Glossary: important Swedish words for the test
Here you can find explanations of important Swedish words for the test. Learn both what the words mean and how they are written in Swedish.
- A-kassa
- Unemployment insurance fund: a fund that assesses claims and pays benefits to unemployed people.
- advent
- Advent: the period covering the four Sundays before Christmas Day.
- afton
- Eve: in the names of many celebrations, it means the day before the main celebration day.
- aga
- Corporal punishment: physical punishment, such as hitting a child.
- algoritm
- Algorithm: rules in a computer system that, for example, choose which posts you see.
- allemansrätten
- The right of public access: the right to spend time in nature on someone else's land, with a duty to show care and respect.
- allmän handling
- Official document: a document held by a public authority that has been received or drawn up there.
- Allmän pension
- Public pension: a pension from the state, based largely on income earned throughout your life.
- Amortering
- Loan repayment: a payment that reduces the amount of money you owe on a loan.
- arbetarrörelsen
- Labour movement: a movement that worked for better lives, working conditions and rights for workers.
- Arbetsgivarorganisation
- Employers' organisation: an organisation that represents employers, including in talks with trade unions.
- arbetskraftsinvandring
- Labour immigration: people moving to a country to work.
- Arbetsmarknad
- Labour market: where employers who need staff meet people who want to work.
- Arbetsmiljö
- Work environment: conditions at work that affect people's bodies and mental health.
- ateism
- Atheism: not believing in any god.
- barnbidrag
- Child benefit: financial support for families with children that does not depend on the parents' income.
- barnkonventionen
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: the UN agreement on children's rights, which has applied as Swedish law since 2020.
- beredskap
- Preparedness: being ready for crises, war and other difficult events.
- Betalningsanmärkning
- Record of non-payment: a note held by a credit reporting company showing that a payment has not been made properly.
- biologisk mångfald
- Biodiversity: the variety of animals, plants and other living things.
- bistånd
- Aid: support for people and communities in other countries.
- bostadsbidrag
- Housing allowance: help with housing costs for families with children and some young people who meet the conditions.
- Bruttolön och nettolön
- Gross pay and net pay: gross pay is pay before tax. Net pay is pay after tax.
- budget
- Budget: a plan for income and spending.
- civilt försvar
- Civil defence: activities to protect the population and keep society working during war.
- Deklaration
- Tax return: information sent to the Swedish Tax Agency about income and other things that affect tax.
- demokrati
- Democracy: rule by the people, meaning that power should come from the people.
- demonstration
- Demonstration: a gathering where people publicly show their views on an issue.
- desinformation
- Disinformation: false or misleading information spread to deceive people.
- diskrimineringsgrund
- Protected characteristic: a characteristic protected by discrimination law, such as sex or age.
- DO
- Equality Ombudsman: the authority that works to ensure that discrimination law is followed.
- emigration
- Emigration: people leaving one country to live in another.
- EU
- European Union: a partnership in which Sweden and other European countries make some decisions together.
- Europakonventionen
- European Convention on Human Rights: a European agreement on human rights that also applies as Swedish law.
- Europaparlamentet
- European Parliament: the EU's elected assembly, whose members are elected every five years.
- Fackförbund
- Trade union: an organisation that works to improve employees' pay and conditions.
- fackförening
- Trade union: an organisation that represents employees on issues such as pay and working hours.
- fasta
- Fasting: going without food or certain types of food for a period of time.
- fika
- Taking a break with something to drink and sometimes something to eat.
- flyktinginvandring
- Refugee immigration: people coming to a country to seek protection from dangers such as war or persecution.
- FN
- United Nations: an organisation where the world's countries work together.
- folkbokföring
- Population registration: the official recording of information such as where people live.
- folkhemmet
- The people's home: a political idea of a society where everyone belongs and has security.
- folkomröstning
- Referendum: a vote where voters decide directly on a particular issue.
- folkrörelse
- Popular movement: a movement in which many people organise around shared ideas.
