Bedeutung
Selecting one of two options.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The word 'val' also means 'election'. Every four years, Swedes 'går till val' (go to the polls) to 'göra ett val' for their parliament. This double meaning makes the phrase very common in media. Decision-making is often slow because of 'förankring' (anchoring), where everyone must be involved in the 'val' before it is finalized. Younger Swedes might use the English-inspired 'välja mellan' more often than the full 'göra ett val mellan' in text messages. In Finland-Swedish, the usage is identical, but the tone might be slightly more formal in everyday speech compared to Sweden-Swedish.
The 'G' Rule
Remember that 'g' before 'ö' is always soft in Swedish. It sounds like a 'y'.
Avoid 'av'
Don't say 'val av' when you have two options. Use 'mellan'.
Bedeutung
Selecting one of two options.
The 'G' Rule
Remember that 'g' before 'ö' is always soft in Swedish. It sounds like a 'y'.
Avoid 'av'
Don't say 'val av' when you have two options. Use 'mellan'.
Add Adjectives
Make your Swedish sound more natural by adding 'svårt' (difficult) or 'viktigt' (important) before 'val'.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing verb in the correct past tense form.
Igår _______ jag ett val mellan den röda och den blå bilen.
The sentence starts with 'Igår' (yesterday), so we need the past tense 'gjorde'.
Which preposition is correct in this context?
Du måste göra ett val _______ kaffe och te.
When choosing between two items, 'mellan' is the standard preposition in Swedish.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
A: Vill du ha glass eller tårta? B: Åh, det är svårt att _______ ett val _______ dem!
The full collocation is 'göra ett val mellan'.
Match the sentence to the most likely situation.
1. 'Vi gjorde ett val mellan de två kandidaterna.' 2. 'Gör ett val mellan mjölk och socker.' 3. 'Regeringen gör ett val mellan skatt och vård.'
1 matches recruitment (candidates), 2 matches coffee (milk/sugar), 3 matches politics (government/taxes).
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Välja vs. Göra ett val
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenIgår _______ jag ett val mellan den röda och den blå bilen.
The sentence starts with 'Igår' (yesterday), so we need the past tense 'gjorde'.
Du måste göra ett val _______ kaffe och te.
When choosing between two items, 'mellan' is the standard preposition in Swedish.
A: Vill du ha glass eller tårta? B: Åh, det är svårt att _______ ett val _______ dem!
The full collocation is 'göra ett val mellan'.
1. 'Vi gjorde ett val mellan de två kandidaterna.' 2. 'Gör ett val mellan mjölk och socker.' 3. 'Regeringen gör ett val mellan skatt och vård.'
1 matches recruitment (candidates), 2 matches coffee (milk/sugar), 3 matches politics (government/taxes).
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenYes, 'välja' is the verb 'to choose'. 'Göra ett val' is just a more noun-heavy, slightly more formal way to say the same thing.
It is always 'ett val'. 'En val' actually means 'a whale' in Swedish!
Use 'mellan' for two things. Use 'bland' (among) for a large, indistinct group of things.
Yes, for 'göra'. You can also use 'har gjort' (have made).
Yes, 'göra ett val mellan två kandidater' is very common.
In a political context, yes. In a general context, it just means 'choice'.
You say 'Jag har inget val'.
Yes, Norwegian uses 'gjøre et valg mellom', which is almost identical.
Only if you are talking about 'the selection of' something in a very formal, abstract way, but 'mellan' is safer for learners.
It's neutral. It works in both a grocery store and a boardroom.
It's the anxiety you feel when you can't 'göra ett val mellan' too many good options.
Like 'vahl' with a long 'a'. Don't pronounce it like English 'val' in 'value'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
Välja mellan
synonymTo choose between
Stå inför ett val
similarTo be facing a choice
Träffa ett beslut
builds onTo reach a decision
Valmöjlighet
specialized formOption/Choice
Beslutsångest
contrastDecision anxiety
