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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: annandag jul

On the second day of Christmas, The Local gave to you, the story behind the Swedish word for Boxing Day.

the word annandag jul on a black background by a swedish flag
Annandag jul follows julafton and juldagen. Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

December 26th has a curious set of names around the world. In English, it is known as Boxing Day. In Swedish, the name makes a lot more sense: annandag jul, which literally means “the second day of Christmas”.

The day is also known as den helige Stefanos dag (St Stephen’s Day) and Stefanidagen in Swedish-speaking Finland, in honour of a saint believed to have been stoned to death on this day. But in secular Sweden you’re much more likely to hear the term annandag jul in general conversation.

December 26th is a red day or public holiday in Sweden. And several centuries ago, December 27th was sometimes called tredjedag jul or “the third day of Christmas” and was also a day off for many years. That was the case from 1772 until Gustav III abolished the extra holiday, but the name tredjedag jul is still used by some.

There aren’t many traditions specifically tied to annandag jul. As well as spending time with family, it’s also become known for sporting events such as Annandagsbandy (Boxing Day bandy), a set of bandy matches that take place every year on the date, although for a long time the Swedish Church criticised this custom.

Example sentences:

Vi ska besöka min frus familj på annandag jul

We’re going to visit my wife’s family on December 26th

Annandag jul är en dag för familjen och sport

Boxing Day is a day for family and sport

Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local’s new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: släkt

Here’s another Swedish word where it’s important to remember the difference between ä and a.

Swedish word of the day: släkt

Släkt is a useful word to know in Swedish, as it’s one of the ways Swedes refer to family. It’s used roughly where you’d say “extended family” or “relatives” in English, and refers specifically to family outside of your core family unit.

If you were visiting family back home, for example, you would say jag ska hälsa på min släkt. If you used the word familj instead of släkt here, it would sound like you were visiting your immediate family – partner and children, or parents and siblings – rather than other relatives.

You can also say jag ska hälsa på mina släktingar. Think of släkt as the collective noun and släktingar as the individuals.

When discussing a royal or noble family, you would use the word ätt instead.

Släkt can also be used as an adjective – vi är släkt (we are related) – and you’ll see it in a number of compound words, like släktforskning (genealogy, literally “extended family research”), släktled (lineage), släktträff (family reunion) and släktskap (relationship or kinship).

You may also come across the phrase släkt och vänner (family and friends), which featured in Björn Afzelius’ 1999 number one single Farväl till släkt och vänner (“Goodbye to family and friends”).

  • Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local’s new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button

Another word which is useful for Word of the Day articles is besläktad, used to describe words which are related to each other.

Släkt originally comes from Old Swedish slækt, which has its roots in Middle Low German slecht (meaning family or lineage). 

There are two other Swedish words which look similar to släkt. The first is släckt, which is used to describe a light which has been turned off, or a candle or fire which has been extinguished. The second word, slakt, means “slaughter”, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your spelling.

Example sentences:

Har ni några planer för sommaren? Ja, vi ska besöka min frus släkt i Indien.

Do you have any plans for summer? Yes, we’re visiting my wife’s family in India.

Vi brukar ha en stor släktträff minst en gång om året.

We usually have a big family reunion at least once a year.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

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