- fri rörlighet
- Free movement: people, goods, services and money being able to move between EU countries with fewer barriers.
- fristående skola
- Independent school: a school run by someone other than the state or municipality.
- fyraprocentsspärren
- The four per cent threshold: the main rule that a party needs at least four per cent of votes across the country to win seats in parliament.
- försvarsallians
- Defence alliance: cooperation in which countries promise to help each other if there is an armed attack.
- försörjningsstöd
- Income support: financial help from the municipality when other ways of paying for essential costs are not enough.
- förtidsröstning
- Early voting: voting before election day.
- förtroendevald
- Elected representative: a person chosen in an election to represent others and make decisions.
- förundersökning
- Preliminary investigation: an investigation into a suspected crime.
- förvaltningsdomstol
- Administrative court: a court that hears many disputes between individuals and public authorities.
- föräldraledighet
- Parental leave: time off work to care for children.
- föräldrapenning
- Parental benefit: money a parent may receive while staying at home to care for their child.
- geografi
- Geography: the study of what the Earth is like and how people live in different places.
- globalisering
- Globalisation: countries and people becoming more connected through things such as trade and information.
- grundlag
- Constitutional law: one of the country's most important laws, which other laws must not conflict with.
- hbtqi
- LGBTQI: a collective term for lesbian and gay people, bisexual people, transgender people, people with queer expressions or identities, and intersex people.
- helgdag
- Public holiday: a special day that is a holiday by law.
- humanitärt bistånd
- Humanitarian aid: help for people in urgent need, for example during a war.
- högkostnadsskydd
- High-cost protection: rules that limit your costs for certain healthcare visits or medicines during a set period.
- högtid
- Celebration or festival: a special time or day that people celebrate or mark.
- ideologi
- Ideology: basic ideas about how society should work.
- industrialisering
- Industrialisation: a change in which machines and factories become more important in production and work.
- JO
- Parliamentary Ombudsmen: they check that public authorities and their staff follow the rules.
- jämställdhet
- Gender equality: women and men having the same rights, duties and opportunities.
- katolicism
- Catholicism: a branch of Christianity in which the Pope is the church's highest leader.
- klimat
- Climate: the usual weather in a place over a long period.
- Kollektivavtal
- Collective agreement: a written agreement on working conditions between a trade union and an employer or employers' organisation.
- kommun
- Municipality: a local area with elected politicians, responsible for services such as schools and care for older people.
- kommunalskatt
- Local income tax: tax on income that goes to both the municipality and the region.
- kommunfullmäktige
- Municipal council: the municipality's highest decision-making body, elected by voters.
- konstitutionell monarki
- Constitutional monarchy: a system with a king or queen as head of state, where constitutional laws set out how the country is governed.
- konvention
- Convention: an agreement between countries.
- korruption
- Corruption: misusing your position to benefit yourself or someone else.
- Kreditupplysning
- Credit report: financial information used to assess whether someone can pay.
- Kriminalvården
- Swedish Prison and Probation Service: the authority responsible for prisons, remand centres and probation.
- kräftskiva
- Crayfish party: a party where people eat crayfish, often in late summer.
- källkritik
- Source evaluation: checking where information comes from and whether it can be trusted.
- källskydd
- Source protection: rules which mean, among other things, that the media normally cannot identify a source who wants to remain anonymous.
- könsidentitet
- Gender identity: a person's own sense of their gender.
- landsdel
- Major geographical area: one of Sweden's large areas, Götaland, Svealand or Norrland.
- landskap
- Historical province: an area with its own name, such as Skåne or Dalarna.
- LAS
- Employment Protection Act: a law with rules about employment and how it may be ended.
- likhet inför lagen
- Equality before the law: the same laws apply to everyone, and similar cases must be treated in the same way.
- livsåskådning
- World view: a way of thinking about life and what matters, with or without religion.
- luciatåg
- Lucia procession: a group that walks together and sings special songs for Lucia.
