varje

Varje is a determiner in Swedish that means "each" or "every." It is used before singular count nouns to refer to every member of a group or every instance of a recurring event, without implying aggregation across the entire group. Common examples include "varje dag" (every day), "varje person" (each person), and "varje gång" (each time).

Varje governs the noun in the singular. Therefore, phrases like "varje bil" are correct, while "varje bilar" would be incorrect; to speak of all cars one would say "alla bilar." In practice, varje often appears in neutral, descriptive, or formal contexts and is frequent in both written and spoken Swedish. It is also used in idiomatic phrases such as "varje gång" or "varje år."

Nuances and equivalents: resterna of meaning can be expressed with synonyms depending on emphasis. "Alla" refers to all members collectively (the entire group), whereas "varje" emphasizes individuality within the group or recurring instances. For emphasis, speakers may use "varenda" (more emphatic, meaning every single) in informal or expressive styles, as in "varenda gång jag ser den boken" meaning every single time I see that book.

Origins and related terms: varje is a standard Swedish word with cognates in other North Germanic languages, though Danish and Norwegian use different forms (for example, hver/hvert in Danish/Norwegian). In Swedish, varje remains a core determiner for singular, recurring references.

See also: varenda; alla; varje gång; each in other Scandinavian languages.