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Faking fluency: Ten Swedish words that will help you sound like a local

Work these words into your conversations in Swedish and you'll sound fluent in no time.

Published: 14 May 2019 12:16 CEST
Updated: 29 May 2020 07:20 CEST

Faking fluency: Ten Swedish words that will help you sound like a local

Tjena, want to go to a najs party? Jajamensan! Photo: Faramarz Gosheh/imagebank.sweden.se

This little word packs quite a punch, with just two letters expressing a whole host of things. Surprise, pain, shock, sympathy, embarrassment: oj can mean any and all of the above. Click here to read more

Jo and ja both mean yes. But when do you use one and when do you use the other? Click here to read more

You can never go wrong with a simple hej as a greeting. But if you're confident enough to branch out into the great wide world of Swedish slang, consider going for a tjena. Click here to read more

Swedes are not a people prone to big reactions. But once in a while you may hear a mildly surprised Swede step out of their shell and exclaim “… nämen!” Click here to read more

Are you looking for that great filler word to smooth our your sentences and make you sound more fluent in Swedish? We've got you covered with the word typ. Click here to read more

Jajamensan looks slightly ridiculous written down, but it's one of those words that helps you sound much more Swedish once you learn how to deploy it. Click here to read more

Here's a word that should be familiar to Swedish learners with a knowledge of English, and demonstrates Swedes' tendency to incorporate English words into their language. Click here to read more

You may not learn this word in Swedish class, but it may come in useful whether you're spending time with children or searching for a spot to have fika. Click here to read more

This word will help you fake fluency in Swedish, as long as you use it correctly. It is particularly good for when you want to speak, but are waiting to make sure you have everyone's attention. Click here to read more

Orka is a word that you'll hear a lot, and is key to understanding young Swedes. Click here to read more

All images: nito103/Depositphotos

Do you want to learn a new Swedish word (almost) every day? Follow The Local's word of the day series.

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Swedish word of the day: kondis

Kondis is a great example of a Swedish slang word ending in -is, which essentially is the shortened version of a longer word.

Somewhat confusingly, in the case of kondis, there are actually two similar words which have both been shortened in this way, resulting in one word with two different meanings.

The first meaning comes from konditori, the Swedish version of a patisserie or bakery, which you might recognise from the German word Konditor (a confectioner or pastry chef), originally from the Latin word condītor, which referred to a person who preserved, pickled or seasoned food.

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The word kondis can either refer to a konditori itself, or to the type of baked goods and pastries they offer. A kondis differs somewhat from a bageri (bakery), which is more likely to focus on savoury or rustic baked goods, like bread (although many kondis also sell bread, and many bagerier will serve some sort of cake or sweet treat too).

A kondis is also more likely to have some area where you can sit and enjoy your food on-site, perhaps with a cup of tea or coffee, while bakeries are more likely to be take-away only.

The second meaning of kondis is a shortened version of the word kondition, which translates roughly as your endurance or fitness. If you’re good at running, you might be described as having bra kondition or bra kondis, roughly equal to being fit.

Another similar slang word for this in Swedish would be flås, which technically translates to “panting”, but can be used in the same way as kondis to describe physical endurance or fitness.

Example sentences:

Om man äter för mycket kondis kan man få dålig kondis.

If you eat too many pastries you could end up less fit.

Sprang du hela vägen hit? Du måste ha bra kondis!

Did you run the whole way here? You must be in good shape.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.

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