Swedish · A2 (Elementary)
Work in Swedish: Words & Phrases
Quick answer: The most useful Swedish words for work are anställningsavtalet (the employment contract), lönen (the salary) and semestern (the annual leave). The full Swedish work phrase list with example sentences is below.
The essential Swedish vocabulary for work, with example sentences and English translations. This is A2 (Elementary) material — exactly the kind of practical language you need when you're learning Swedish to live, work, or settle abroad.
Source: Language Lab's Swedish curriculum (vocabulary & example sentences). · Join the beta →
Key work vocabulary
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| anställningsavtalet | the employment contract |
| lönen | the salary |
| semestern | the annual leave |
| övertid | overtime |
| säga upp sig | to resign |
| anställa | to hire |
| fast anställning | permanent employment |
| tidsbegränsad anställning | fixed-term employment |
| anställningsintervjun | the job interview |
| distansarbete | remote work |
Example sentences
Jag har skrivit på ett nytt anställningsavtal.
I have signed a new employment contract.
Min lön är trettio tusen kronor.
My salary is thirty thousand kronor.
Jag har tjugofem dagars semester.
I have twenty-five days annual leave.
Jag har fått fast anställning.
I have got permanent employment.
Jag vill säga upp mig.
I want to resign.
Jag jobbar hemifrån två dagar i veckan.
I work from home two days a week.
How to actually learn these
Reading a vocabulary list is not the same as being able to use the words when it counts. Research on adult language acquisition consistently shows that vocabulary retained through contextual use — hearing a word, producing it under mild pressure, and being corrected when you get it wrong — transfers to real speech far more effectively than passive list review. The fastest way to make vocabulary like this stick is to practise it in the actual conversations where it comes up: not drills, but a real back-and-forth where you have to retrieve the word and say it aloud. Language Lab turns vocabulary like this into voiced, real-life scenarios with Sonia, a live AI language tutor who holds real conversations, corrects you in context, and remembers the specific words you keep getting wrong across sessions. The vocabulary stops being something you read and becomes something you say — automatically, under pressure, when you actually need it.
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