Starting School Expressions
Skolstart in Sweden — förskoleklass, skolplikt, fröken and the first day in August.
The first school year, parent's-eye view: skolplikt and skolval, name labels on everything, the gate wave and the car cry — det gick bra efter en vecka, men inte för dig.
- 1
skolstarten
the start of the school year
Tip: lit. 'the school start' — mid-August, and a national event.
- 2
förskoleklass
the preschool class
Tip: lit. the same — the year at six, now compulsory.
- 3
skolplikt
compulsory schooling
Tip: lit. 'school duty' — ten years, and taken seriously.
- 4
rätt till utbildning
the right to education
Tip: lit. the same — the other half of the same coin.
- 5
årskurs ett
year one
Tip: lit. the same — usually shortened to 'ettan'.
- 6
börja ettan
to start in year one
Tip: lit. the same.
- 7
närmaste skola
the catchment school
Tip: lit. 'the nearest school' — what you're entitled to.
- 8
söka till en friskola
to apply to a free school
Tip: lit. the same — independent, but state-funded.
- 9
skolvalet
the school choice
Tip: lit. the same — and the queues that come with it.
- 10
en plats tilldelas
a place is allocated
Tip: lit. the same.
- 11
läraren
the teacher
Tip: lit. the same.
- 12
fröken
the old word for teacher
Tip: lit. 'miss' — still used by small children, oddly.
- 13
säga du till läraren
to call the teacher by first name
Tip: lit. 'say du to the teacher' — universal in Sweden.
- 14
klassrummet
the classroom
Tip: lit. the same.
- 15
klassföreståndaren
the class teacher
Tip: lit. 'the class supervisor'.
- 16
skolsköterskan
the school nurse
Tip: lit. the same — checks height, eyes and hearing.
- 17
kuratorn
the school counsellor
Tip: lit. the same — for the harder conversations.
- 18
fritids
the after-school club
Tip: lit. short for 'fritidshem' — where most children go after class.
- 19
bli hämtad på fritids
to be collected from after-school
Tip: lit. the same.
- 20
en skolväska
a school bag
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
matsäck behövs inte
a packed lunch is not needed
Tip: lit. the same — lunch is free and hot.
- 22
innskor
indoor shoes
Tip: lit. 'inside shoes' — shoes come off at the door.
- 23
en krok i kapprummet
a peg in the cloakroom
Tip: lit. the same.
- 24
namnlapp på allt
a name label on everything
Tip: lit. the same — or it's gone by October.
- 25
kortet på första skoldagen
the first day photo
Tip: lit. the same — taken by every parent in the country.
- 26
vinka vid grinden
to wave from the gate
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
gråta i bilen efteråt
to cry in the car afterwards
Tip: lit. the same — the parent, not the child.
- 28
inskolningsveckan
the settling-in week
Tip: lit. the same.
- 29
vara blyg i början
to be shy at first
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
hitta en kompis till fredagen
to find a friend by Friday
Tip: lit. the same — all a parent asks for.
- 31
lärande genom lek
learning through play
Tip: lit. the same — the principle of the first years.
- 32
inga betyg förrän årskurs sex
no grades until year six
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
inga läxor i början
no homework at first
Tip: lit. the same — increasingly the policy.
- 34
läsa lite varje dag
reading a little every day
Tip: lit. the same — the one thing schools ask of parents.
- 35
en läslogg
a reading log
Tip: lit. the same — signed at home.
- 36
utedag varje vecka
an outdoor day every week
Tip: lit. the same — whatever the weather.
- 37
det finns inget dåligt väder, kom ihåg
there's no bad weather, remember
Tip: lit. the same — printed on the letter home.
- 38
ombyteskläder i en påse
spare clothes in a bag
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
en klasslista med telefonnummer
a class list with phone numbers
Tip: lit. the same.
- 40
en föräldragrupp i mobilen
a parents' group chat
Tip: lit. the same — and it never stops.
- 41
skolplattformen
the school platform
Tip: lit. the same — where absence and information live.
- 42
sjukanmäla sitt barn
to report a child sick
Tip: lit. the same — before eight in the morning.
- 43
ett terminsschema
a term timetable
Tip: lit. the same.
- 44
höstlovet
the autumn half-term
Tip: lit. 'the autumn holiday' — week 44.
- 45
sportlovet
the sports half-term
Tip: lit. the same — in February.
- 46
påsklovet
the Easter holiday
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
sommarlovet är tio veckor
the summer holiday is ten weeks
Tip: lit. the same — and it is long.
- 48
växa ett helt år
to grow up in a year
Tip: lit. 'grow a whole year' — what the first term does to them.
- 49
det gick bra efter en vecka
they were fine within a week
Tip: lit. the same — it usually does.
- 50
men inte för dig
and you weren't
Tip: lit. 'but not for you' — the parent's half of it.