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SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

​​Swedish word of the day: durkslag

What does it mean when you hit a 'durk'?

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

A durkslag is a colander, which is sometimes also known as a kitchen sieve, though the kitchen sieve is made like a mesh.

Even though this is a common word and an object you find in most Swedish kitchens, not many Swedes will be able to explain where the word comes from or why it is called what it is. Here is yet another opportunity for you to shine with in front of your friends through displaying your expert knowledge of Swedish. 

A slag can be any number of things in Swedish. Slag can mean a ‘hard hit often from clenched hand’, ‘a stroke of hand in the air’, ‘a setback or blow’, ‘a battle’, ‘a clock strike’, ‘to be fit’, ‘a brief moment’, ‘a stroke’ as in ‘having a stroke’, ‘the folded up part of clothing item’, ‘a species or variety of animal or plant’.

So which of these is being used in the word durkslag?

The answer is quite logical, you shake or hit a colander on something to make sure as much water as possible leaves your pasta. So it is either ‘a hard hit’ or ‘a stroke in the air’ which is really the same meaning of the word. 

But what about durk? Durk has two meanings in Swedish, both ones that do not seem to fit at all – it either means ‘the floor of a ship’ or ‘a storage room on a naval ship’. Here the Swedish Academy comes to our aid. It gives us a German origin for the word, ‘attested since 1613; from Low German durchschlag with the same meaning, from durch meaning ‘through’’. So the word in German also means to punch a whole through something.

The word then comes from either the act done with it of ‘hitting to get water through the holes’, or more likely from ‘punching holes through’, which is precisely what has been done to create most colanders – that is if they aren’t kitchen sieves, which would be a sil or kökssil in Swedish.  

Be sure not to miss the opportunity to dazzle your Swedish friends with this newfound expert level knowledge whenever you engage in small talk next, quite obviously by first putting them on the spot by asking them if they know what the durk- in durkslag is. I bet you they have no idea.

Example sentences:

Pelle, vet du var durkslaget ligger?

Pelle, do you know where the colander is?

Lotta, vet du vad durk-, som i durkslag, betyder?

Lotta, do you know what durk-, as in durkslag, means?

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is now 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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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.

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