god jul
/ɡuː(d)jʉːl/
The English phrase "merry Christmas" is translated into Swedish as god jul.
god jul is the standard way to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Swedish. It is appropriate for both spoken conversation and for writing in greeting cards.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of god (good) and jul (Christmas).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase god jul, the adjective god is in the singular common gender form to match the singular noun jul.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡuː(d)jʉːl/
When do people say it?
It is very common to combine this Christmas greeting with a New Year greeting by saying god jul och gott nytt år (Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year).
Did you know?
- In Sweden, jul is not just a holiday but also the standard spoken abbreviation for the month of juli (July).
- The phrase god jul is often paired with gott nytt år, but the word for 'good' changes spelling from god to gott to match the gender of 'year'.
- The word jul is used in Swedish to describe the entire holiday season, not just the specific day of Christmas.
Examples in context
- Vi önskar er en god jul.We wish you a Merry Christmas.This sentence shows how to use god jul to wish someone a Merry Christmas.Tatoeba #11393043 by Pineapple, translation #10272163 by SabukHitam
- God jul och gott nytt år!Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!This example demonstrates combining the Christmas greeting with a New Year greeting.Tatoeba #3712450 by herrsilen, translation #925023 by zvaigzne
- God jul, Tatoeba!Merry Christmas, Tatoeba!This is a simple way to direct the greeting to a specific recipient.Tatoeba #9535594 by morbrorper, translation #6732233 by Eccles17
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Oscar and Linnea are saying goodbye to each other before the Christmas break.
- OscarGod jul, Linnea!Merry Christmas, Linnea!
- LinneaTack, god jul till dig också, Oscar!Thanks, merry Christmas to you too, Oscar!
- OscarTack så mycket!Thank you very much!
- LinneaHej då!Bye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries god jul, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries god, jul, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
