Ways to say it
| Swedish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| välkommen | /²vɛːlˌkɔmːɛn/ | singular |
| välkomna | plural |
The phrase is a greeting given upon someone's arrival. You can use it as a standalone exclamation to greet someone, but you must still choose the correct form based on whether you are addressing one person or more than one person. To add warmth to your greeting, you can say varmt välkommen (warm welcome) or hjärtligt välkommen (cordially welcome or most warmly welcome).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, the Swedish word for welcome must change its ending to agree with the number of people being greeted. Use välkommen for a singular audience and välkomna for a plural audience.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form välkommen is used when addressing one person. The plural form välkomna is used when addressing more than one person. Related to these is the noun välkomst, which refers to the act of greeting someone's arrival and the verb välkomna, which means to affirm or greet the arrival of someone.
How do you pronounce it?
/²vɛːlˌkɔmːɛn/
When do people say it?
When hosting someone, you might use the phrase Känn dig som hemma to mean "make yourself at home".
Did you know?
- While välkommen is used as a greeting, you cannot use it to respond to 'thank you'. To say 'you are welcome' in this context, Swedes use varsågod.
- Because of its Germanic roots, välkommen is almost identical to the Danish and Norwegian versions of the word.
- In Swedish, you are not just 'welcome', you are 'well-come' to the place, as the word is a combination of väl meaning 'well' and kommen meaning 'come'.
Examples in context
- Är jag välkommen här?Am I welcome here?This sentence uses välkommen to ask if one is welcome in a specific place.Tatoeba #4317105 by richke, translation #3434346 by CK
- Välkomna hem till oss!Welcome to our home!This sentence uses välkomna to welcome multiple people to a home.Tatoeba #1465371 by Tximist, translation #464474 by lukaszpp
- Välkommen hem till oss.Welcome to our house.This sentence uses välkommen to welcome one person to a house.Tatoeba #4446543 by richke, translation #2646773 by CK
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maja meets Lucas at the airport.
- MajaVälkommen till Sverige, Lucas!Welcome to Sweden, Lucas!
- LucasTack så mycket, Maja.Thank you very much, Maja.
- MajaHur var resan?How was the trip?
- LucasDen var jättebra.It was great.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations and entries välkommen, välkomna, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries välkommen, välkomna, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
