mormor
common gender
The Swedish word for grandmother can be mormor or farmor.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Ways to say it
| Swedish | Note |
|---|---|
| mormor | common gender |
| farmor | common gender |
Swedish distinguishes between the maternal and paternal grandmother.
What does it mean word for word?
The word mormor is a compound of mor (mother) and mor (mother). The word farmor is a compound of far (father) and mor (mother).
Which one should you use?
Use mormor to refer to your maternal grandmother. Use farmor to refer to your paternal grandmother.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both terms are common-gender nouns. To form the definite 'the grandmother', add the suffix -n to the end of the word: mormorn or farmorn.
Did you know?
- The same precise system of distinction applies to grandfathers, where morfar is the maternal grandfather and farfar is the paternal grandfather.
- Swedish children often create unique nicknames for their grandmothers, such as mormis or farmis, to sound more affectionate.
- The word mor in mormor is an older form of the word for mother, while the modern colloquial word used in daily life is mamma.
Examples in context
- Hon är min mormor.She is my grandmother.This sentence is useful for identifying a maternal grandmother using mormor.Tatoeba #4404931 by herrsilen, translation #6008216 by CannedBread
- Marys farmor har inga tänder.Mary's grandmother doesn't have any teeth.This sentence is useful for describing a paternal grandmother using farmor.Tatoeba #4381519 by richke, translation #4379839 by Lepotdeterre
- Min farmor stack iväg med en cowboy.My grandmother ran off with a cowboy.Tatoeba #4371269 by richke, translation #2985581 by sharptoothed
- Min mormor kommer på besök i helgen.My grandmother is visiting us this weekend.
- Jag älskar att spendera tid med min farmor/mormor.I love spending time with my grandmother.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Oscar and Maja are talking about family during a coffee break.
- OscarMin mormor kommer på besök imorgon.My maternal grandmother is coming to visit tomorrow.
- MajaVad trevligt, vad ska ni göra?How nice, what are you going to do?
- OscarVi ska äta lunch tillsammans.We are going to have lunch together.
- MajaHälsa din mormor så gott!Give my best regards to your maternal grandmother!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations and entries mormor, farmor, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
