väl
See also: val, Val, văl, væl, and -val
German Low German
Adjective
väl
- Alternative spelling of vęl
Plautdietsch
Adjective
väl
- many, much, a lot of
Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse vel, from Proto-Germanic *wela, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-.
Pronunciation 1
- IPA(key): /ˈvɛːl/
audio (file)
Adverb
väl (not comparable)
- well; accurately, completely, to a significant degree
- Han spelar piano väl
- He plays piano well
- too (too much)
- Han spelar lite väl mycket piano
- He plays a bit too much piano
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Noun
väl n
- well-being, weal, health, welfare, wellness, luck, fortune
- Min önskan för ditt väl skall följa dina spår.
- My wish for your well-being shall follow your tracks.
- (i) väl och ve
- (for) better or worse
- Min önskan för ditt väl skall följa dina spår.
Pronunciation 2
- IPA(key): /ˈvɛlː/
Adverb
väl (not comparable)
- (in questions) Used to ask for confirmation or agreement (in a somewhat stern or pleading way).
- Du har väl städat rummet?
- You've cleaned your room, right?
- Du kommer väl på festen?
- You're coming to the party, right?
- Du älskar mig väl?
- You do love me, don't you?
- Så dålig var väl inte filmen?
- The movie wasn't tha(aa)t bad, was it?
- (outside questions) Used to give a statement a lower degree of certainty, adding a tone of reservation: "I guess"
- Jaja, den var väl okej
- Yeah yeah, it was alright, I guess
- "Väl"? Den var ju jättebra!
- "I guess"? It was super good! (with ju indicating this should be common understanding – "fact")
Usage notes
- Besides the "väl," the grammar is the same as for a statement in (sense 1), similar to English when the "right?", etc., is removed. At the most basic level, "väl" can be thought of as indicating reservation, which carries over into (sense 2) (though the questions are interpreted as questions just as much as in English).
- Because the spelling doesn't reflect the pronunciation, the misspelling väll is common.
Synonyms
- la (western Sweden)
Further reading
- väl in Svensk ordbok.
Anagrams
- älv