god kväll
/ɡuːd kvɛlː/word by word
good evening in Swedish is said as god kväll. Wiktionary also lists god afton.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
Ways to say it
| Swedish | IPA |
|---|---|
| god kväll | /ɡuːd kvɛlː/ (word by word) |
| god afton | /ɡuːd ˈaftɔn/ (word by word) |
Both god kväll and god afton are used as greetings when arriving or meeting someone in the evening. You can make a greeting feel warmer and more friendly by adding the word trevlig (nice/pleasant) before the phrase. It is generally accepted to transition from the daytime greeting god dag to the evening greeting around 6 PM.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase god kväll is composed of god (good) and kväll (evening).
Which one should you use?
God kväll is the most common way to say good evening in everyday Swedish. In contrast, god afton is a more formal or slightly more old-fashioned way to say the phrase.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective god (good) is in its singular common gender form to match the noun kväll.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡuːd kvɛlː/
Did you know?
- The term kväll is used for a period of time that begins long before the sun actually sets during the bright Swedish summer.
- While god kväll is used for greetings, Swedish speakers often use trevlig kväll specifically when saying goodbye to wish someone a pleasant rest of their evening.
- The Swedish word god originally comes from a root meaning 'to join' or 'to unite'.
Examples in context
- God afton, hur mår du?Good evening, how are you?This sentence is useful for learning how to use god afton in a question.Tatoeba #2178102 by freddy1, translation #413820 by Dorenda
- God kväll!Good evening.This sentence is useful for a simple greeting using god kväll.Tatoeba #3807229 by Ricardo14, translation #333156 by Aurix
- Trevlig kväll!Have a nice evening!
- God kväll, ska vi äta middag nu?Good evening, shall we eat dinner now?
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maja and Karl meet at a restaurant in the evening.
- MajaGod kväll, Karl!Good evening, Karl!
- KarlGod kväll, Maja. Hur är läget?Good evening, Maja. How are things?
- MajaDet är bra, tack.It is good, thanks.
- KarlVad trevligt att se dig.How nice to see you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries god kväll, god afton, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (god, kväll, afton) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries afton, god, kväll, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
