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noun

ett fängelse

prison

En plats där personer hålls inspärrade som straff efter att de begått brott.

Definition & meaning

Fängelse means prison or jail: a place where people are held as punishment for crimes. It can also refer to imprisonment as a punishment.

  • Han sitter i fängelse. — He is in prison.
  • Hon dömdes till två års fängelse. — She was sentenced to two years in prison.

Grammar & Word origin

Fängelse is an ett-noun:

  • Indefinite singular: fängelse
  • Definite singular: fängelset
  • Indefinite plural: fängelser
  • Definite plural: fängelserna

It is related to fånga , “to capture,” and fängsla , “to imprison.” The ending -else helps form nouns.

Synonyms & antonyms

  • anstalt — a more formal term for an institution; in this context, a correctional facility.
  • finka — a colloquial word for jail or prison.
  • frihet — “freedom”; an opposite to imprisonment rather than to the prison building.

Common phrases & collocations

  • sitta i fängelse — to be in prison
  • dömas till fängelse — to be sentenced to imprisonment
  • släppas ur fängelse — to be released from prison

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Examples

Han sitter i fängelse nu.noun

He is in prison now.

Gamla fängelser ligger långt från staden.noun

Old prisons are located far from the city.

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