Archive for 'Vocabulary'
Fjortisar and Emos in school Posted by Katja on Jan 19, 2010
During the last couple of years a term has entered the Swedish school, actually two. The first is “Fjortis” and the second “Emo”. Apart from starting endless fights, these terms have given many youths, who are searching for friends or themselves, a place to belong. “Fjortis” originally comes from the Swedish word “fjortonåring” which means…
Friends, alcohol and hot tubs Posted by Katja on Dec 30, 2009
I hope you all had a great X-mas! Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and people have been making plans for a long time, most of all young people. In Sweden people spend Christmas with their families, ie. the grandparents of the mother and then the father. It is also very common that families get divorced…
Swedish Christmas words Part II Posted by Gabriel on Dec 16, 2009
What Time Is It? Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 7, 2009
About an hour ago I was struggling to explain to someone how to say what time it is. In Swedish naturally. You see, again, it’s one of those things that is deceptively easy on the surface and so similar to English that we tend to forget that there are a couple of bits that are…
Ticks and Lyme Disease Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 31, 2009
It’s summer in Sweden. And that means, among many other, much more pleasant things, also this – ticks. Yes, ticks. Fästingar, as they’re called in Swedish. Those nasty little creatures and the diseases they cause are no laughing matter. And if you are spending your summers in Sweden, sooner or later you, or your pets…
How to Read Apartment Rental Ads Posted by Transparent Language on Jul 7, 2009
I haven’t forgotten about the book contest! Don’t worry. I am just waiting for the weekend – I think it will be more festive to announce the winner then. In the meantime, I want to talk about something that seemed very puzzling to one of my friends. And because it also happens to be a…
Swedish Easter Traditions Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 7, 2009
So, as most of you probably know, this is the week of Easter, known in the Christian tradition as Holy Week. In Swedish, it’s Stilla veckan or Passionsveckan. And this is how the days of the Holy Week are known in Swedish: Monday – blåmåndag or svarta måndag Tuesday – vita tisdag Wednesday – dymmelonsdag…