jul
/jʉːl/common gender
Christmas in Swedish is jul.
jul refers to the festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ.
Meaning: festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 in most places (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
The common-gender noun jul has a definite form, julen, meaning 'the Christmas' and a genitive form, julens, meaning 'Christmas's'.
How do you pronounce it?
/jʉːl/
When do people say it?
In Sweden, the primary celebration day is actually Christmas Eve, which is referred to by the specific term julafton. Other related terms include julklapp, which refers to a Christmas present.
Did you know?
- The Swedish word for Christmas present, julklapp, literally translates to 'Christmas slap' or 'Christmas clap'.
- While the holiday is centered around the birth of Christ, the Swedish word jul actually shares a common ancestor with the English word 'Yule', which originally referred to a midwinter festival.
- Swedish jul traditions include the 'julbord', a massive buffet of specific seasonal foods that is served over several days.
Examples in context
- Hur firar du jul?How do you celebrate Christmas?This sentence is useful for asking how someone celebrates jul.Tatoeba #11393047 by Pineapple, translation #10578870 by CK
- Hur firade du jul?How did you spend Christmas?This sentence is useful for asking how someone spent jul in the past.Tatoeba #3712613 by herrsilen, translation #1342134 by CK
- Jag firar inte jul.I don't celebrate Christmas.This sentence is useful for stating that one does not celebrate jul.Tatoeba #8955683 by mr_vile, translation #8089643 by CK
- Glad Jul!Merry Christmas!
- Trevlig Helg!Happy Holidays!
- God Jul och Gott Nytt År!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
- 82 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Karl and Maja are talking about their holiday plans.
- KarlVad ska du göra i jul?What are you going to do at Christmas?
- MajaJag ska åka hem till min familj.I am going to go home to my family.
- KarlDet låter trevligt.That sounds nice.
- MajaJa, jag ser verkligen fram emot julen.Yes, I am really looking forward to Christmas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Christmas” translations and entries jul, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jul, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
