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Local Sweden
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Local Sweden
Swedish word of the day: nakenfis
If you take off all your clothes in Sweden, someone may call you a nakenfis. But why? Advertisement A nakenfis literally means 'naked fart' – a person who is totally nude. It's a loving, slightly tongue-in-cheek, expression, which usually refers to a child. Picture a three-year-old running around the room like an indoor mini-tornado, refusing to put their pyjamas on after their evening bath, and you might hear the parent exclaim an exasperated hörrödu din nakenfis, nu är det läggdags (hey you, naked fart, it's bedtime). But what's it got to do with flatulence? Don't miss any of The Local's Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button Not much, in fact, nor is it related to the English expression 'old fart', which is often used to describe an annoying elderly person with old-fashioned views. Instead, it comes from the word askefis, which is hardly ever heard in modern Swedish. It's a word that was used to refer to the youngest child in a group of siblings, the person whose job it was to blow on the coal or embers (aska means ashes) to stoke the fire. This task was often assigned to them because they were too small for more demanding household chores. While the verb fisa these days is exclusively associated with farting, it is related to the English fizzle, and probably originally comes from spirare in Latin, to breathe or blow. Another word for fart in Swedish is prutt. Think of a fis as the quiet, smelly variant and a prutt as the noisy one. Excellent onomatopoeia. Advertisement Example sentences: Jag vill bada nakenfis i sjön I want to swim naked in the lake Får man vara nakenfis i bastun? Ibland, här är reglerna Are you allowed to be naked in the sauna? Sometimes, here are the rules Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Local Sweden
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Local Sweden
Swedish word of the day: unken
Today's word of the day sounds about as appealing as the thing it describes. Advertisement Unken is the Swedish word for something that smells a bit stale or otherwise unappetising, for example a room which has not been aired out or a bag of food waste which should have been thrown out a few days ago. It's not clear exactly where the word comes from, although it has existed in Swedish since at least the 1720s, according to the Swedish Academy's dictionary. It appears to have mainly been used to describe stagnant water, stale hay or other crops which have gone mouldy due to water damage. Don't miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local's app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button It may be related to a Proto-Indo-European word meaning wet or moist, which would explain how it has come to describe something smelling damp, mildewed or stale. If you are worried that your room smells unket, the best solution is to vädra, or air it out, replacing the old, stale air with fresh, new air. Unless the smell is due to mould or mildew, in which case you've got a larger issue on your hands. Swedes often consider it important to get rid of unken air, with good air quality believed to be important for health, so don't be surprised if you see your Swedish friends or family airing out their homes and letting new air in even in the depths of winter. The word unken can also refer to something which is metaphorically stale, like an outdated idea or concept. Advertisement Example sentences: Hotellet låg mitt i stan vilket var bra, men rummet luktade lite unket. The hotel was in the middle of town which was good, but the room smelled a bit musty. Det där är bara en gammal unken tradition. That's just an old outdated tradition. Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Local Sweden
24-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Local Sweden
Swedish word of the day: bada
Bada is one of many Swedish words for bathing or swimming. Advertisement Bada is roughly equivalent to the English word bathe, whether that's bathing in the bath or in a natural body of water such as a lake or in the sea. It usually implies spending a longer time in the water, as opposed to the word dopp, which refers to more of a quick swim. You might bada in a warm lake at the height of summer, but take a quick dopp at the beginning of the season before the water has warmed up properly. There are a huge range of bathing-related compound words featuring the word bada, like baddräkt (swimming costume), badplats (swimming spot), badkar (bathtub) and even the Swedish word for a sauna, bastu, which is a shortened version of badstuga, literally a bathhouse. The use of the word in Swedish means that it's often one of those words that you'll find creeping into your English, until you find yourself asking someone in a somewhat old-fashioned way whether they would like to "bathe in the sea" on a trip to the beach. The word badkruka (literally 'bathe-pot') is an insult you can use for someone who doesn't like to swim, or who refuses to do so because the water is too cold. Don't miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button