bra
/brɑː/
The English phrase 'good' can be translated into Swedish as bra.
bra is used to describe things that are pleasant, enjoyable. It often functions as both the adjective 'good' and the adverb 'well'. You can intensify this word by using jättebra for 'very good', riktigt bra for 'really good' or verkligen bra for 'truly good'. The phrase allt kommer att bli bra is a way to say 'everything will be fine'.
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
Which one should you use?
While bra expresses 'good' in terms of quality or satisfaction, it is not the word used to mean 'good' in a moral or virtuous sense. For that, the word god is used instead.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bra is invariant, which means it does not change its form to match gender or number. Unlike many other Swedish adjectives, it does not take endings like -t or -a.
How do you pronounce it?
/brɑː/
Did you know?
- To express 'very good', Swedes often use the prefix jätte-, which literally means 'giant'. This turns bra into jättebra, essentially calling the thing 'giant-good'.
- The word bra shares a common ancestor with the English word 'brave'. It traveled from Italian to French and then through Low German before entering Swedish.
- Swedish has a distinct difference between bra and god. While bra is for quality or skill, god is used for things that taste good, such as god mat for 'good food'.
Examples in context
- De ser bra ut.They look good.This sentence shows how to use bra to describe appearance.Tatoeba #2243413 by Tximist, translation #2243227 by CK
- Ha det så bra.Have a good one.This is a way to wish someone well using bra.Tatoeba #10660695 by Pineapple, translation #3722990 by CM
- Ha ett bra liv.Have a good life.This demonstrates using bra to wish someone a good life.Tatoeba #2015727 by herrsilen, translation #1676610 by BlueLagoon
- Det här var en bra föreställning.This was a good performance.
- Tack för din hjälp. Du är en bra kollega.Thanks for your help. You're a good colleague.
- Jag hörde att du är en bra lärare.I heard that you are a good teacher.
- Solen sken idag, det var så bra!The sun was shining today, it was so good!
- 242 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maja and Oscar are discussing their recent hiking trip.
- MajaDet var bra väder när vi vandrade.The weather was good when we hiked.
- OscarJa, det var en bra dag.Yes, it was a good day.
- MajaVi hade det verkligen bra.We really had a good time.
- OscarJag vill åka tillbaka snart.I want to go back soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries bra, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bra, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
