Academic/legal register
Formal writing calls for precise, well-organized language. Some genres use dense noun phrases and passives, but plain sentences and familiar words can be fully appropriate in official texts.
How It Works
Academic prose, legal language and public information have differing conventions. Kanslisvenska names a bureaucratic style, not all formal writing. The following features help you recognize dense formal prose; they are not requirements for every official text.
Key Characteristics:
- Nominal Style (Nominalstil): This is one recognizable feature. It involves using nouns to express actions and processes that would be described with verbs in a more verbal style. This is often achieved through -ning and -tion suffixes.
- Verbal: Man måste analysera resultaten. (One must analyze the results.)
- Nominal: En analys av resultaten måste genomföras. (An analysis of the results must be carried out.) - Passive Constructions: The s-passive and bli-passive can focus on an event or its result, with the performer omitted or included. Passive voice does not by itself make a statement objective.
- Active: Forskarna presenterade nya rön. (The researchers presented new findings.)
- Passive: Nya rön presenterades. (New findings were presented.) - Formal Vocabulary (Lexicon): Some formal genres favor specialized vocabulary. Choose words for precision and readership, not their historical origin; the alternatives below also differ in grammatical form.
- Everyday Alternatives: få (get), fråga (a question), om (about)
- More Formal Alternatives: erhålla (obtain), förfrågan (an inquiry), avseende/beträffande (regarding/concerning) - Complex Sentence Structure: Sentences are often longer and more complex than in spoken language, featuring multiple subordinate clauses and linking words to show logical relationships. Longer is not automatically clearer.
- Linking Adverbs: emellertid (however), däremot (on the other hand), således (thus), följaktligen (consequently). - Genitive Case and Complex Prepositions: The possessive -s genitive is common, as are multiword prepositions that may specify a relationship, although a shorter preposition is often sufficient.
- Genitive: Myndighetens beslut (The authority's decision)
- Complex Preposition: i enlighet med (in accordance with), med avseende på (with regard to).
Read examples from the relevant field, and prioritize clear relationships and readable sentences. Public-sector plain-language guidance encourages familiar words and explicit responsibility.
Examples (5)
- Ansökan skall inlämnas till berörd myndighet senast den 31 oktober.
The application must be submitted to the relevant authority by October 31st at the latest.
Word by Word: Application shall be-submitted to concerned authority latest the 31 October.
This example uses the formal modal verb 'skall' instead of 'ska', the s-passive 'inlämnas', and the formal adjective 'berörd' (relevant/concerned).
- En utvärdering av projektets effekter kommer att genomföras.
An evaluation of the project's effects will be carried out.
Word by Word: An evaluation of the-project's effects will to be-carried-out.
This demonstrates the nominal style. Instead of 'Vi ska utvärdera...' (We will evaluate...), the action is turned into a noun, 'en utvärdering', creating a more impersonal tone.
- Studiens resultat var entydiga; emellertid krävs ytterligare forskning för att bekräfta slutsatserna.
The study's results were unambiguous; however, further research is required to confirm the conclusions.
Word by Word: The-study's results were unambiguous; however requires further research for to confirm the-conclusions.
Emellertid is a linking adverb, here followed by inverted order krävs ytterligare forskning. Krävs is an s-passive. This is one possible formal style, not a requirement to make sentences long.
- I enlighet med gällande lagstiftning är samtliga åtgärder föremål för prövning.
In accordance with current legislation, all measures are subject to review.
Word by Word: In accordance with current legislation is all measures object for review.
This example uses a complex preposition ('i enlighet med'), formal vocabulary ('lagstiftning', 'samtliga', 'åtgärder'), and a nominal phrase ('föremål för prövning').
- Beträffande den tidigare nämnda incidenten har ingen officiell kommentar avgivits.
Regarding the previously mentioned incident, no official comment has been given.
Word by Word: Regarding the earlier mentioned incident has no official comment been-given.
Here, the formal preposition 'beträffande' is used. The verb is in the perfect passive tense, formed with 'har' + the passive supinum 'avgivits'.
Common Mistakes
Choosing a vague verb where the task needs precision.
Man måste fixa det här problemet snabbt.Detta problem erfordrar en skyndsam lösning.Both sentences can communicate the requirement. Fixa can be vague; an explicit verb such as lösa may help. Erfordrar en skyndsam lösning is more bureaucratic, not automatically clearer or more suitable.
Hiding or emphasizing the writer without considering the genre.
I den här uppsatsen ska jag analysera skillnaderna.I denna uppsats analyseras skillnaderna.Both forms can suit academic writing, depending on field and purpose. Jag can clarify what the writer will do; the passive focuses on the analysis. The examples also differ in time: ska jag analysera announces an intention, while analyseras presents the analysis without that explicit future marker.
Assuming formality requires a complex sentence.
Resultaten var bra. Men vi behöver mer data.Även om resultaten var goda, erfordras ytterligare data.Both versions can be appropriate. Short sentences and men are allowed in formal writing. Även om explicitly frames a concession, while the shorter version directly states the contrast and who needs the data.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn formal written Swedish (Academic/Legal register), a learner must move beyond basic sentence structures. This requires a strong grasp of nominalization to create dense noun phrases, the ability to use the s-passive for an objective tone, and the use of formal demonstratives and complex conjunctions that are rarely found in everyday conversation.
- Nominal vs verbal style
Formal written Swedish relies heavily on nominalization (turning verbs into nouns) to convey complex information densely.
Level 5 - -s (passiv)-s Passive Voice
The s-passive is the standard way to express objectivity and distance in formal, academic, and legal texts.
Level 3 - denna/detta/dessaThis/these (Formal Demonstrative)
These formal demonstrative pronouns are characteristic of written registers, replacing the more common 'den här/det här' used in speech.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- bli + Past ParticipleBecome Passive
Bli-passive often presents an event or change affecting the subject. It is not required for an objective tone and is also used outside formal writing.
Level 3 - Genitive case
Genitives express possession or relationships in both ordinary and formal Swedish: myndighetens beslut. Long possessor phrases can become hard to read.
Level 2 - emellertidHowever
Emellertid is a linking adverb meaning however, associated with written and formal styles. It is not a conjunction; first-position emellertid is followed by the finite verb in an ordinary statement.
Level 3 - Multi-word prepositions
Multiword prepositions can clarify a particular relationship, but complexity alone does not improve precision. A shorter preposition may convey the intended meaning equally well.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
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