ärende

Ärende is a Swedish noun meaning a matter, issue, or task that requires attention or action. It can refer to a specific item in a process, such as a service request, a complaint, a case to be considered, or a document that forms part of a workflow. The term is widely used in administrative, corporate, and everyday language to denote something that a person or organization must handle.

In public administration and civil service, ett ärende represents a discrete matter submitted to an authority for consideration or action. An ärende typically enters a workflow: it is created or received, assigned to staff, processed through stages such as investigation, processing, decision, and finally closure. The term supports the concept of case management and accountability, with records kept for each ärende to document actions and outcomes.

In everyday usage, ärende can refer to both formal and informal matters. For example, a person might say they have an ärende hos kommunen (a matter with the municipality) or an ärende hos posten (a matter or task with the postal service). Translations into English commonly include matter, issue, task, or service request, depending on the context.

Etymologically, ärende is a core component of Swedish administrative vocabulary and is closely associated with the idea of a task or business to be dealt with. Modern usage often appears in the compound term ärendehantering (case or matter management), which describes systems and processes for tracking, processing, and closing such matters in organizations.