Swedish expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you keep up on the street, at fika, at a party or with friends? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “no danger on the roof!”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
Press 1 or 2
Swedish expressions quiz
The 10 expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what people in Sweden actually mean by them.
Ingen fara på taket!
BeginnerWord for word: “no danger on the roof!”
No worries
Spillde du kaffe på mattan? Ingen fara på taket, den går att tvätta. You spilled coffee on the rug? No worries, it’s washable.
Fine at workdet är inte hela världen
BeginnerWord for word: “it’s not the whole world”
It’s no big deal
Missade du bussen? Det är inte hela världen, det går en till om tio minuter. Missed the bus? It’s no big deal, there’s another one in ten minutes.
Fine at workvara ute och cykla
BeginnerWord for word: “to be out cycling”
To be completely wrong
Om du tror att det är billigt att bo i Stockholm är du ute och cyklar. If you think living in Stockholm is cheap, you’re completely wrong.
With friendsha is i magen
IntermediateWord for word: “to have ice in your stomach”
To keep your cool
Hon hade is i magen och satte straffen i sista minuten. She kept her cool and scored the penalty in the last minute.
Fine at workglida in på en räkmacka
IntermediateWord for word: “to slide in on a shrimp sandwich”
To have it easy
Han har aldrig behövt söka jobb, han har glidit in på en räkmacka hela livet. He’s never had to look for a job, he’s had it easy his whole life.
With friendskasta yxan i sjön
IntermediateWord for word: “to throw the axe in the lake”
To give up
Du har bara pluggat svenska i två månader, kasta inte yxan i sjön nu. You’ve only been studying Swedish for two months, don’t give up now.
Fine at workinte för allt smör i Småland
IntermediateWord for word: “not for all the butter in Småland”
Not for anything in the world
Jag går inte på en blind date igen, inte för allt smör i Småland. I’m not going on another blind date, not for anything in the world.
Fine at workklart som korvspad
AdvancedWord for word: “clear as sausage water”
Obviously, of course
Kommer du på festen på lördag? Klart som korvspad! Are you coming to the party on Saturday? Obviously.
With friendsdär fick du så du teg
AdvancedWord for word: “there you got it, so you went quiet”
That shut you up
Du sa att jag aldrig lagar mat, och så bjöd jag på tre rätter. Där fick du så du teg. You said I never cook, and then I served three courses. That shut you up.
With friendsdet är kört
AdvancedWord for word: “it’s driven”
It’s a lost cause
Tåget går om två minuter och vi är fortfarande hemma. Det är kört. The train leaves in two minutes and we’re still at home. We’ve had it.
With friends
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Will Norwegians and Danes understand these too?
Some, not all. The three languages share plenty of expressions, but many in this quiz are Swedish through and through, like glida in på en räkmacka.