{"id":6918,"date":"2015-06-25T17:54:03","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T17:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=6918"},"modified":"2018-08-09T15:35:01","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T15:35:01","slug":"going-to-the-bathroom-in-sweden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/going-to-the-bathroom-in-sweden\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to the Bathroom in Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"

When learning a new language, we don\u2019t always spend too much time on certain vocabulary\u2014like bodily functions. A while back, Katja wrote a post titled The sensitive subject (which isn\u2019t so sensitive in Sweden)<\/a> where you can learn all kinds of vocabulary about bodily functions. It\u2019s a wonderful list. Now it\u2019s time to expand on that list a bit by focusing on the act of actually finding a bathroom to go to. While pee and poop are not all that stigmatized in Sweden (they have plush toys in the shape of those particular bodily functions and even a children\u2019s show!), as an adult, it\u2019s probably not the best idea to just walk up to someone and tell them: Jag m\u00e5ste bajsa!<\/em> Let\u2019s instead take a look at the bathrooms in Sweden.<\/p>\n

For those of you who are new to Sweden, many places, especially in big cities, charge you to use the toilet (en toalett<\/em>). Sometimes, like at a big shopping center, for example, they may have a bathroom attendant outside taking your money and allowing you in. Other times, like at a public bathroom in a park, there might just be a little change slot where you pay to unlock the door. Usually, you won\u2019t have to pay more than 5SEK or 10SEK. I suppose the idea is that if you have to pay for it you\u2019ll treat it better, plus the money can then go to upkeep and pay for the supplies like toilet paper (ett toalettpapper <\/em>or ett toapapper<\/em>), soap (en tv\u00e5l<\/em>), and paper towels (ett torkpapper <\/em>or en pappershandduk<\/em>). Maybe. You\u2019ll still find yourself holding your breath and trying to get in and out as fast as possible in some Swedish public toilets.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re out of change and just have to find a bathroom, there are ways around paying to pee. And no, it does not involve you peeing in public. Head to a nearby library. Many (but not all) libraries offer free bathrooms. Or if you\u2019re feeling brave, just walk into a nearby caf\u00e9 or restaurant and find the nearest bathroom. You might want to buy something, in which case, check out this post about ordering at a caf\u00e9 in Swedish<\/a>. In many semi-public bathrooms, like cafes, restaurants, or libraries for example, you\u2019ll find a toilet brush (en toalettborste<\/em>). It\u2019s there for a reason. Use it.<\/p>\n

If all else fails, find an occupied pay bathroom and wait. Don\u2019t be creepy, but wait until someone comes out and then grab the door before it has a chance to close. You might get a dirty look from the person that paid 5SEK or 10SEK, but depending on the urgency and your lack of change, it could be worth it. You\u2019ll find that this is pretty common practice the later it gets in the evening and the more alcohol people have consumed.<\/p>\n

Of course, now that you know all about bathrooms in Sweden, you probably need to know how to ask for one in Swedish. You will almost exclusively ask for the toilet. While there is a word for bathroom, ett badrum<\/em>, that\u2019s where the bathing takes place. Toileting? That happens in the toilet. So if you need to pee, try saying:<\/p>\n

Urs\u00e4kta, var \u00e4r toaletten<\/em>? Excuse me, where is the toilet?<\/p>\n

Or:<\/p>\n

Urs\u00e4kta, var \u00e4r toan?<\/em> Excuse me, where is the toilet? Toa<\/em> is a little more casual word for toilet.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll probably get a few directions in response: to your right (till h\u00f6ger<\/em>), to your left (till v\u00e4nster<\/em>), at the back (l\u00e4ngst bak<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Once you find the toilet and do your business, you need to wash your hands (p.s. always wash your hands). What if there\u2019s no soap though? If you\u2019re at a caf\u00e9, for example, find the nearest employee and let them know:<\/p>\n

Urs\u00e4kta, tv\u00e5len \u00e4r slut.<\/em> Excuse me, there\u2019s no soap left.<\/p>\n

You can use this as a template for just about anything in the bathroom. Urs\u00e4kta, toapappret \u00e4r slut. Urs\u00e4kta, torkpappret \u00e4r slut.<\/em> You get the idea.<\/p>\n

Since going to the bathroom is generally a solitary activity, there won\u2019t (and maybe shouldn\u2019t) be much more of a conversation to be had. But now you\u2019re ready should you find yourself in Sweden in need of a toilet. Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When learning a new language, we don\u2019t always spend too much time on certain vocabulary\u2014like bodily functions. A while back, Katja wrote a post titled The sensitive subject (which isn\u2019t so sensitive in Sweden) where you can learn all kinds of vocabulary about bodily functions. It\u2019s a wonderful list. Now it\u2019s time to expand on…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[364859,364860,364872],"class_list":["post-6918","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-vocabulary","tag-common-phrases","tag-swedish-bathrooms","tag-swedish-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6918"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8117,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6918\/revisions\/8117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}