Lessons
Your Next Lesson
How to Introduce Yourself in Excellent Swedish
Absolute Beginner Season 1
Learn how to greet people
Study now
Vocabulary
My Teacher
My Teacher Messenger My Assessment Test My Report
More
Start Your
Free Trial

Start Learning Swedish in the next 30 Seconds with
a Free Lifetime Account

Or sign up using Facebook
By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.
Word Image
Essential Idioms That Will Make You Sound Like a Native Speaker
12 words
Back To Lists
Word Image
Essential Idioms That Will Make You Sound Like a Native Speaker
12 words
Intresseklubben antecknar.
(s)
sarcastically pointing out that something is obvious, superfluous or just boring
Jaha, du ska kolla på tv ikväll? Intresseklubben antecknar.
Oh, you were planning on watching TV tonight? How interesting.
Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum.
(s)
Everyone can fit in a crowded room.
Det är klart att du kan sitta här hos oss! Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum!
Of course, you can sit here with us! There is plenty of room.
ta sig vatten över huvudet
(p)
you have taken on more than you can handle
Han tog sig vatten över huvudet när han gick med på att arrangera den där firmafesten.
He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to arrange that company party.
gå som katten kring het gröt
(p)
avoid directly addressing something or neglecting to speak your mind
Ibland är det så svårt att veta vad hon tänker då hon alltid går som katten runt het gröt runt alla ämnen.
Sometimes it's so hard to tell what she's thinking since she never speaks her mind on things.
det ligger en hund begraven här
(p)
there is something more to it, as in, someone is not telling the whole truth
Hon lovade mig att hon inte längre träffade sitt ex, men jag känner att det är en hund begraven här.
She promised me that she stopped seeing her ex, but I have a feeling that she's not telling me the whole truth.
ana ugglor i mossen
(p)
suspecting that something isn't quite what it seems or is made out to be
Jag anade ugglor i mossen när min exmake kom hem sent varje kväll.
I started suspecting that something was off when my ex-husband started coming home late every evening.
Inte dömma hunden efter håren.
(s)
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Några av det finaste människor jag har träffat har varit de som sett läskigast ut, det visar att man inte ska dömma hunden efter håren.
Some of the nicest people I've met have also been the most terrifying; goes to show you that you should never judge a book by its cover.
låta något landa mellan stolarna
(p)
when something gets overlooked because no one is responsible for it
Hanteringen av hennes fall föll mellan stolarna då ingen av myndigheterna ansåg sig vara ansvariga för vad som hänt.
Her case was overlooked because neither of the authorities felt that they were responsible in dealing with her issues.
göra en höna av en fjäder
(p)
turning something that isn't an issue into one
Jag tror inte att deras bråk hade gått så långt om hon inte hade gjort en höna av en fjäder.
I don't think their argument would have gotten so bad if she hadn't made an issue out of something that wasn't one.
Alla känner apan, men apan känner ingen.
(s)
Don't think you are popular because you are well-known.
Alla känner apan men apan känner ingen. Jag tror inte det är riktigt så bra som du tror.
Just because everyone knows your name, it doesn't mean it's a good thing.
glida in på räkmacka
(p)
when you don't have to struggle to get to where you want to go
Hon behöver inte kämpa för någonting i livet. Vad hon än gör så kan hon glida in på en räkmacka.
She doesn't have to fight for anything in life. Whatever she wants, it's just handed to her.
hålla låda
(p)
talking so much that nobody else gets a chance to speak
Han höll låda hela kvällen, det var verkligen ingen annan som fick något sagt.
He kept talking all night to the point where nobody else was able to say anything.
9 Comments
SwedishPod101.com
2015-11-02 22:07:16

Hello, learners, here is the list of the above idioms / their literal English translations!

Finns det hjärterum så finns det stjärterum. / If there is room in the heart, there is room for the ass.

ta sig vatten över huvudet / take water over your head

gå som katten kring het gröt / walk like a cat around hot porridge

nära skjuter ingen hare / a close shot will never get you the rabbit

Det ligger en hund begraven här. / There's a dog buried here.

ana ugglor i mossen / suspect owls in the bog

Inte dömma hunden efter håren. / Don't judge the dog by the hair.

(låta något) landa mellan stolarna / (have something) land between chairs

göra en höna av en fjäder / make a hen out of a feather.

Alla känner apan, men apan känner ingen. / Everybody knows the monkey, but the monkey knows no one.

Dra åt skogen! / Go to the forest!

glida in på räkmacka / slide in on a shrimp sandwich

hålla låda / hold a box

intresseklubben antecknar / the interest club is taking notes

SwedishPod101.com
2023-11-15 00:49:12

Hej Nelia,

Vad kul att du tyckte listan var användbar! Lycka till med att använda uttrycken. 😁👍

(How fun that you thought the list was useful! Good luck with using the expressions. 😁👍)

Vicky

Team SwedishPod101.com

Nelia
2023-11-13 18:22:04

Alla uttrycker är väldigt nyttiga. Jag ska försöka att använda dem. Tack.

SwedishPod101.com
2023-07-20 05:07:09

Hej Vern,

Hope you enjoyed the vocabulary list! Idioms are so interesting, I'm sure there are are several books out there that delve further into Swedish ididoms. 😁

Vicky

Team SwedishPod101.com

vern
2023-07-16 11:05:30

e-BOOKS are very welcome. Please teach us more!.

SwedishPod101.com
2022-11-19 10:42:05

Hej Jorge,

Haha, so sorry about that! 😆 But with all that work, you'll probably remember the expressions better than if you had just read that comment. 😅👍 Well done!

Vicky

Team SwedishPod101.com

jorge naude de la llave
2022-11-13 12:52:25

Without the literal translation i have spent an hour in the dictionary, then I saw the comment below

SwedishPod101.com
2019-11-07 12:54:41

Hej Octavia,

Thank you for your feedback. We have added the literal meanings below in the comment field. I hope this helps! 😇

Vicky

Team SwedishPod101.com

Octavia Randolph
2019-10-26 23:31:06

These would be so much useful if you also taught us the literal meaning of the idioms. The "cat going around the hot porridge" showing caution, for example. Please give us a fuller translation!

Top