Corona Pups: Swedish Dog Vocabulary Posted by Chelsea B on Jul 9, 2021 in Culture, Grammar, Vocabulary
Did you adopt a furry friend to keep you company during quarantine from COVID-19? You’re not alone. On average, Swedes registered 1,000 more dogs monthly compared to pre-pandemic. If you are a relatively new hundägare (dog owner), chances are you have been practicing commands while creating routines and boundaries for your newest family member. With that in mind, how about a vocabulary-heavy blog post to help you speak Swedish with your dog? Bra! Häng med!
Är du hundägare? Are you a dog owner?
Ägare is the general word for “owner” in Swedish. Put it together with hund, the Swedish word for dog (you knew that one right?), and you’re a hundägare! Remember that Swedish singular nouns ending in -are keep the same form in plural.
en hundägare → hundägaren hundägare → hundägarna
a dog owner → the dog owner dog owners → the dog owners
Förrhoppningsvis ångrar du inte ditt beslut att bli hundägare.
Hopefully, you don’t regret your decision to become a dog owner.
Valpar! Puppies! …and other Swedish canine nouns
So continues the dog-centered vocablary, but many of these are applicable to other pets, too!
en valp a puppy
valpen → valpar → valparna
the puppy → puppies → the puppies
Valpar har kort uppmärksamhetsförmåga.
Puppies have a short attention span.
ett koppel a leash
kopplet → koppel → kopplen
the leash→ leashes → the leashes
Att gå i koppel kan vara stressigt för en valp.
To walk with a leash can be stressful for a puppy.
ett (hund)halsband a collar (literally “neck band”, this is also for word for necklace)
halsbandet → halsband → halsbanden
the collar → collar → the collars
Mäta din hunds hals och huvud för att ett halsband som passar perfekt.
Measure your dogs neck and head for a collar with a perfect fit.
en (hund)godisbit dog treat
godisbiten → godisbitar → godisbitarna
the treat → treats → the treats
Gå på promenader med några godisbitar i fickan.
Go for walks with some treats in your pocket.
hundträning dog training
Det är hjälpsamt att gå på hundträningskurser ett par gånger.
It is helpful to go to dog training classes a couple of times.
tid och tålamod time and patience
Det kräver mycket tid och tålamod att träna din nya valp.
It takes a lot of time and patience to train your new puppy.
sociala djur social animals
Hundar är sociala djur. Dogs are social animals.
ett kommando a command
kommandot → kommandon → kommandona
the command→ commands → the commands
“Bra” är ett viktigt kommando för din hund.
“Good” is an important command for your dog.
Sitt! Kom! Swedish Dog Commands
This subject is perfekt for refreshing your Swedish imperative (command form) skills. In Swedish, we drop letters off of present tense verbs to form the imperative. For example, Swedish group 1 verbs lose their -r. The Swedish verb pratar becomes Prata! (Speak!) Group 2 verbs lose their entire -er ending. See the examples below:
sitter | Sitt! | Sit! |
ligger | Ligg! | Lie down! |
kommer | Kom! | Come! |
stannar | Stanna! | Stay! |
väntar | Vänta! | Wait! |
hoppar | Hoppa! | Jump! |
More Doggy Verbs and Example Sentences
att skaffa hund to get a dog
skaffar → skaffade → har skaffat
Ska vi skaffa hund eller inte? Shall we get a dog or not?
att uppmuntra to encourage
uppmuntrar → uppmuntrade → har uppmuntrat
Det är viktigt att uppmuntra ett gott beteende.
It is important to encourage good behavior.
att belöna to reward
belönar → belönade → har belönat
Belöna hunden för att lära den vad ett bra beteende är.
Reward the dog to teach it what good behavior is.
att lämna ensam to leave alone
lämnar → lämnade → har lämnat
Hundar vill gärna inte lämnas ensamma.
Dogs prefer not to be left alone.
att adoptera to adopt (works for animals, and people)
adopterar → adopterade → har adopterat
Adoptera helst ett hemlöst djur istället för att köpa en.
Adopt a homeless animal rather than purchasing one.
Okej, vem ska adoptera en hund nu då? I have somehow managed to not adopt a dog this year despite weekly visits to my local humane society’s website. But I’ve spent plenty of time dog sitting my in-laws’ “corona pup.” Tell me in the comments below – did you skaffa en coronahund AND will you teach it some Swedish kommandon?
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