SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: långkörare

Let's take a look at a noun that can be positive or negative depending on the context – and is very relevant at the moment.

the word långkörare written on a blackboard next to the swedish flag
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Swedish is full of interesting compound words that describe a specific thing or concept, and en långkörare is one of them. It can be broken down into two components: lång (long) and körare, which means something like “driver” or “runner”, from the verb att köra

  • Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading The Local’s new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button

Att köra is a very versatile verb. While it sometimes means “drive” in a literal sense (att köra en bil – to drive a car), its purpose is often simply to signify momentum. This is clear in expressions such as nu kör vi! (“off we go!”) and klara, färdiga, kör! (“ready, set, go!”), where köra implies action rather than being linked to a specific type of movement or direction.

The noun långkörare is commonly used to describe a TV programme that ran for several years with multiple seasons, or occasionally a long-running theatre production. In this context, it’s usually a positive thing since it shows the ongoing popularity of the show.

But långkörare has another meaning which makes it particularly appropriate this month. When you’re talking about business or political negotiations, the term refers to drawn-out dealings, or an issue that crops up time and time again. An English translation would be something like “a long-running issue” or “long-running saga”.

Exactly how long something has to take for it to be worthy of the term depends on the issue, but the key is that it lasts longer than is either necessary or desirable.

For example, Sweden is now expected to soon join Nato after Hungary ratified it on Monday. But that comes nearly two years after it handed in its application, with both Turkey and Hungary dragging their feet on ratification. You could say it has been a real långkörare.

Examples:

Förhoppningsvis blir det inte någon långkörare

Hopefully it won’t become a long-running saga

Den främsta långköraren i svensk TV är förmodligen Rederiet

The biggest long-running series in Swedish TV is probably Rederiet (a 318-series soap opera)

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 USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: shit

Before you get offended by this potty-mouthed word of the day, we should probably tell you that this English swear word is a lot milder in Swedish.

Swedish word of the day: shit

The word shit in Swedish is, as you may have guessed, a loanword from English. It has its roots in Middle English schit and scythe, meaning “dung”, which in turn originated in a Proto-Indo-European word meaning to split, divide or separate.

There are a number of words in other European languages which have the same root, like schijt in Dutch, Scheiße in German, skidt in Danish, skit/skitt in Norwegian and the Swedish word skit.

So, why does Swedish have two words for shit? Essentially, they’re used (and pronounced) in different ways.

Shit, pronounced similarly to the English word but in a Swedish accent, is essentially only used as an exclamation, whether that’s for something good or bad, and most adults in Sweden wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they heard a small child saying it. 

  • Don’t miss any of The Local’s Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button

It normally indicates some sort of surprise or shock, similar to “wow” or “oh my god” in English. You might also hear it in the phrase shit pommes frites, which literally translates as “shit, French fries!” which a Swedish speaker might use to express surprise: shit pommes frites, har du fått en ny mobil?! (“shit French fries, have you got a new phone?!”)

If you accidentally bumped into someone in a queue, for example, you could say shit, förlåt (shit, sorry), and if you came to some sort of realisation, you could say oj shit! (oh shit!). In general, saying shit would be acceptable even in professional situations with Swedes.

Skit, on the other hand, is pronounced with the sort of whooshing sj or sk-sound at the beginning, kind of like the word wheat, but with a whistle at the start.

It’s used in Swedish in broadly the same ways you’d use shit in English, both in the sense of actual faeces (as a noun and a verb) but also as a vulgar way to describe some sort of undesirable material or thing: jag har tröttnat på den här skiten (I’m tired of this shit) or ta bort din skit från bordet (take your shit off the table).

You may also have come across it in the term skit samma (the milder variant would be strunt samma), which can be translated as “never mind” or “forget it”, or skit också if something unfortunate happens (skit också, jag missade bussen – damn it, I missed the bus).

You can also describe something as being skit, use it in phrases like jag förstår inte ett skit (I don’t understand shit) and as an intensifier: han bankade skiten ur honom (he beat the shit out of him).

In contrast to shit, skit is generally considered less acceptable to use in a professional situation… although you will probably still hear children say it.

Example sentences:

Oj shit, spelar du in det här? 

Oh shit, are you recording this?

Ska vi inte åka snart? Shit, ja, klockan är redan 12!

Shouldn’t we leave soon? Shit, yeah, it’s already 12 o’clock!

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 USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

SHOW COMMENTS