ställe

Ställe is a Swedish noun meaning a place, spot, or site. It is used to refer to a location in space, a position within a system, or a point of reference in conversations. The word is common in everyday language and appears in many idiomatic expressions and compound forms. The definite form is stället, as in det här stället, and the indefinite form is ett ställe.

Etymology and cognates

Ställe derives from the historical root sta- related to standing and location. It is cognate with Danish sted and Norwegian sted, and is related to the English word stead in its sense of a place or position. The development of the term in Swedish reflects its broad usage to denote physical locations as well as more abstract positions within a group or sequence.

Usage and nuances

Ställe is versatile in Swedish. It can refer to a specific physical location, such as a café or viewpoint, when the speaker has a definite place in mind: Det här stället har en fin utsikt. It can also denote a general area or site, as in ett bra ställe att träffas. In contrast to plats, which emphasizes a general space or area, ställe often conveys a more concrete or familiar spot. The word is frequently found in everyday speech, travel descriptions, and informal writing. In place names or regional speech, ställe can also appear as part of compound expressions describing locales.

See also

Plats, lokal, område, sted (Scandinavian cognate).

References

Linguistic references on Swedish vocabulary and etymology.