- luthersk kristendom
- Lutheran Christianity: a branch of Christianity based on Martin Luther's teachings.
- län
- County: one of Sweden's 21 areas for central government work at regional level.
- majoritet
- Majority: usually more than half of a group or of the votes.
- maktdelning
- Separation of powers: sharing power between different bodies with different duties.
- mandat
- Seat: a place in a body such as parliament.
- medborgarförslag
- Citizen's proposal: a suggestion from a resident to the municipal or regional council.
- meddelarfrihet
- Freedom to provide information: the broad right to give information for publication in media protected by constitutional law.
- meddelarskydd
- Protection for people who provide information: rules that protect those who give information to the media under this freedom.
- militär alliansfrihet
- Military non-alignment: a country staying outside military defence alliances.
- miljökvalitetsmål
- Environmental quality objective: a goal describing the condition the environment needs to be in, such as having clean air.
- ministerstyre
- Ministerial rule: when an individual minister gives orders that a public authority must follow, which is forbidden in Sweden.
- minoritet
- Minority: a smaller part of a group, such as those who receive fewer votes.
- misstroendeförklaring
- Vote of no confidence: parliament's formal decision that it no longer has confidence in the prime minister or another minister.
- moms
- Value added tax (VAT): a tax normally included in the price of goods and services.
- myndighet
- Public authority: a public organisation that carries out duties under laws and other rules.
- Myndigheten för civilt försvar
- Civil Defence Agency: a Swedish authority that works on society's preparedness and civil defence.
- målsägande
- Injured party: the person who has suffered the crime being investigated or heard in court.
- mångreligiöst land
- Multi-religious country: a country where there are several religions.
- mänskliga rättigheter
- Human rights: basic rights that every person has.
- mönstring
- Military service assessment: tests and interviews used to decide who should receive military training.
- nationaldag
- National day: a special day to celebrate a country. Sweden's national day is 6 June.
- nationell minoritet
- National minority: a group that has lived in the country for a long time and whose language and culture have special protection.
- Nato
- NATO: a defence alliance between countries in Europe and North America.
- naturresurs
- Natural resource: something in nature that people can use, such as forests or iron ore.
- neutralitet
- Neutrality: when a state does not take part in a war on either side.
- Nordiska rådet
- Nordic Council: cooperation between the Nordic parliaments.
- nykterhetsrörelsen
- Temperance movement: a movement that worked to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
- nämndeman
- Lay judge: an elected person who helps decide court cases without being employed as a professional judge.
- offentlig försvarare
- Public defence lawyer: a lawyer appointed by the court to help a person suspected of a crime.
- offentlighetsprincipen
- Principle of public access: a principle that allows people to see how public bodies work, including through the right to read public documents.
- opartiskhet
- Impartiality: not taking sides on a disputed issue.
- ortodox kristendom
- Orthodox Christianity: a branch of Christianity with several churches and ancient Christian traditions.
- oskuldspresumtionen
- Presumption of innocence: the principle that a suspect must be treated as innocent until their guilt has been proved.
- parlamentarism
- Parliamentary system: the government must have the support of parliament, or at least be accepted by it.
- passfrihet
- Passport-free travel: being able to travel between certain countries without a passport, although other identity documents may be needed.
- patientavgift
- Patient fee: the part of the cost you pay yourself for a healthcare visit.
- personval
- Personal preference voting: marking a candidate on a party's ballot paper.
- public service
- Public service broadcasting: radio and television serving the public, provided in Sweden by SVT, SR and UR.
- påverkanskampanj
- Influence campaign: several planned actions intended to influence people's opinions or behaviour.
- ramadan
- Ramadan: the Muslim month of fasting, which ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr.
- reformationen
- The Reformation: changes in Christian churches during the 1500s, when the Swedish church became Lutheran.
- regeringen
- The government: the prime minister and the other ministers who govern the country together.
- regeringsform
- Instrument of Government: a constitutional law with rules on how the country is governed.
