Swedish word of the day: precis
Precis translates as "precisely", but it is used much more often and more flexibly than the English equivalent.
It's one of those words that will help you sound more Swedish in an instant.
Hear how it's pronounced below, and start using it as much as possible to pass for a native:
You can use precis on its own to say "yes, exactly/that's right". You can also say ja precis (yes, exactly) or nej precis when responding to a negated statement:
Det är en fin dag! Ja, precis (It's a lovely day! – Yes, it is) but Vi vill inte vara för sena – Nej, precis (We don't want to be too late – No [we don't], exactly).
Want to make it more emphatic? Say just precis to really stress the confirmation.
Precis can also be used in most of the same ways as English "exactly".
For example, du låter precis som min pappa (you sound exactly like my dad), det var precis vad jag sa (that's exactly what I said), or nej, det är precis tvärtom (no, it's exactly the opposite).
You can also use it to mean "just" in the sense of "just now/very recently" for example jag hade precis kommit hem när han ringde (I had just got home when he rang), han ringde precis (he just rang) or jag har precis flyttat hit (I've just moved here), as well as in the sense of "with a slim margin", for example: precis i tid (just in time), hon hann precis med sista tåget (she just made the last train).
Examples
Har du flyttat till Skåne? Precis
Have you moved to Skåne? Yes, that's right
En stor kopp kaffe är precis vad jag behöver
A large cup of coffee is exactly what I need
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is now available to pre-order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it, and use the discount code VOVVELOVE (valid until October 27th) to get a 10% discount on all pre-orders.
Comments
See Also
It's one of those words that will help you sound more Swedish in an instant.
Hear how it's pronounced below, and start using it as much as possible to pass for a native:
You can use precis on its own to say "yes, exactly/that's right". You can also say ja precis (yes, exactly) or nej precis when responding to a negated statement:
Det är en fin dag! Ja, precis (It's a lovely day! – Yes, it is) but Vi vill inte vara för sena – Nej, precis (We don't want to be too late – No [we don't], exactly).
Want to make it more emphatic? Say just precis to really stress the confirmation.
Precis can also be used in most of the same ways as English "exactly".
For example, du låter precis som min pappa (you sound exactly like my dad), det var precis vad jag sa (that's exactly what I said), or nej, det är precis tvärtom (no, it's exactly the opposite).
You can also use it to mean "just" in the sense of "just now/very recently" for example jag hade precis kommit hem när han ringde (I had just got home when he rang), han ringde precis (he just rang) or jag har precis flyttat hit (I've just moved here), as well as in the sense of "with a slim margin", for example: precis i tid (just in time), hon hann precis med sista tåget (she just made the last train).
Examples
Har du flyttat till Skåne? Precis
Have you moved to Skåne? Yes, that's right
En stor kopp kaffe är precis vad jag behöver
A large cup of coffee is exactly what I need
Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local's journalists, is now available to pre-order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it, and use the discount code VOVVELOVE (valid until October 27th) to get a 10% discount on all pre-orders.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.