Way: "Allt bra?"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Alt braw?”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “You good?”

Whenever you meet friends and acquaintances, a friendly “Allt bra?” will say hello and ask how they are doing all at once.

The Informal Way: "Tjena"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Che-nah”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Heyo”

If you’d like to avoid coming off as too rigid and formal, a simple “Tjena” will do great in many settings. It can be used safely with workmates, schoolmates, and any other people who do not expect a formal greeting.

Here’s a phenomenal example of how to say it in Stockholm:

The phrase interestingly stems from the old saying “Er ödmjuke tjänare” (“Your humble servant”), which was shortened to “Tjänare” in the 1700s when it started to be used among friends in an ironic manner. Eventually, it evolved to “Tjena” (which has its own variants as we will see further down).

This can be compared to the Italian “ciao” which originally means slave, and the less known German “servus” (which also stems from the Latin word for slave or servant).

The More Informal Way: "Tjabba"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Cha-bah”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Yo yo”

“Tjabba” is another form of “Tjena”, and can be used in even more informal settings or when you are trying to add a fun twist to your greeting.

Mostly used in the Stockholm region, as made abundantly clear in this awesome Eurodisco collab between Pernilla Wahlgren and Nicklas Strömstedt (decently translated in the video):

The Most Informal Way: "Tja"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Cha”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Yo”

Humanity has a strong tendency to cut every phrase down to its shortest possible form, and “Tja” is the shortest possible form of “Tjena”.

This variant of “Tjenare” is also the closest relative to the Italian “ciao” in both meaning and pronounciation .

Commonly used among friends, this is the perfect greeting when you want to acknowledge someone in a somewhat agreeable way without wasting any time or resources.

Oh and here’s nutty Swedish singer Carola with a great example of how to cover all your bases; with a “Tja”, followed by a “Hej”, and finished off with a “Salam”:

The Homie Way: "Läget?"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Laah-git”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “What’s up?”

This is my go-to phrase for greeting friends of any kind. “Läget?” basically means “How’s it going?”

RMK & Toppet showcases an excellent way to use the word in their funky song “Läget då?” (said at 0:55):

The Loud Way: "Hallå!"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hallo”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hello”

This is what I yell out when I come home and isn’t sure if anyone’s actually home but would like to find out.

So it can be more like a question I suppose, which the people of Gothenburg has definitely embraced as you shall see further down.

You’d also be ok to use this with a big smile on your face as a phrase to greet your friends.

Just don’t do whatever it is this guy is doing:

The Jokester Way: "Halloj"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hah-loy”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Helluuuh”

Throw out a “Halloj” when you want to change it up a bit and set a fun and relaxed tone. Is not used very frequently in my surroundings.

For reference Swedish comedians Peter & Fredde pulls off a solid “Halloj” around 0:39:

The Formal Way (Morning): "God morgon"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Guh-morr-on”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Good morning”

If you want to keep a formal and courteous tone, nothing beats a “God morgon” combined with a slight head nod when you meet someone in the morning.

Here’s a lovely example of how to say it from Swedish artist Ida Redig:

The Formal Way (Daytime): "God dag"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Guh-dog”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Good day”

If you want to keep a formal and courteous tone and you bump into someone around midday or early afternoon, you can’t go wrong with a “God dag”, yet again combined with a slight head nod.

Here’s Mora Träsk teaching Swedish kids how to say “God dag”, so I figured it might help anyone else looking to learn as well:

The Formal Way (Evening): "God kväll"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Guh-kvell”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Good evening”

For a formal and courteous greeting during the evening, a simple “God kväll” will work well, and if you choose to combine it with a slight head nod you score some bonus points.

Here’s a beautiful way to deliver a “God kväll” by Stefan Andersson (with a handy French translation), from the play “Teaterkungen: Gustav III”:

The Chill Way: "Tjo" / "Shoo"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Chu”

You’ll sometimes hear “Tjo” or “Shoo” in relaxed environments among friends in the bigger cities (usually common in but not exclusive to immigrant communities).