- region
- Region: an organisation led by elected politicians, responsible for healthcare and other services.
- regionfullmäktige
- Regional council: the region's highest decision-making body, elected by voters.
- religionsfrihet
- Freedom of religion: the right to have, change and practise a religion, or not to believe.
- representativ demokrati
- Representative democracy: a system where people elect others to make political decisions for them.
- riksdagen
- The Swedish Parliament: it decides on laws and checks the work of the government.
- Ränta
- Interest: the cost of borrowing money, or money you may receive on savings in an account.
- rättsstat
- State governed by the rule of law: a society where everyone, including those in power, must follow the law.
- rättssäkerhet
- Legal certainty: protection against unfair and incorrect decisions in the justice system.
- röstkort
- Polling card: information about which elections you can vote in and your assigned polling station.
- rösträtt
- Right to vote: the right to vote in an election.
- Sápmi
- The traditional area of the Sami people, covering parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.
- sekretess
- Confidentiality: legal rules that protect certain information from being shared.
- sekulär stat
- Secular state: a state that is not governed by a religion or by religious leaders.
- semla
- A bun, usually made with wheat flour and cardamom, filled with almond paste and whipped cream.
- sexuell läggning
- Sexual orientation: the gender of the people someone falls in love with or is attracted to.
- sjukpenning
- Sickness benefit: money from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency that can replace income when illness prevents you from working.
- skadestånd
- Damages: money a person must pay for harm they have caused.
- skolplikt
- Compulsory school attendance: children's duty to take part in school education.
- socialförsäkringar
- Social insurance: systems that can provide financial security, for example when you have a child or become ill.
- socialtjänst
- Social services: municipal services that support people in difficult situations.
- statlig inkomstskatt
- State income tax: tax paid to the state on the part of your income above a set limit.
- statschef
- Head of state: the country's highest representative. In Sweden, the king is head of state and has no political power.
- statskyrka
- State church: a church linked to the state.
- statsminister
- Prime minister: the head of government, who also appoints the other ministers.
- statsråd
- Government minister: a member of the government.
- straffmyndig
- Old enough to be held criminally responsible and receive a punishment. In Sweden, the general rule is from the age of 15.
- talman
- Speaker of Parliament: the person who leads parliament's work and proposes who should become prime minister.
- Tjänstepension
- Occupational pension: a pension that your employer pays into.
- totalförsvar
- Total defence: Sweden's military and civil defence together.
- tradition
- Tradition: something people regularly do and pass on to others.
- tredje statsmakten
- The third power of the state: an expression describing the media's role in checking those in power.
- trossamfund
- Religious community: an organised community of people with a religious faith.
- tryckfrihet
- Freedom of the press: the right to publish printed texts, such as books and newspapers, within the limits of the law.
- urfolk
- Indigenous people: a people with historical links to an area from before today's states and borders developed.
- valhemlighet
- Secrecy of the ballot: the right to keep your vote secret.
- valkrets
- Constituency: a geographical area used in elections.
- valsedel
- Ballot paper: the paper you use to cast your vote.
- vattenkraft
- Hydropower: producing electricity using flowing water.
- våldsbejakande extremism
- Violent extremism: supporting, encouraging or using violence for political or religious aims.
- väckelserörelsen
- Christian revival movement: a movement that stressed personal faith and greater freedom from the Church of Sweden.
- välfärd
- Welfare: society's healthcare, education, care services and financial support.
- värnplikt
- Military service duty: the duty of selected Swedish citizens to train and serve in the military defence.
- växthusgas
- Greenhouse gas: a gas that keeps more heat in the air around the Earth.
- yttrandefrihet
- Freedom of expression: the right to express thoughts, opinions and feelings.
- åklagare
- Prosecutor: a legal professional who can lead criminal investigations and bring charges.
- åtal
- Prosecution: a request from a prosecutor for a court to decide whether someone has committed a crime.
- överklaga
- Appeal: ask a higher court or another higher body to change a decision.