ljus

Swedish

Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:

ljus (olika betydelser)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jʉːs/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ʉːs

Etymology 1

From Old Swedish liūs, from Old Norse ljóss, from Proto-Germanic *leuhsaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-so-, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-.

Adjective

ljus

light, bright (full of light)
Det är ljust ute, men om några timmar blir det mörkt
It is light outside, but in a few hours it will be [become] dark

en ljus och rymlig lägenhet
a bright and spacious apartment

Hibiskusen trivs på en ljus plats
[The] hibiscus thrives in a bright spot
(figuratively) bright (promising; prosperous)
Framtiden ser ljus ut
The future looks bright

gå mot en ljus framtid
be headed for a bright future
(of color) light
ljusröd
light red

en ljus nyans av beige
a light shade of beige

Jag vill ha en ljusare nyans
I want a lighter shade

en ljus möbel
a light-colored piece of furniture
(of sound) high-pitched, bright
en ljus röst
a high-pitched voice

Usage notes

Bright in the sense of "shining intensely" is expressed as stark (“strong”). "The sun is shining brightly" would be "Solen lyser starkt," for example (or sometimes "Solen lyser stark" (The sun shines strong), which is a bit poetic, like "The sun shines bright" in English). See also gassa.

Declension

Inflection of **ljus**
Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative¹
common singular	ljus	ljusare	ljusast
neuter singular	ljust	ljusare	ljusast
plural	ljusa	ljusare	ljusast
masculine plural²	ljuse	ljusare	ljusast

Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular³	ljuse	ljusare	ljusaste
all	ljusa	ljusare	ljusaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Antonyms

mörk

Etymology 2

From Old Swedish liūs, from Old Norse ljós, from Proto-Germanic *leuhsą, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-so-m, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk-.

Noun

ljus n

(uncountable) light
Antonym: mörker

ljuset från lampan
the light from the lamp

Scenen badade i blått ljus
The stage was bathed [the stage bathed] in blue light

solljus
sunlight

dagsljus
daylight

ljusstråle
ray of light

se något i ett nytt ljus
see something in a new light
Like in English.
- 1980, Docent Död, “Solglasögon [Sunglasses]”, in Docent [Docent [associate professor, roughly]]‎^[1]:
  Bakom mina solglasögon kan jag va' [vara] mig själv. Allting blir så vackert genom ... Genom mina solglasögon är ljuset alltid gult. Allting känns så riktigt bakom ...
  Behind my sunglasses, I can be myself. Everything turns so beautiful through ... Through my sunglasses, the light is always yellow. Everything feels so right behind ...
(countable) a light ((light from a) light source)
ljus i fjärran
lights in the distance

Under en mörkläggning släcks alla ljus
During a blackout, all lights are turned off
(idiomatic, in "klassens ljus" (the light of the class)) the class brain, the smartest kid in class
(countable) a candle
att tända ett ljus
to light a candle

att blåsa ut ett ljus
to blow out a candle

att släcka ett ljus
to extinguish a candle

ljussläckare
candle snuffer

ljuslåga
candle flame

levande ljus
candle
(literally, “living light”)
Synonymous with plain ljus in this sense except implying a candle that burns with a flame and not an electric candle or the like. Often with cozy connotations (similar to candlelight) or when emphasizing the fire aspect, like when thought of as a fire hazard.

en middag med levande ljus
a candlelight dinner
Just "med ljus" sounds more sterile and matter-of-fact here.
- 1987, Triad, “Tänd ett ljus [Light a candle]”‎^[2]:
  Tänd ett ljus och låt det brinna. Låt aldrig hoppet försvinna. Det är mörkt nu, men det blir ljusare igen.
  Light a candle and let it burn. Never let [the] hope disappear. It is dark now, but it will get lighter again.

Usage notes

A lamp would normally be called a lampa (“lamp”) rather than a ljus (“light”). "Turn off the light" when of a lamp is idiomatically "Släck lampan" (or "Släck lyset"), for example. This also avoids any confusion with the candle sense.

Declension

Declension of **ljus**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ljus	ljus
singular	definite	ljuset	ljusets
plural	indefinite	ljus	ljus
plural	definite	ljusen	ljusens

Derived terms

Related terms

ljusna
lysa

References

“ljus”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
“ljus”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
“ljus”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
Svensk MeSH

Anagrams

juls