Tag Archives: Vocabulary
Julafton!!! Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 24, 2008
It’s julafton (Christmas eve) and in Sweden it means many things, but the most important of them all will start at 3PM on SVT1. Kalle Anka!!! The sacred Swedish Christmas tradition! How did Donald Duck become a staple of Swedish Christmas cheer, I am not really sure. Nobody is. But the fact is, it’s not…
Julmarknad and “skriva ihop” Posted by Transparent Language on Dec 16, 2008
This year, because I was away, I missed our local julmarknad. No big deal, really, because it’s tiny and not all that interesting (went last year, and the year before, and the year before-before, and so on) and held only during one weekend at our local skansen-type attraction – Gammlia. Yet, the official city hall…
Hög tid för vinterdäck Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 23, 2008
On Friday I took my car in to get winter tires put on. And it was about time. Driving on snow and ice covered roads was becoming rather hazardous. Driving with spiky tires is a little bit better. Most manly men I know change their tires themselves, but lacking a handy wrench monkey, I go…
Adventures in Healthcare, part 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Nov 6, 2008
A few years ago my friend discovered a black spot on her skin. She went to the clinic (vårdcentralen) and showed it to the doctor there. The doctor told her to wait and see if it would disappear on its own. A couple of weeks later, the spot was still there and she asked me…
The Wash Post Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 25, 2008
I am still away and still receiving calls for help from my dearly beloved. Last night it was the wash that required five urgent phone calls to get my urgent attention. We don’t own a washing machine. Actually, our apartment is not even set up for one. Instead, there is something in our building called…
Hej Kära Peter! Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 19, 2008
Peter’s comment on the post below made me think. I don’t write that many letters in Swedish. In fact, I don’t write that many letters in whatever language – I’m probably the world’s worst correspondent, as my friends no doubt can tell you. So, in order to properly answer Peter’s question I had to dig…
Åka or Gå? Posted by Transparent Language on Oct 12, 2008
Today’s topic is one that confuses many Swedish learners – those pesky verbs that are deceptively similar, have pretty much the same meaning in English, yet in Swedish are used in a completely different context. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Actually, Swedish has quite a few such verb combinations. But today we’ll start with the…