Daily life
Personnummer
PAIR-shoon-num-mer
Your ten-digit personal identity number, issued by Skatteverket when you register as resident. Without it almost nothing in Swedish daily life works.
Folkbokföring
FOLK-book-fur-ing
Population registration. You register your move to Sweden if you intend to stay at least a year — that intent is the legal test, not how long you have already been here.
Samordningsnummer
sa-MOR-dnings-num-mer
A coordination number for people with Swedish business who will stay under a year. It is not a personnummer and many services will not accept it.
BankID
BANK-ee-DEE
The electronic ID on your phone. It signs you into your bank, the tax agency, healthcare, insurance and half the private sector. Getting one is the real milestone of arriving.
Förstahandskontrakt
FUR-sta-hands-kon-trakt
A first-hand rental contract, directly with the landlord, with regulated rent and near-unbreakable security of tenure. Allocated by queue time, and the queue is long.
Andrahand
AN-dra-hand
Subletting — how most newcomers actually live. Time-limited, more expensive, and the landlord's or co-op board's permission is required for it to be legal.
Social
Fika
FEE-ka
A coffee break taken seriously, usually with something sweet. It is a scheduled part of the working day and declining it repeatedly is noticed.
Lagom
LAAH-gom
'Just the right amount'. Not a compliment or a criticism — a whole social preference for the moderate option, which explains a great deal about Swedish workplaces.
Work
Vabba
VAB-ba
To stay home from work with a sick child on paid state benefit. A verb, used constantly, and a fair summary of how Sweden treats working parents.
Greetings
Hej hej
HEY hey
Hello — and doubled, it also means goodbye. English is spoken almost universally in Stockholm, but the greeting is expected.
Emergency
112 / 1177
—
112 for any emergency, answered by SOS Alarm. 1177 for healthcare advice from a nurse, around the clock — the number to call before going anywhere.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.