grattis
/¹ɡratɪs/
Congratulations in Swedish can be expressed as grattis or gratulerar.
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Ways to say it
| Swedish | IPA |
|---|---|
| grattis | /¹ɡratɪs/ |
| gratulerar |
The most common and versatile way to express congratulations is by using grattis. If you want to congratulate someone on a specific achievement, you use the phrase grattis till, which translates to 'congratulations on'. For general praise of effort, you might use bra jobbat (good job) or snyggt jobbat (well done/nice job). To say 'Happy birthday!', the standard phrase is Grattis på födelsedagen!
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are congratulating someone on something specific, you must use the preposition till after grattis.
How do you pronounce it?
/¹ɡratɪs/
Did you know?
- The phrase for 'Happy Birthday' in Swedish, Grattis på födelsedagen, literally translates to 'Congratulations on the birthday'.
- The term grattis only appeared in written records around 1934, making it a relatively new addition to the language compared to gratulerar.
- The word grattis shares a common ancestor with the Latin 'gratulari', which is also the root for the English word 'gratitude'.
Examples in context
- Grattis!Congratulations!This example shows how to use grattis as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #3644591 by Pineapple, translation #1437 by CK
- Grattis till segern.Congratulations on your victory.This sentence demonstrates how to use grattis followed by till to congratulate someone on a victory.
- Grattis till ditt nya jobbCongratulations on your new job
- Grattis på födelsedagen!Happy birthday or Congratulations on your birthday
- Grattis på 30-årsdagen!Congratulations on turning 30
- Grattis till examen!Congratulations on your graduation
- Stort grattis till din magisterexamen!Big congratulations on your master's degree
- Fantastiskt jobbat med att få den nya tjänsten!Fantastic job for securing the new position
- Grattis till bröllopet!Congratulations on your wedding
- Vi önskar er all lycka i ert äktenskap!We wish you all the happiness in your marriage
Example conversation
Maja is calling Oscar to congratulate him on his new job.
- MajaGrattis till det nya jobbet, Oscar!Congratulations on the new job, Oscar!
- OscarTack så mycket, Maja!Thank you so much, Maja!
- MajaJag är så glad för din skull.I am so happy for you.
- OscarDet är verkligen jätteroligt.It is really very exciting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations and entries grattis, gratulerar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grattis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
