Ways to say it
| Swedish | Note |
|---|---|
| förskola | common gender |
| dagis | neuter |
| lekis | neuter |
| lekskola | common gender |
This term refers to an educational institution for young children, typically between the ages of 4 and 6.
Which one should you use?
förskola is the standard, official term used in administrative and educational contexts. In contrast, dagis is a colloquial shortening that is very frequent in everyday conversation among parents and children. lekis and lekskola are also available forms for this concept.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
förskola is the formal and official term, often used in written Swedish. For casual speech, dagis is a very common informal shortening. Another informal option is föris.
How does it change in a sentence?
förskola is a common-gender noun. It uses the indefinite article en (en förskola) and its plural form is förskolor. dagis is a neuter noun. It uses the indefinite article ett (ett dagis) and its plural form is dagisar.
Did you know?
- In Sweden, förskola is not just for toddlers but is often seen as a critical part of the social welfare system, emphasizing play and social equity over academic drilling.
- The term dagis is a clipping of daghem, which literally means 'day-home', suggesting that the institution should feel like a home rather than a school.
Examples in context
- dagisnivåKindergarten levelThis example shows how to use dagis in a compound word meaning kindergarten level.
- Barnet mitt går på daghemMy child goes to kindergarten.
- Mitt barn trivs på förskolanMy child thrives in kindergarten.
- Ska vi hämta barnet på dagis idag?Should we pick up the child from kindergarten today?
- Min son älskar att gå till förisMy son loves going to kindergarten.
- Jag ska hämta min dotter från daghemmet.I'm going to pick up my daughter from kindergarten.
- Vi anmälde vårt barn till förskolan förra veckan.We enrolled our child in kindergarten last week.
- Vår son älskar sitt dagis, han har många vänner där.Our son loves his kindergarten, he has many friends there.
- Ska vi hämta barnet på föris nu eller senare?Should we pick up the child from kindergarten now or later?
- Hon jobbar som lärare på en förskola.She works as a teacher at a kindergarten.
Example conversation
Lucas and Maja are talking about their children's daily routine.
- LucasVem hämtar barnet från förskolan idag?Who is picking up the child from the kindergarten today?
- MajaJag hämtar henne efter jobbet.I am picking her up after work.
- LucasVad brukar hon göra på sin förskola?What does she usually do at her kindergarten?
- MajaHon leker mycket med sina kompisar.She plays a lot with her friends.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “kindergarten” translations and entries förskola, dagis, lekis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dagis, förskola, lekis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
