Swedish word of the day: vagn

Vagn originally comes from the Old Norse word vagn, meaning a cart or wagon, which has the same root as the German word Wagen. It’s an ‘en’ word, meaning you would say en vagn for “a cart” or vagnen for “the cart”. 

The word vagn can still be used in Swedish to talk about a cart, wagon, carriage or any wheeled vehicle pulled by an external force, like a horse-drawn cart (hästvagn), or a train carriage. If you’ve ever taken a train in Sweden you’ve probably seen the word vagn followed by a number on your ticket or on the display inside the train, showing you which carriage you’re in or where your seat reservation is located.

There are a number of idiomatic phrases which use the term vagn. One of these is att inte vara tappad bakom en vagn (literally: to not be dropped behind a cart), which essentially means that the person in question is not stupid. 

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Another is få ändan ur vagnen, (to get your bum/butt out of the carriage), which essentially means you’re getting something done - similar to the English phrases ‘getting a move on’, ‘getting your arse in gear’ or ‘pulling your finger out’.

You might see the word used in the phrase att vara tredje hjulet under vagnen, the Swedish version of the phrase ‘to be a third wheel’, particularly in a romantic relationship, although under vagnen is often left out here. The correct version of this phrase however is technically att vara femte hjulet under vagnen.

Although it’s useful to know these phrases, vagn is an especially handy word to know in Swedish as it is so often used in compound words - some of which can even be shortened to just vagn in speech, if it’s obvious from context what kind of vagn you’re talking about.

For example, a buggy or stroller in Swedish is a barnvagn, literally: ‘child wagon’.

A tram is a spårvagn, and Swedes (or Gothenburgers, really, considering Gothenburg is the only Swedish city with a tram network) will often refer to a tram simply as a vagn.

A shopping trolley is a kundvagn (customer wagon), and a tank is a stridsvagn or ‘fighting wagon’.

Can you think of any other Swedish words which include the word vagn?

Example sentences:

Jag borde verkligen städa i trädgården… ska nog få ändan ur vagnen i dag och få det gjort!

I should really clear up in the garden… I’ll get my arse in gear today and get it done!

Ska vi ta bussen eller vagnen till konserten i kväll?

Should we take the bus or the tram to the concert tonight?

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.