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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Swedish word of the day: klok

If you want to sound wise when speaking Swedish, today's word is a good one to know.

Swedish word of the day: klok
Image: nito103/Depositphotos

Klok means 'clever', 'intelligent', or 'wise'. It might be a familiar adjective to you if you know other Scandinavian or Germanic languages: it has its roots in Old Norse (klókr) and corresponding words exist today in Norwegian (klok) and German (klug), for example.

You can hear how klok sounds in the clip below:

Swedish has other words for 'clever', including intelligent and smart, but klok has a strong connotation of taking logical, wise decisions and generally showing good judgment, as opposed to, for example, an exceptional talent for memorization or quick-thinking. 

A person or group of people can be klok, for example min kollega är väldigt klok (my colleague is very wise) or regeringen har varit klok (the government has been clever), and an object or concept can also be klok, for example kloka ord (wise words), ett klokt förslag (a wise suggestion), or en klok idé (a clever idea).

And from around the 15th century up until the 20th, the terms klok gumma and klok gubbe (literally 'wisewoman' or 'wise old man') were used to describe folk healers (also known as 'cunning folk' in English). These were generally older members of communities who practised folk magic and worked as healers. Some of them faced punishment and prison terms for their actions, including Gotland klok gumma Brita Biörn, who said she had learned her skills on a visit to the underworld.

But back to the word klok as we use it today, and it's worth knowing that something strange happens when you negate it.

The phrase inte klok literally means “not wise/clever”, but when you hear a sentence like “du är inte klok!” it would usually translate into English as “you're crazy!” This might be confusing the first time you hear it, but makes a lot of sense if you think of klok as relating to good judgment rather than intelligence per se.

Examples

Det var ett klokt beslut att inte köra

It was a wise decision not to drive

Är du inte klok?

Are you crazy?

Do you have a favourite Swedish word you would like to nominate for our word of the day series? Get in touch by email or if you are a Member of The Local, log in to comment below.

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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: jordgubbe

If there's one thing Swedes can't get enough of in summer, it's these.

Swedish word of the day: jordgubbe

Jordgubbe is made up of two words: jord and gubbe.

Jord means earth or soil, and it’s also used in Swedish for Planet Earth.

It’s easy to assume that jordgubbe means “earth man”, gubbe on its own being a common word for referring to a male person (usually gubbe refers to someone either very young or very old, and it can be either affectionate or derogatory, depending on the context).

But this is wrong.

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Gubbe is also a Swedish dialect word used to refer to a small lump, so jordgubbe literally means “a small lump that grows in the earth” – more accurate, but less romantic than picturing strawberries as tiny little men who live in our garden and are to be picked and eaten with whipped cream… now that we think about it, “small lump” is probably better.

Strawberries were introduced to Sweden in the second half of the 18th century and were originally called ananassmultron due to their Latin name (Fragaria x ananassa).

The word jordgubbe has existed in the Swedish language since at least 1638, but was then the main name for musk strawberries, later known as parksmultron in Swedish.

Jordgubbar are one of the staple foods on Midsummer’s Eve and Swedes are convinced that they grow the best strawberries in the world.

Example sentences:

Polisen misstänker att gängkriminella har infiltrerat jordgubbsindustrin

Police suspect that gang criminals have infiltrated the strawberry industry

Goda jordgubbar! Är de svenska eller belgiska?

Yummy strawberries! Are they Swedish or Belgian?

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.

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