Sluts, sex and farts - welcome to Swedish
Published: 20 Apr 12 14:24 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/40386/20120420/
Words in the Swedish language can sure look funny, especially to the untrained eye. Here's a list of Swedish words where a straight translation might leave you scratching your head. And whatever happens, DO NOT eat the mother cake…
- Ten Swedish words you won't find in English (20 Mar 12)
- 'Swedish is the world’s richest language': Swede (9 Mar 12)
Yes, here in Sweden, most people don’t even raise an eyebrow when a train pulls into a “slut station” (final station). Nor when a magazine might offer “sex tips” for a better office environment (that is, six tips).
And when a road sign points out there is a “fart hinder” ahead, it just means speed bump (however the image above can always bring a smile).
Click here for The Local's list
Anyhow, these fresh eyes got us thinking. Sure, the Swedish language has some strange words from the perspective of an English speaker.
But even stranger, perhaps, are those Swedish words that amuse even the most determined language learner.
For example, the word "vegetables" in Swedish is “grönsaker” which literally translates to "green things" - and that's just the beginning.
With this in mind, we gathered our nine favourite Swedish words (with the help of our Twitter followers) where a literal translation could send you on a wild goose chase.
Call them weird translations, call them compounding madness, you can call them what you like: just don't eat the "mother cake".
Click here for the gallery of our top nine weird Swedish words
Oliver Gee
Follow Oliver on Twitter here
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F*** the coffee?
"Pratshow", - Talk Show - particularly as most of the people who go on them are in fact prats!!!!
"Slag" - Punch - which is what will happen if you call someone a slag!!
"Fuktteknik" - Damp Technology - That one kinda speaks for itself and makes me giggle like crazy every time I see the van go past me
Hilarious!!!
There are some Swedish words that sound funny in Hungarian as well:
"fika" = snut
"kaka"= sh*t
"kula" = sh*t
"kurva" = whore
So if you go to Kungens kurva and get a nice kaka for fika, topped with a kula of soft ice...
Only if you don't know how to spell it.
Fartmonster
Sale (Rea) sign seen at Ikea:
Fåreskin
which, when the å is properly pronounced, sounds like :-)
Some Swedish words are difficult to say when with Germans, and will raise some eyebrows:
the verb in "Jag Fick", sounds and is spelled exactly like the German verb in I f..k while Fika is close ... and Fickan sounds exactly like the infinitive of the german verb to f..k