Get creative and tack on a “Läget?” after, making it “Shoo läget?”. Go even further and make it “Shoo läget brush?” (Yo sup bro?) for maximum bonus points.

Here’s an example from the south, from some funny dudes describing the rough day-to-day of a warehouse truck driver (“Shoo” at 1:31):

(I don’t think it’s supposed to be serious, but whatever the intentions it’s pretty funny)

The Countryside Way: "Huj"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Huy”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Howdy”

I’ll be honest, I haven’t heard this one that often. But then again, I don’t spend a whole lot of time on the Swedish countryside. But if you hear a “Huj” whilst touring rural Sweden, you now know what they mean.

The Stockholm Way: "Morsning!"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Mosh-ning”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Mornin'”

I’d say Stockholm is the only place in Sweden where you can pull of a “Morsning!” greeting.

It should be used exclusively in the morning, but saying this anywhere else in Sweden would likely greet you with confused looks and directions to the capital.

To take it one step further you can add a “korsning”, adding a rhyme and a twist that can cheer up even the stiffest coworker.

I couldn’t have said it better than Christer Pettersson even if I tried:

The Gothenburg Way: "Hallå eller!?"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hah-low ell-ur?”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Howdy-do!”

🇦🇺 Australian English equivalent: “G’day mate!”

Nothing puts a smile on my face as a loud and sudden “Hallå eller!?” when I go to Gothenburg or meet friends from the Västra Götaland region.

Is it a question or a greeting? Not sure. Either way, one should really emphasize and roll out the “r” as much as humanly possible for maximum bonus points: “Hallååå ellerrrrrr!?”

A smile on the face is also mandatory when greeting anyone this way.

For a perfect example, here’s an introduction to Gothenburg for newly arrived people from all over Sweden (it’s a comedy bit). Listen closely at 0:08:

The Malmö Way: "Hajj hajj"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hai hai”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “How goes it”

This one can get a bit confusing because it is also a way to say goodbye in Malmö and the rest of Skåne as well. Meet someone on the street? “Hajj hajj” along with a casual head nod. Wanting to say goodbye to someone on the phone? “Haaajjjjj”. Easy peasy!

Here’s a pitch-perfect example (how to end a phone call, Swedish vs. Scanian):

The Norrland Way: "Hörrdu"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Huhr-duh”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “You there!”

I’ve been to Norrland many times now, and every time I’m reminded how matter-of-fact and short they tend to be by nature. It’s so efficient, and a treasured part of Norrland culture.

So, the “Hörrdu” from the north is stated in a short and concise way. No emotion attached, no accusation inferred, and surprisingly no actual greeting involved either. Just a simple “Hörrdu”.

Not to be confused with the “Hörru!” you hear in Stockholm so often, although they are used in a similar way.

An old-school example still holding up to this day (listen for the very first word):

The Värmland Way: "Tjipp!"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Chip”

Now, I should clarify that this is not something all people from Värmland go around and say. But it was immortalized by a Värmlänning on TV between 1971 and 2003.

On the very popular children’s TV show “HAJK”, the host Bengt Alsterlind simply made this word up, and proceeded to greet everyone this way in each episode.

He now does this on a regular basis on his own YouTube channel (in a Wu-Tang T-shirt apparently):

The Old School Way: "Hej på dig"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey-poe-day”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Greetings”

This phrase is exclusively reserved for the older generation, and just won’t come out the right way if used by millennials or younger.

The Lazy Way: "Öh!"

I’ll try to paint a picture for you:

A group of friends is sitting on a couch watching some sports, a movie, or similar. One of them gets a hilarious GIF in a text and turns to the friends next to him and alerts them to this hilarity with an elbow nudge and a short and caveman-esque “Öh!”.

🗣️ Pronounced: “Uh!”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hey!”

The Big City Way: "Ey"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Ey”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Ey”

Can be used interchangeably with both “Öh” and “Hörrdu”, and is more popular among the densely populated big city suburbs of Sweden.

