Archive for December, 2009
Santa for hire Posted by Katja on Dec 21, 2009
Most people enjoy Christmas immensely and for young children one of the most exciting event is getting Christmas gift (julklappar) from Santa. In Sweden Christmas is celebrated on the 24th as in many other European countries, which many of you might already know. Santa (Tomten) comes to families’ houses around 4 PM and personally hands out the presents…
Hangover anxiety, anyone? Posted by jennie on Dec 18, 2009
It’s a well known fact that Swedish is influenced by English. Unfortunately, this relationship does not work both ways. Apart from smorgasbord and ombudsman, there’s not much Swedish influences in general English (apart from in Scottish, but that’s a whole different post). But Swedish is full of great words that pretty much speak for themselves and words that…
Biking in the Dark in Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Dec 17, 2009
December 21st is the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice (vintersolståndet). In Stockholm, the sun is supposed to rise at 8:44 am and set at 2:49 pm. In Umeå, way up north, the sun is supposed to rise at 9:21 am and set at 1:46 pm. I say supposed to because the 21st is still…
Swedish Christmas words Part II Posted by Gabriel on Dec 16, 2009
V.g. avg. i e.m. Posted by jennie on Dec 15, 2009
Let’s be honest, there’s no fun and exciting way to talk about abbreviations. But they can be tricky and it is quite easy to become Swenglish when there’s an abbreviation involved. So, let’s get this over with, shall we? Useful Swedish abbreviations and where you would see them: ank. = ankommande = arrival, arriving Ank. tåg från Stockholm Train arriving from Stockholm…
Gekås – the temple of freezer bags and socks Posted by jennie on Dec 14, 2009
Imagine Sweden on a beautiful day in July. Imagine the warm breeze, the fresh air, the wide fields, the endless coastlines and the great big smorgasbord of things to do, see and experience. What would you pick? Would you spend the day on the beach? Take a boattrip in the archipelago (skärgård)? A walk in the woods? A stroll around a…
A new trend has infiltrated the Swedish language. Posted by Katja on Dec 12, 2009
Of course we know that a lot of languages borrow words from each other and adapt them to their own. Most people are fine with that, something a little bit annoying, new, different or just plain strange is a new trend amongst Swedish speakers right now. English verbs like to dress, to sprint or to…