You can also bada bastu (bathe in the sauna), which anyone who has listened to Sweden's Eurovision entry this year, Bara bada bastu by Swedish-speaking Finns KAJ, should be aware of. Vinterbada or kallbada refer to taking a quick dip in ice cold water during the winter, often either before or after a sauna. Advertisement Another related word is simma, to swim, which implies swimming for sport or to reach a specific goal (i.e. swimming to a boat or island), rather than for leisure, although there is some overlap. You could take a leisurely swim at a lake or at the beach, or a more sporty swim at a simhall (swimming hall) or in a simbassäng (swimming pool). If you chose to go to the local swimming pool just to bada, however, it implies you're there to lounge around in the swimming lanes rather than to burn some calories. Example sentences: Hon ska bada snart om vi ska hinna innan läggdags. She needs to have a bath soon or there won't be time before bedtime. Bara bada bastu bastu, heittää på så sveittin bara yr Just take a sauna, sauna, throw it on so the sweat starts swirling (this is Finland-Swedish slang, so a mix of both languages) Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Local Sweden
22-04-2025
- Local Sweden
Swedish word of the day: lov
May we introduce you to this short but useful Swedish word? Advertisement Lov is related to the English noun "leave" in the sense of being given leave, or being granted permission to do something. A child may for example ask their parents if they får lov ("may") to take some ice cream from the freezer. It has been used to mean "permission to be absent from school" or "school break" for at least 400 years, and you'll see it in reference to the main school holidays: sommarlov (summer break), påsklov (Easter break), jullov (Christmas break), sportlov (sports break, used to refer to the late winter holiday, also referred to as februarilov or February break) and läslov or höstlov (reading break or autumn break). Sweden's school year is split into two semesters and the summer holiday usually lasts about two months. Note that the word "semester" is a false friend, as it means "holiday" in Swedish, so you may hear it used in a similar context to lov. Semester can either refer to the four weeks off most adults have from work during the summer, or the act of travelling somewhere for a vacation, whereas lov refers to school breaks. And in case you're wondering, the Swedish word for "semester" is termin. Don't miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local's app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button Lov can also mean very enthusiastic praise, for example att sjunga någons lov (to sing somebody's praises) or lovprisa (to praise). In all the above instances, the "o" in lov is pronounced similarly to the vowel in the English word "oar". If you instead pronounce it more like something that would rhyme with the sound a cow makes, moo, it can refer to a sailboat changing direction to head against the wind. In that sense, it's also often used in the expression att slå en lov runt något (to walk around something). Advertisement Example sentences: Hade du ett trevligt påsklov? Did you have a nice Easter break? Be pappa om lov innan du sätter på ugnen. Ask dad for permission before you turn on the oven. Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.
Local Sweden
25-03-2025
- General
- Local Sweden
Swedish word of the day: våffla
The Swedish word våffla has existed in written Swedish since at least 1642. It's related to the Dutch word wafel, which in turn comes from the German word Wabe , meaning honeycomb. Honeycombs and waffles both have similar patterns ( Wabe comes from a term meaning "to weave" in Middle High German) which is presumably how the sweet treat got its name. Don't miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local's app (available on Apple and Android ) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button Swedish waffles are usually thin and crispy, cooked in a waffle iron ( våffeljärn ) which makes five or six heart-shaped waffles at once. Unlike Belgian-style waffles, they don't usually contain eggs or yeast. Advertisement Standard waffle toppings are cream and jam or fresh berries, while savoury toppings like sour cream, red onion and fish roe are also popular. The word våffla is also used to refer to the type of ice cream cones made of wafers, which have a similar chequered texture. If you're wondering why they're served on March 25th, the answer is simple. March 25th is the Christian holiday of Annunciation, known in Swedish as Vårfrudagen , Our Lady's Day, which sounds suspiciously like the Swedish for Waffle Day, Våffeldagen . Example sentences: Ska vi äta våfflor till kvällsmat? Det är Våffeldagen idag ju. Should we have waffles for dinner? It's Waffle Day today, after all. Vill du ha strut eller våffla? Do you want a normal ice cream cone or a waffle cone? Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local's Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is available to order. Head to to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US , Amazon UK , Bokus or Adlibris .
