SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: harkla

Today we look at one of those Swedish words that has no one-word English equivalent.

Swedish word of the day: harkla
How do you say this in English in one word? Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Harkla is a great verb that means something close to “to clear one’s throat”.

This can be the half-coughing sound you sometimes make before speaking to make sure you can talk clearly, or it can refer to the action when you have a cold and need to clear your throat to dislodge phlegm.

Harkla is most often used as a reflexive verb, meaning you follow the verb with a reflexive pronoun (those are mig, dig, sig, er and oss in Swedish, equivalent to myself, yourself, himself/herself/itself, themselves, and ourselves in English). So for example: jag harklade mig innan jag började prata (I cleared my throat before I started talking).

But you can also use it as an intransitive verb, meaning it’s used on its own without a reflexive pronoun or an object. This is much less common, and usually refers to ongoing periods of throat-clearing, for example: jag har hostat och harklat (I’ve been coughing and clearing my throat).

Harkla has existed in Swedish for many, many years and though its origin isn’t clear, it’s very possible that it’s at least partly onomatopoeic, meaning the sound of the word echoes the action it describes.

There’s a whole family of words related to harkla too. 

  • 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

There’s the adjective harklig (meaning something like “throat-cleary” in imperfect English, or “constantly having to clear one’s throat”), so you might say jag är hostig och harklig (I keep needing to cough and clear my throat).

And there are not one but two related nouns. The word en harkling (a clearing of one’s throat) typically refers to a one-off incidence of throat-clearing, for example: jag hörde en harkling (I heard someone clear their throat).

The other noun, ett harklande, implies a more long-term or ongoing throat-clearing, or is used to the general idea of throat-clearing, for example: jag är trött på harklandet (“I’m tired of the throat-clearing”, with the implication that this is an ongoing issue).

Examples

Hennes röst var skrovlig så hon harklade sig

Her voice was gruff so she cleared her throat

Usch, jag måste harkla mig hela tiden

Yuck, I keep having to clear my throat

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: släkt

Here’s another Swedish word where it’s important to remember the difference between ä and a.

Swedish word of the day: släkt

Släkt is a useful word to know in Swedish, as it’s one of the ways Swedes refer to family. It’s used roughly where you’d say “extended family” or “relatives” in English, and refers specifically to family outside of your core family unit.

If you were visiting family back home, for example, you would say jag ska hälsa på min släkt. If you used the word familj instead of släkt here, it would sound like you were visiting your immediate family – partner and children, or parents and siblings – rather than other relatives.

You can also say jag ska hälsa på mina släktingar. Think of släkt as the collective noun and släktingar as the individuals.

When discussing a royal or noble family, you would use the word ätt instead.

Släkt can also be used as an adjective – vi är släkt (we are related) – and you’ll see it in a number of compound words, like släktforskning (genealogy, literally “extended family research”), släktled (lineage), släktträff (family reunion) and släktskap (relationship or kinship).

You may also come across the phrase släkt och vänner (family and friends), which featured in Björn Afzelius’ 1999 number one single Farväl till släkt och vänner (“Goodbye to family and friends”).

  • 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

Another word which is useful for Word of the Day articles is besläktad, used to describe words which are related to each other.

Släkt originally comes from Old Swedish slækt, which has its roots in Middle Low German slecht (meaning family or lineage). 

There are two other Swedish words which look similar to släkt. The first is släckt, which is used to describe a light which has been turned off, or a candle or fire which has been extinguished. The second word, slakt, means “slaughter”, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your spelling.

Example sentences:

Har ni några planer för sommaren? Ja, vi ska besöka min frus släkt i Indien.

Do you have any plans for summer? Yes, we’re visiting my wife’s family in India.

Vi brukar ha en stor släktträff minst en gång om året.

We usually have a big family reunion at least once a year.

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