Swedish

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From hända (happen) +‎ -else (-ing).

Pronunciation

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  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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händelse c

  1. an occurrence (something that happens)
    Jag vill dela med mig av en händelse i helgen
    I want to share a thing that happened this weekend
    1. an event, an incident, etc. (usually more idiomatic)
      en historisk händelse
      a historic event
      en tragisk händelse
      a tragic event
      en isolerad händelse
      an isolated incident
      en mycket sällsynt händelse
      a very rare event
      Det var en olyckshändelse
      It was an accident [misfortune event]
    2. (in "i händelse av") in case of, in the event of
      Synonym: vid
      I händelse av brand, krossa glaset
      In case of fire, break [the] glass
      i händelse av krig
      in the event of war
  2. (in some expressions) chance, accident, happenstance
    Vi möttes av en händelse
    We met by accident
    Av en händelse befann sig även hans ärkerival på festen
    By chance, his arch rival was also at the party
    Som av en händelse bär antagonisten i boken stora likheter med författarens exfru
    By curious coincidence [as if by chance], the antagonist of the book bears great similarities to the author's ex-wife [ironic]
    – Har du med dig ett varuprov? – Som av en händelse har jag det!
    – Do you have a product sample with you? – As it happens [as if by chance], I have! [jocular]
    Att dokumentären släpptes på tioårsdagen av bombdåden var en ren händelse och inte planerat
    That the documentary was released on the 10th anniversary of the bombings was pure coincidence and not planned

Usage notes

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A thing that happens (or happened, more commonly). Usually notable, since it is less likely to be brought up otherwise, but neutral beyond that. "Occurrence" is a good match in being neutral, but a bad match for tone. "Event" is the most common translation, but sometimes sounds off, like in the first example.

Declension

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Derived terms

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See also

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References

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Anagrams

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