vän

Vän is the Swedish noun meaning "friend." It denotes a person with whom one has a close, informal social relationship. The standard indefinite form is en vän; the plural is vänner. The definite forms are vännen (the friend) and vännerna (the friends). The term is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to both casual and long-standing relationships, as in hon är min vän (she is my friend) or vi är goda vänner (we are good friends).

Etymology and related forms: vän shares its roots with other Scandinavian words for friend. In Old Norse and contemporary Danish and Norwegian, cognates such as vin, ven, and venn reflect a common Germanic origin related to affinity and partnership. The Swedish word gives rise to compounds and derivatives such as vänskap (friendship) and vänlig (friendly), with vänlighet (friendliness) as a related noun.

Usage and nuance: In Swedish, vän is typically used for people with a voluntary, voluntary bond of trust and companionship. The term is informal but widely appropriate; more formal synonyms for acquaintance include bekant or kamrat, depending on context. Possession is expressed with a possessive pronoun (min vän, din vän), and extensive references to a group of friends use vänner or vännerna. Phrases such as bästa vän (best friend) and gamla vänner (old friends) are common.

Cultural notes: The concept of friendship in Swedish discourse emphasizes egalitarian and supportive relationships, often lacking formal hierarchical distinctions found in some other languages. Vän is a stable and positive term used across ages and social contexts.

See also: friendship, vänskap, vänlig.