Kritik mot regeringens elprisstöd och skattesänkningar
B2 Swedish listening practice · Standard Swedish · Curated for upper-intermediate learners
What does “välfärden” mean in Swedish?
Välfärden (“the welfare,” literally “the well-faring”) is one of the most loaded words in Swedish political debate. It refers to the system of universal healthcare, childcare, free education, pensions, and unemployment insurance that defines the Nordic social model. When Swedes argue about government policy, they argue about whether something strengthens or cuts välfärden.
In this parliamentary clip, an opposition MP accuses the government of “dra ner i välfärden” (“cutting down on the welfare”) to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. The exact phrase has run through Swedish elections since the 1950s. Välfärdssamhället (“the welfare society”) and välfärdsstaten (“the welfare state”) are slightly more formal cousins.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this B2 Swedish listening practice listening practice?
General Swedish frequency
Spoken Swedish frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s B2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Swedish parliamentary debates (Riksdagen live coverage)
- ▸In Swedish election ads (Socialdemokraterna, Moderaterna)
- ▸In Swedish political talk shows (Aktuellt, Agenda, 30 minuter)
- ▸In Swedish opinion columns (Dagens Nyheter, Aftonbladet)
- ▸In Swedish union and pensioner protests