Swedish word of the day: livspussel
The Swedish culture places huge emphasis on maintaining work-life balance, but as most people know, in reality it's not always easy as it sounds on paper. That's where this word of the day comes in.
Did you know you get all our Swedish words and expressions of the day on our new app as soon as we publish them? It takes a few seconds to download the app at the Apple and Android stores, then you can select the "Swedish Word of the Day" in your Notification options via the "User" button.
Livspussel is a noun that sums up the complexities of being human.
It roughly translates as "the puzzle of life", from the two words ett liv (life) and ett pussel (a puzzle) and usually refers to the challenge of balancing work, family, and personal commitments.
It's often used in the fixed expression att få ihop livspusslet (to put the puzzle of life together). English uses the term work-life balance in this context, so a translation of the above phrase might be "to achieve a good work-life balance" but the term livspusslet has a slightly different feel for two reasons.
First, it doesn't divide life's components into "work" and "not work", which acknowledges the reality that individuals might be balancing multiple different commitments such as family, friendships, sport and other hobbies, with none singled out as having priority.
Secondly, the focus on working through the puzzle rather than achieving a perfect balance seems to more readily acknowledge that for many people this is a constant challenge.
Several other European languages have similar terms, including French (le puzzle de la vie), but these tend to refer to more philosophical contexts relating to the meaning of life.
And did you know that the word "puzzle" is a puzzle in itself? The English term (from which the Swedish variant came later) first appeared in the 16th century, but linguists are unsure of its origins.
Livspusslet has been a huge topic of debate in some Swedish elections, with politicians presenting policies such as extended parental leave and flexible working as possible solutions to the puzzle. In fact, it was trademarked by the trade union group TCO before the 2002 election as a way to draw attention to workers' needs.
The word then entered the Swedish Language Council's annual list of new words in 2007, but it has actually been recorded since the 1980s.
Examples:
Hur får du ihop livspusslet?
How do you get the pieces of your life to fit together? (Literally: How do you get the puzzle of life together?)
Han tröttnade på det ständiga livspusslet
He got tired of the constant challenge of balancing different parts of life
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is now available to order in English or German. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it.
It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Comments
See Also
Did you know you get all our Swedish words and expressions of the day on our new app as soon as we publish them? It takes a few seconds to download the app at the Apple and Android stores, then you can select the "Swedish Word of the Day" in your Notification options via the "User" button.
Livspussel is a noun that sums up the complexities of being human.
It roughly translates as "the puzzle of life", from the two words ett liv (life) and ett pussel (a puzzle) and usually refers to the challenge of balancing work, family, and personal commitments.
It's often used in the fixed expression att få ihop livspusslet (to put the puzzle of life together). English uses the term work-life balance in this context, so a translation of the above phrase might be "to achieve a good work-life balance" but the term livspusslet has a slightly different feel for two reasons.
First, it doesn't divide life's components into "work" and "not work", which acknowledges the reality that individuals might be balancing multiple different commitments such as family, friendships, sport and other hobbies, with none singled out as having priority.
Secondly, the focus on working through the puzzle rather than achieving a perfect balance seems to more readily acknowledge that for many people this is a constant challenge.
Several other European languages have similar terms, including French (le puzzle de la vie), but these tend to refer to more philosophical contexts relating to the meaning of life.
And did you know that the word "puzzle" is a puzzle in itself? The English term (from which the Swedish variant came later) first appeared in the 16th century, but linguists are unsure of its origins.
Livspusslet has been a huge topic of debate in some Swedish elections, with politicians presenting policies such as extended parental leave and flexible working as possible solutions to the puzzle. In fact, it was trademarked by the trade union group TCO before the 2002 election as a way to draw attention to workers' needs.
The word then entered the Swedish Language Council's annual list of new words in 2007, but it has actually been recorded since the 1980s.
Examples:
Hur får du ihop livspusslet?
How do you get the pieces of your life to fit together? (Literally: How do you get the puzzle of life together?)
Han tröttnade på det ständiga livspusslet
He got tired of the constant challenge of balancing different parts of life
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is now available to order in English or German. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it.
It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.