vänskaper

Vänskaper is a Swedish noun in the plural that denotes friendships. It refers to the various friendships that connect people, or to the general concept of friendly relations. The word vänskap is formed from vän ("friend") and -skap (a suffix meaning a state or condition), yielding roughly "the state of being friends." The plural vänskaper is used when speaking of multiple friendships or of the idea of friendship in a broader sense.

In use, vänskaper can describe social bonds characterized by trust, mutual support, and shared experiences. People often speak of maintaining and cultivating vänskaper over time, and of the differences in closeness among individual friendships. Typical contexts include discussions of social life, community, and personal networks. The term does not typically carry the meaning of "skills" in forming friendships; to discuss social competencies Swedish usually uses phrases like sociala färdigheter or förmågan att knyta vänskap.

Etymologically and culturally, vänskaper reflects a key aspect of social life in many Swedish-speaking communities: friendships were and are central to personal support, opportunities, and identity. Contemporary usage tends to favor more specific terms for types of relationships, such as nära vänskap (close friendship) or vänskap över generationsgränser.

See also: vänskap, sociala relationer, vänskapens dynamik.