Most foreigners in Sweden kick off their learning journeys with a Swedish language course or a learning app like Duolingo or Babbel. But if you want to come off like a native speaker, you may find yourself needing to adopt some of the odder noises you hear Swedes making — few of which you will ever learn about in SFI.

Jaha! This is the noise you make in Swedish to express a moment of realisation, whether it’s a eureka-moment when everything comes together, or you’ve suddenly remembered where you left your bike. It’s a little bit like saying “oh right!” in English.  

Hmmm. This is the noise Swedes make when someone is talking at length, and means something like “go on”. What distinguishes it from the use of “hmmm” as a similar encouragement in English is that the hmmmms can come at regular intervals, say every two seconds or so, rather than just in gaps in the other person’s account. You can also use ah in more or less the same way, mix them up, or throw in the odd precis, meaning “exactly”. 

A-a – This version of “aaa” starts with a slightly nasal high-pitched ‘A’ then drops away, or sometimes drops away and then comes back equally forcefully. It is used as a way of contradicting a denial on the part of the other party — similar to the word jo, meaning “no, really”, or “actually yes”. 

Åååååååh. There’s a long-drawn out groan which Swedes from late middle age up might make when attempting to rise out of the sofa or get out of bed, and younger ones might use if, for instance, they’re hungover or ran a marathon the previous day. This ååååå noise might be followed by a fy fan, shit or another mild expletive, followed by asså, which is a kind of intensifier. 

The inhaled ja. In its most extreme form, up in Norrland, the locals often substitute the word ja, meaning “yes”, for nothing more than a sharp intake of breath, but Swedes from almost anywhere will inhale a ja, je, or jap, which serves to make the affirmation a little more cursory. It can be a way of saying that the affirmation is self-evident, or perhaps a way of expressing a stoic acceptance that something unwelcome is the case.  

Oj. This is one of the most useful sounds in Swedish, and can express surprise, pain, shock, sympathy or embarrassment. It’s the word Swedes use where English people might say “oops”, but it can also mean “wow”, or serve as a reaction to anything surprising or unexpected. It’s often repeated several times, as in oj oj, oj oj oj, or even oj oj oj oj, when the last oj is given extra emphasis. 

Joråsåatte. This nonsense filler word — a combination of jodå, så, and att normally run together into a slurred noise, is what some Swedes use when they’re run out of anything to say, a little like “well anyway then”. Slip one in just before you make your excuse to leave. Don’t forget to shuffle your feet awkwardly and pretend to look at your watch or phone like you suddenly remembered an important appointment.

Usch! This is the noise Swedes make to react to something unpleasant. It can be used where you might say “yuck”, “ugh” or “ew” in English, but can also be used to express other strong emotions, such as fear or discomfort. You might say usch, vad pinsamt, “ugh, how embarrassing” or usch, jag är nervös, “Oh, I’m so nervous”, or even usch, vad soligt!, “wow, it’s sunny”, where it would express the fact that it is so sunny as to hurt your eyes. 

Blää! This, very much like the English “bleurgh”, also means “yuck”, but unlike usch, is limited to reacting to something distasteful. 

Ba. This word, which is a shortening of “bara”, meaning “just, or only”, is something that peppers the speech of younger Swedes in the same was as “like” does in that of their English-speaking counterparts. It can also be used to substitute for an action verb, particular one expressing speech (again in a similar way to “like” in English). Och hon ba: “wow, vilken gigantisk häst” — “and she was like, ‘wow, what a gigantic horse’.”

The Swedish sigh. In Swedish, sighing is used more as a way of expressing dissatisfaction with another person than it tends to be in English, where it is more just a way of expressing tiredness or resignation (which is why it can be dangerous to sigh in the presence of a Swedish spouse). Perhaps as a result, the Swedish sigh can be more forcefully uttered, coming closer to achh or ochh. The more forceful the utterance the more clearly it expresses annoyance.  

Tsk. If you make the mistake of going the wrong way down a bicycle path or pushing into a queue, you might hear Swedes utter this short sharp syllable, which is the Swedish equivalent of tutting. 

Have you noticed your Swedish friends or loved ones making strange noises you think should be added to this list? If so, please tell us in the comments below.