Swedish can be a very literal language at times.\u00a0 Gr\u00f6nsaker for example means vegetables, literally though? \u00a0Green things. \u00a0Tandk\u00f6tt are your gums. \u00a0Or literally, tooth meat.\u00a0 So the formation of the word sambo actually makes quite a bit of sense.\u00a0 Sam a shortening of the word for together, samman, and bo a shortening of the word for accommodation, boende.\u00a0 Sambo.\u00a0 Together accommodation.<\/p>\n
Sambo is a term that denotes a couple that lives together but is not married.\u00a0 It can be everything from the couple who met in high school and moved in together when they were 20 or morfar finding someone to spend the remaining years of his life with.<\/p>\n
That there is a term describing the phenomenon does not necessarily lend the sense of gravitas that it might suggest.\u00a0 While there are plenty of people that never marry and instead live as sambos all their life, it has by no means eliminated the idea of marriage, as explained by Jennie in her post about Swedish Wedding Customs<\/a>.\u00a0 Many will go through several sambo partnerships in their lifetime.<\/p>\n There are several theories, reasons, ideas as to why the sambo is so prevalent in Sweden.\u00a0 Everything from the lack of housing options to the secularism that is rife in the country. From wanting to test out living together to the sexual liberalness of the country.\u00a0 Coming from the US where the discussion often centers on the sanctity of marriage, I personally find the whole idea refreshing.\u00a0 There is something inherently Swedish about it, such a simple concept that makes so much sense.<\/p>\n For those of you in one of those long distance relationships with a Swede, I\u2019d like to suggest a similar term.\u00a0 S\u00e4rbo.\u00a0 This one meaning living separately.\u00a0 Of course, this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean only those that find themselves with their significant other in a different country, but can also include people who live in the very same city.<\/p>\n Regardless of your relationship status, know that the Swedes probably have a word for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Swedish can be a very literal language at times.\u00a0 Gr\u00f6nsaker for example means vegetables, literally though? \u00a0Green things. \u00a0Tandk\u00f6tt are your gums. \u00a0Or literally, tooth meat.\u00a0 So the formation of the word sambo actually makes quite a bit of sense.\u00a0 Sam a shortening of the word for together, samman, and bo a shortening of the…<\/p>\n