SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: en gubbe

Our latest word of the day is a term that can describe old and young men and boys, but you'll have to be careful how you use it. The meaning changes completely depending on the tone.

Swedish word of the day: en gubbe
An affectionate term or an insult? It depends. Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

En gubbe is a Swedish noun most often used to refer to a male person, and it can be affectionate or derogatory depending on the context.

When talking to your friends about your grandfather, for example, you might refer to him as en gubbe; it’s an endearing way of saying “old man”. But it can also be used for men and boys of all ages, particularly young children, who be affectionately called a “lille gubben” (roughly “little fellow”).

However, it can also be an insult, particularly if used about a man you don’t know, or in a negative tone. If you really want to insult someone, it can be coupled with adjectives such as “grinig gubbe” (grumpy old man) or “ful gubbe” (literally “ugly man” but usually used to mean “dirty old man” or “letch”).

A good example of how the meaning can change is when Swedish-speaking women use it to refer to their husbands.

When said in an affectionate context, “min gubbe” is a colloquial way of saying “my husband”, similar to the British “my man” or “my bloke”, and usually no offence would be intended at all.

However, it can also be used to criticise men for letting themselves go: one online list titled “Signs your man has become a gubbe” lists criteria such as wearing old, worn out underwear, allowing nose and ear hair to grow, preferring to stay at home than go out, and growing grumpy.

So think twice about your tone before you call somebody a gubbe – it can come off harsher than intended and is almost never appropriate if you aren’t close with the subject. There’s also a female equivalent, en gumma, used mostly to describe older women which has the same ambiguity so can be either affectionate or insulting.

Swedish-learners might be wondering if there’s any link to the word for strawberry: en jordgubbe.

Gubbe is also a Swedish dialect word to refer to a small lump, and jord means “earth” in the sense of soil, so a strawberry is quite simply “a small lump that grows in the earth”. Most linguists believe that this dialect word was the origin of “en gubbe” meaning man, probably first used to refer to small children.

Over time, it’s likely that it started being used more widely to men of all ages, but it helps explain the sometimes negative connotations.

One final form of gubbe to watch out for: in Swedish slang, en gubbe also means “a gram” of drugs. 

Examples

Min man har blivit en tråkig gubbe

My husband has become a boring old man

Vad är det som är fel, gubben?

What’s the matter, sweetie? (probably said in a concerned tone to a child)

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is now available to order in English or German. 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: kondis

Today’s word has two meanings: one is healthy, the other less so.

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.

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

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 USAmazon UKBokus or Adlibris.

SHOW COMMENTS