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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Swedish word of the day: dopp

We're looking at words with a summery theme this month, and this one is essential to know on warm days.

Published: 24 July 2019 06:00 CEST
Swedish word of the day: dopp
Image: nito103/Depositphotos

Dopp is similar to the English word 'dip', in the sense of taking a quick swim. For example: ska vi ta ett dopp? (shall we go for a dip?). 

The image of 'dipping' oneself in the water suggests more of a spontaneous or brief swim compared to using the verb bada or simma. Simma is usually reserved for talking about swimming with a purpose, for example if you're going from a shoreline to an island or doing laps in a pool, while bada refers to swimming for leisure.

Bada also implies spending a longer time in the water, while ett dopp can be used even if you literally just jump in and get straight back out. So in some places, the water might not be warm enough to bada, but it's perfect if you just want to ta ett dopp.

MORE SWEDISH SUMMER WORDS:

Going for a dip in your nearest lake or sea is a Swedish summer tradition, so a common question you can use in small talk over summer is 'Har du tagit årets första dopp än?' (Have you been for your first dip of the year yet?).

You can also pop it into a compound word such as morgondopp (a morning dip/quick swim), kvällsdopp (evening dip) semesterdopp (holiday dip), and so on. 

As in English, you can also use the word doppa (to dip) to talk about submerging something in liquid temporarily. So you'll see the word dopp used to talk about two foodstuffs in particular, although both are fairly old-fashioned terms nowadays.

Kaffe med dopp (literally 'coffee with dip') is quite an outdated way of referring to a typical fika: coffee with a small biscuit which you could dip in your drink; the semla bun is an example. Dunking a biscuit or pastry in your drink isn't that common in Sweden, but the phrase kaffe med dopp can be used even if you don't plan to actually dunk your snack. And dopp i grytan (literally 'dip in the stew') refers to bread dipped in pork broth, a traditional component of the Swedish julbord.

Examples

Jag kanske tar ett dopp idag

I might take a dip today

Jag var i vattnet men försökte inte doppa håret

I was in the water but tried not to get my hair wet/dip my hair in

Do you have a favourite Swedish word you would like to nominate for our word of the day series? Get in touch by email or if you are a Member of The Local, log in to comment below.

 

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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: nyckelpiga

These little red and black insects are starting to pop up in gardens and fields all across Sweden. But where does their name come from?

Published: 14 May 2024 09:18 CEST
Swedish word of the day: nyckelpiga

Nyckelpiga, or nyckelpigor in the plural, is the Swedish word for the red and black spotted insects known in English as ladybirds or ladybugs.

Their name is made up of two words in Swedish, nyckel, which is the word for key, and piga, meaning a maid or other female servant, so it could be literally translated as a “keymaiden”.

In many European languages, these insects have names which relate to the Virgin Mary. 

In English, legend has it that farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary asking her to protect their crops, and when ladybirds appeared to eat aphids (a common garden pest), they called them “Our Lady’s birds”, which over time was simplified to ladybirds.

They’re known as mariquita in Spanish and marieta in Catalan, while in Danish and Norwegian they’re called mariehøner or marihøner (literally: Mary hens), and in German they’re called Marienkäfer (Mary beetles).

The Swedish term has a less obvious relationship to the Virgin Mary, and dates back to Sweden’s Catholic past.

Mary is believed in Catholicism to have seven sorrows, which are all events in her life often depicted in art by seven swords piercing her heart. The most common ladybird in Sweden has seven spots, which were seen as representing these seven sorrows.

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Seven was also considered to be a holy number in general, and it was believed therefore that ladybirds held the keys to heaven on behalf of Mary. According to an old Swedish folk tale, anyone who releases a captured ladybird would be let through the gates of heaven, and in many countries they are believed to be able to reveal when someone will marry.

In Sweden, it was said that if one landed on your hand and walked along your fingers, it was measuring new gloves for you, which meant that you were either going to attend a wedding or a funeral, and in France, a woman could put a ladybird on her finger and count out loud until it flew away, with the number reached representing how many years would pass before she would marry.

Another word for ladybird in Swedish is gullhöna (yellow hen), which most likely refers to the less common yellow ladybirds with black spots.

These ladybirds were believed to be able to predict the weather in some parts of Sweden. In Bohuslän, ladybirds meant good weather, and if you saw one, you were supposed to say gullhöna, gullhöna, flyg, flyg, flyg, så blir det sommar och gott, gott väder (ladybird, ladybird, fly, fly, fly, then it will be summer and good, good weather). In Värmland, however, seeing a ladybird meant the opposite: bad weather and rain.

Example sentences:

Tycker du inte att det har varit ovanligt många nyckelpigor i år?

Don’t you think there has been an unusually large number of ladybirds this year?

Nyckelpigor är ett bra nyttodjur att ha i trädgården då de äter bladlöss.

Ladybirds are a good beneficial insect to have in the garden, as they eat aphids.

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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