Phrases for the break room

In the video, you can listen to common Swedish phrases used in a workplace break room. The people in the videos speak everyday Finland-Swedish. The videos are supplemented with explanations of how spoken language differs from written text.

Watch the conversations in the video, read the phrases — and start using them!

Three people stand in a kitchen holding mugs, with a sink and microwave in the background. — Photo: Rainer Paananen. All rights reserved.

Spoken and written language

The video features standard spoken Finland-Swedish. Below, you will find the same phrases in written form and in English. The differences between spoken and written language are highlighted in bold. The timestamps in the videos will take you to the relevant part of the conversation.

"Hej, e du på väg på lunch?"

Skriftspråk	Hej, är du på väg på lunch?
English	Hi, are you going to lunch?

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.

"Jo, vill du komma me?"

Skriftspråk	Ja, vill du komma med?
English	Yes, do you want to come along?

The d in med often drops out in spoken language.
Jo is used more extensively in Finland-Swedish than in standard Swedish, where ja is used as answer to an affirmative question.

"Nej fy va äcklit kaffe!"

Skriftspråk	Nej fy vad äckligt kaffe!
English	This coffee is so bad!

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.

"Åh va gott de doftar!"

Skriftspråk	Åh vad gott det doftar!
English	Mmm smells good!

The d in vad and t in det often drops out in spoken language.

"Elä hur! Ja testa ett nytt recept"

Skriftspråk	Eller hur! Jag testade ett nytt recept.
English	Isn’t it? I tried a new recipe.

The word eller is often shortened in speech, with the ending dropped and the l in the middle made shorter.
Verbs in the past tense often lose the -de ending in spoken language.
The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

“Kan du hjälpa mej? Hur funkar den här mikron?”

Skrifspråk	Kan du hjälpa mig? Hur funkar den här mikron?
English	Can you help me? How does this microwave work?

The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej.
The word funkar is a short form of fungerar (= works).

“Jo, ja kan visa.”

Skrifspråk	Ja, jag kan visa.
English	Yes, I can show you.

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
Jo is used more extensively in Finland Swedish than in standard Swedish, where ja is used as the answer to an affirmative question.

“Kaffeautomaten har gått sönder igen.”
“Int igen! De börjar nu va dags för en ny.”

Skrifspråk	Kaffeautomaten har gått sönder igen. Inte igen! Det börjar vara dags för en ny.
English	The coffee machine has broken down again. Not again! Not again! It’s about time we got a new one.

The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.
The verb vara is often shortened to a long va.
The t in det usually drops out in spoken language.

“E dom här rena elä smutsiga?”

Skrifspråk	Är de här rena eller smutsiga?
English	Are these clean or dirty?

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.
The pronoun de is usually pronounced dom but can also be pronounced de or di (especially in Finland-Swedish).
The word eller is often shortened in speech, with the ending dropped and the l in the middle made shorter.

“Dome nog rena. Tror ja.”

Skrifspråk	De är nog rena. Tror jag.
English	They should be clean. I think.

The pronoun de is usually pronounced dom but can also be pronounced de or di (especially in Finland-Swedish).
The word nog is used differently in Finland-Swedish and Sweden-Swedish. In Finland, nog roughly means “certainly”, whereas in Sweden it means “probably”.
The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

“Vaffö tömmer aldri nån den här?”

Skrifspråk	Varför tömmer aldrig någon den här?
English	Why does no one ever empty this?

In the word varför, the r drops out both in the middle and at the end of the word.
The final letter in aldrig also drops out.
The pronoun någon often becomes nån in spoken language

“Vi kan göra de tillsammans. Jag hjälper dej.”

Skrifspråk	Vi kan göra det tillsammans. Jag hjälper dig.
English	We can do it together. I help you.

The t in “det” usually drops out in spoken language.
The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej

“Var finns de gafflar?”

Skrifspråk	Var finns det gafflar?
English	Where are the forks?

The t in “det” usually drops out in spoken language.

“Dom finns här.”

Skrifspråk	De finns här.
English	They are here.

The pronoun de is usually pronounced dom but can also be pronounced de or di (especially in Finland-Swedish).

"Ska ja lägga dehär i blandavfall elä kartong? Vet du var ja ska lägga de?"

Skrifspråk	Ska jag lägga det här i blandavfall eller kartong? Vet du var jag ska lägga det?
English	Should I put this in the general waste, or the cardboard? Do you know where I should put it?

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
Dehär is a short form of det här (=”this”)
The t in “det” usually drops out in spoken language

"De e kartong, tror ja."
"Okej, tack"

Skrifspråk	Det är kartong, tror jag. Okej, tack!
English	Ok, thanks!

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"E dehär bioavfall?"

Skrifspråk	Är det här bioavfall?
English	Is this biowaste?

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.
Dehär is a short form of det här (=”this”)

"Ja e int säker."

Skrifspråk	Jag är inte säker.
English	I am not sure.

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.

"Usch, dehär stinker."

Skrifspråk	Usch, det här stinker.
English	Ugh, this smells!

Dehär is a short form of det här (=”this”)

"Va äcklit. Ja kan känna lukten ända hit."

