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Questions & Answers about Välkommen till mötet.
Why is it välkommen and not some verb form?
In this sentence, välkommen is not a finite verb. It is an adjective-like form meaning welcome.
Swedish often uses this kind of short formula without an explicit verb:
- Välkommen till mötet. = Welcome to the meeting.
- literally, it is closer to [You are] welcome to the meeting
So the full idea is understood, even though Swedish leaves out är and du.
Why does välkommen end in -en?
That ending is part of the word form used when speaking to one person.
Compare:
- Välkommen = to one person
- Välkomna = to more than one person
- Välkommet = used with a neuter singular word in other contexts
So in Välkommen till mötet, the speaker is welcoming one person.
If I am talking to several people, what should I say instead?
You would normally say:
- Välkomna till mötet. = Welcome to the meeting. (to several people)
This is a very common difference in Swedish:
- singular person: välkommen
- plural people: välkomna