Here’s how it can sound (0:10):

The Laidback Way: "Va händer?"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Vuh hen-dur?”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “What’s going on?”

This can be used in a very laidback way combined with a smile, but can interestingly also become fairly hostile if you say it loudly accompanied by an angry face. So make sure you smile!

The Preschool Way: "Halli hallå"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Haa-lee haa-low”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Howdy-doody!”

Made famous by the surprisingly popular kids characters Babblarna (originally aimed to assist kids with learning challenges, but eventually embraced by the entire population of preschool kids in Sweden).

Watch at your own risk (nah just kidding, they’re great!):

The Witty Way: "Tjingeling"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Ching-eh-leeng”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hi-Diddily-Ho”

This is a phrase an overly enthusiastic person would exclaim upon entering the workplace, and also what someone trying to sound witty would probably say.

It sounds like those shopkeepers bells that small stores have attached to the door, if you know what I mean? “Tjing-e-ling”

The Group Way: "Hej allihopa"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey all-ee-hoopa”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hello everyone”

Can be used when greeting colleagues in a Zoom call or a class of first graders, so it’s a very versatile greeting when addressing a group of people.

I can’t think of many that say it better than Blondinbella (blogger turned successful entrepreneur):

The Clown Way: "Hejsan hoppsan!"

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey-san hop-san”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hoooowdy-ho”

This is what a clown at a kids birthday party would scream as he bursts into the room, with an extensive smile and way too much enthusiasm.

It was also made famous in the christmas song “Mössens julafton (Hejsan hoppsan)”:

The Snaps Way: "Hej tomtegubbar!

🗣️ Pronounced: “Hey tom-tuh-goo-bar”

🇺🇸 American English equivalent: “Hey-ho!”

Speaking of Christmas, the by far most popular “snaps song” (a song you sing before collectively taking a shot of Aquavit around the Christmas, midsummer, or Easter table) sung on Christmas eve is “Hej tomtegubbar!”, so expect jokesters to blurt this out at an increasing rate around the holidays.

As I feel we’ve gotten our fair share of cheerful songs already in this article, I also want to mention that this song can also be sung in a much more melancholic way (so more Nordic I’d say) as Nina Persson from The Cardigans does here (in a charity drive for homeless children):

Want to stay in touch with the Nordics?

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest Nordic resources, insights, tips, hidden gems, and much more.

By Karl Andersson

As a native Swede with a Finnish mother, Karl identifies as both Nordic and Scandinavian. He left Sweden at 19 to explore the world, and stayed abroad for almost 8 years—during which he backpacked, worked every job there was, earned a degree from UC Berkeley, and met the future mother of his children. He ultimately returned to his native Malmö with his love, where they now have 3 Swedish-American boys eager to explore the world.

Tack så mycket, detta är till stor hjälp för mig. I’m from Indonesia and I like to learn North Germanic languages especially Swedish (Svenska).

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Days of the week

Learn how to say the days of the week in Swedish. Note that days of the week are not written with an initial capital letter.

Sound is available for all the Swedish vocabulary on this page — simply click on any word to hear it.

Support our work

Help us to improve this site by becoming a supporter on Patreon. Benefits include the removal of all ads from the site and access to the Speak Languages Discord channel.

Become a supporter

© 2023 Speak Languages OÜ

Privacy policy   ·   Terms of use   ·   Contact us

• Bahasa Indonesia
• Bahasa Melayu

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

English pronunciation of homework

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

(English pronunciations of homework from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus and from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary , both sources © Cambridge University Press)

Word of the Day

at the same time

Worse than or worst of all? How to use the words ‘worse’ and ‘worst’

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• All translations

To add ${headword} to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

• My View My View
• Following Following
• Saved Saved

Swedish rapper C.Gambino shot dead in suspected gang attack, police say

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Anna Ringstrom Editing by Bernadette Baum

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Italy's PM Meloni comes out on top in EU vote, strengthening her hand

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's arch-conservative Brothers of Italy group won the most votes in this weekend's European parliamentary election, initial results showed, boosting her standing both at home and abroad.