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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: stammis

Here's a Swedish word that could help you get discounts when dining and drinking in Sweden.

Published: 10 May 2019 15:15 CEST
Updated: 1 March 2024 09:49 CET
the word stammis written on a blackboard next to the swedish flag
Are you a stammis anywhere? Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Stammis means “regular”, in the sense of being a regular guest or customer at a certain establishment.

You would most often hear it used in reference to bars, restaurants or cafés, but it also makes sense if you’re talking about another kind of shop or service, such as a hairdresser, bookshop, or really anything else you use regularly, and it can also be translated as “loyal customer”.

The transfer of money is not a requirement, so you can be a stammis på biblioteket (a regular at the library) or a stammis på forumet (a regular on the online forum).

It’s a noun, so you could say something like jag är stammis på baren (I’m a regular at the bar) or här är han stammis (he’s a regular here).

Stammis comes from the compound nouns stamkund (regular customer) or stamgäst (regular guest) but those two words sound much more formal than the colloquial stammis with the typical -is ending that pops up in a lot of Swedish slang words.

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Stam itself is a noun, which can refer to the trunk of a tree and can also mean “tribe/clan/family”, so the idea is that if you’re a stamkund, you’re a customer who’s almost part of the family.

Usually, you would say that stammis isn’t a formal label; it’s more about feeling a sense of attachment to the location and perhaps building up a relationship with the staff, but at some places there’s a formal scheme so that you can sign up as a stammis in order to get discounts and special offers.

This might be by signing up to a loyalty card (bonuskort) or paying a membership fee that is worthwhile for frequent customers.

Examples

De flesta av våra kunder är stammisar

Most of our customers are regulars

Jag känner mig som stammis här och det är så mysigt

I feel like a regular here and it’s so nice

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.

Member comments

  1. The word is, or was when I lived in Sweden, “stammkund”. I can’t see what “abbreviating” (still two syllables) it achieves. I would describe such Swedish usage as “slarvig” (your next word of the day).

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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.

Published: 26 June 2024 06:28 CEST
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 US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.

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