Släkt is a useful word to know in Swedish, as it’s one of the ways Swedes refer to family. It’s used roughly where you’d say “extended family” or “relatives” in English, and refers specifically to family outside of your core family unit.
If you were visiting family back home, for example, you would say jag ska hälsa på min släkt. If you used the word familj instead of släkt here, it would sound like you were visiting your immediate family – partner and children, or parents and siblings – rather than other relatives.
You can also say jag ska hälsa på mina släktingar. Think of släkt as the collective noun and släktingar as the individuals.
When discussing a royal or noble family, you would use the word ätt instead.
Släkt can also be used as an adjective – vi är släkt (we are related) – and you’ll see it in a number of compound words, like släktforskning (genealogy, literally “extended family research”), släktled (lineage), släktträff (family reunion) and släktskap (relationship or kinship).
You may also come across the phrase släkt och vänner (family and friends), which featured in Björn Afzelius’ 1999 number one single Farväl till släkt och vänner (“Goodbye to family and friends”).
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Another word which is useful for Word of the Day articles is besläktad, used to describe words which are related to each other.
Släkt originally comes from Old Swedish slækt, which has its roots in Middle Low German slecht (meaning family or lineage).
There are two other Swedish words which look similar to släkt. The first is släckt, which is used to describe a light which has been turned off, or a candle or fire which has been extinguished. The second word, slakt, means “slaughter”, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your spelling.
Example sentences:
Har ni några planer för sommaren? Ja, vi ska besöka min frus släkt i Indien.
Do you have any plans for summer? Yes, we’re visiting my wife’s family in India.
Vi brukar ha en stor släktträff minst en gång om året.
We usually have a big family reunion at least once a year.
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
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