Bedeutung
Having no commitments.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The concept of 'Klämdag' (Squeeze day). If a holiday falls on a Thursday, Swedes often take the Friday off to get a 4-day weekend. Work-life balance is highly valued. It is rare for Swedes to work on weekends unless they are in specific service industries. Public holidays are called 'Röda dagar' (Red days) because they are red in the calendar. Most people are 'lediga' on these days. The 'Summer Holiday' (Industrisemester). In July, many businesses close entirely as everyone is 'ledig' at the same time.
The 'G' is silent
In casual Swedish, the final 'g' in 'ledig' is almost never pronounced. It sounds more like 'leedi'.
Don't say 'Jag är gratis'
This literally means 'I am free of charge' (as in, you cost no money), which sounds very strange or suggestive!
Bedeutung
Having no commitments.
The 'G' is silent
In casual Swedish, the final 'g' in 'ledig' is almost never pronounced. It sounds more like 'leedi'.
Don't say 'Jag är gratis'
This literally means 'I am free of charge' (as in, you cost no money), which sounds very strange or suggestive!
Use it for seats
Always use 'Är det ledigt här?' before sitting down next to a stranger. It's the golden rule of Swedish bus etiquette.
Respect the ledighet
If a Swede says they are ledig, don't talk about work. It's their time to recharge.
Teste dich selbst
How do you say 'I am off on Monday'?
Jag ___ ledig på måndag.
In Swedish, you 'are' free (vara ledig), you don't 'have' free.
Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'ledig'.
Vi är _______ på lördag.
Since 'Vi' (we) is plural, the adjective must end in 'a'.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You want to know if a seat is taken on a train.
'Är det ledigt här?' is the standard way to ask if a space is vacant.
Fill in the missing word.
A: Kan du jobba imorgon? B: Nej, jag har tagit ______.
The phrase 'ta ledigt' means to take time off.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Ledig vs. Gratis vs. Fri
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenJag ___ ledig på måndag.
In Swedish, you 'are' free (vara ledig), you don't 'have' free.
Vi är _______ på lördag.
Since 'Vi' (we) is plural, the adjective must end in 'a'.
You want to know if a seat is taken on a train.
'Är det ledigt här?' is the standard way to ask if a space is vacant.
A: Kan du jobba imorgon? B: Nej, jag har tagit ______.
The phrase 'ta ledigt' means to take time off.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but it's a bit old-fashioned or specific. 'Han är ledig' can mean he is single/available, but 'singel' is much more common today.
'Ledig' is for en-words (en person), 'ledigt' is for ett-words (ett rum).
Use the phrase 'Jag tar ledigt' or 'Jag är ledig en dag'.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
Yes, 'Jag har ledigt' and 'Jag är ledig' are both used, but 'Jag är ledig' is more common for A1 learners.
No, not at all. It just means you aren't working at the moment.
Ask 'Är det ledigt?'.
It's a job vacancy.
Yes, 'lediga kläder' means casual or loose-fitting clothes.
Use 'på' for days (ledig på måndag) and 'i' for durations (ledig i en vecka).
Verwandte Redewendungen
ta ledigt
builds onto take time off
ledighet
specialized formleisure/time off
semester
similarvacation
tillgänglig
similaravailable
upptagen
contrastbusy/occupied