Skrifspråk	Vad äckligt. Jag kan känna lukten ända hit.
English	That’s disgusting! I can smell it all the way over here.

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.
The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"Ska du på möte i eftermidda?"

Skrifspråk	Ska du på mötet i eftermiddag?
English	Are you going to the afternoon’s meeting?

In nouns in the definite form that end with “-et”, the final t often drops out in spoken language.
Words ending in dag, such as lördag (= Saturday) and eftermiddag (=afternoon), are often pronounced without the final g, with a short a sound instead.

"Jo, ska du?"

Skrifspråk	Ja, ska du?
English	Yes, are you?

Jo is used more extensively in Finland Swedish than in standard Swedish, where ja is used as the answer to an affirmative question.

"Din presentation va jättebra!"

Skrifspråk	Din presentation var jättebra!
English	Your presentation was really good!

The verb var is often shortened to va.

"Tack! Va trevlitå höra!"

Skrifspråk	Tack! Vad trevligtatt höra!
English	Thank you! How nice to hear!

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.
When att comes before an infinitive, it’s mostly pronounced like å.

"Ja har massor å göra hela tiden."

Skrifspråk	Jag har massor att göra hela tiden.
English	I’ve got loads to do all the time

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
When att comes before an infinitive, it’s mostly pronounced like å.

"Ja också. Ja längtar så ti semestern!"

Skrifspråk	Jag också. Jag längtar så till semestern!
English	Me too. I’m really looking forward to my vacation!

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
The l-sound in till often drops out in spoken language.

"Va gjorde du på helgen?"

Skrifspråk	Vad gjorde du på helgen?
English	What did you do on the weekend?

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.

"Ja gick på teater."

Skrifspråk	Jag gick på teater.
English	I went to the theatre.

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"Va rolit!"

Skrifspråk	Vad roligt!
English	How nice!

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.

"Va gjorde du på vappen?"

Skrifspråk	Vad gjorde du på Valborg?
English	What did you do for Valborg?

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
Vappen is a colloquial word for Valborg used only in Finland-Swedish (Valborg is celebrated on April 30 and May 1)

"Ja va på picknick me nåra vänner."

Skrifspråk	Jag var på picknick med några vänner.
English	I was on a picnic with some friends.

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies, for example, to jag, var and med, which are often pronounced ja, va and me.
The g in the word några is often silent.

"Va gjorde du på semestern?"

Skrifspråk	Vad gjorde du på semestern?
English	What did you do on your vacation?

"Ja va på cykeltur me familjen på Åland i två veckor."

Skrifspråk	Jag var på cykeltur med familjen på Åland i två veckor.
English	I was on a cycling trip with my family on Åland for two weeks.

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies, for example, to vad, jag, var and med, which are often pronounced vad, ja, va and me.

"Synd att semestern ren e slut."

Skrifspråk	Synd att semestern redan är slut.
English	Too bad the holidays are already over.

The word redan is often shortened to ren in Finland-Swedish spoken language.
The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.

"Ja verkligen! Ja kunde ha stanna en vecka till på sommarstugan!"

Skrifspråk	Ja verkligen! Jag kunde ha stannat en vecka till på sommarstugan!
English	Totally! I could have stayed another week at the summer cottage!

"Ja hade en jätteskön semester!"

Skrifspråk	Jag hade en jätteskön semester!
English	I hade a really relaxing holiday!

"Rolit! Va gjorde du?!

Skrifspråk	Roligt! Vad gjorde du?
English	Great! What did you do?

"Va ska du göra på sportlove?"

Skrifspråk	Vad ska du göra på sportlovet?
English	What will you be doing during winter break?

"Ja ska ti Lappland å skida."

Skrifspråk	Jag ska till Lappland och åka skidor.
English	I am going to Lapland to ski

In Finland-Swedish the verb “skida” is often used for the standard Swedish “åka skidor”

"Så du matchen mellan Finland å Brasilien igår?"

Skrifspråk	Såg du matchen mellan Finland och Brasilien igår?
English	Did you watch the match between Finland and Brazil yesterday?

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to såg which is often pronounced så.
The Swedish word och is sometimes pronounced åck, but more commonly just å.

"Nej, ja missa den. Ja va på yoga. Hur gick de?"

Skrifspråk	Nej, jag missade den. Ja var på yoga. Hur gick det?
English	No, I missed it. I was at yoga. How did it go?

Verbs in the past tense often lose the -de ending in spoken language.
It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies, for example, to jag, var and det, which are often pronounced ja, va and de.

"Ska du se på matchen ida?"

Skrifspråk	Ska du se på matchen idag?
English	Are you going to watch the match today?

Words ending in dag, such as idag are often pronounced without the final g

"Självklart! Den får man int missa!"

Skrifspråk	Självklart! Den får man inte missa!
English	Of course! You can’t miss it!

The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.

"Vilken e din favoritlåt i Eurovisionen i år?"

Skriftspråk	Vilken är din favoritlåt i Eurovisionen i år?
English	Which is your favourite song in the Eurovision this year?

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.

"Ja vet int. De e så svårt å välja, de finns så många bra. Har du nån favorit?"

Skriftspråk	Jag vet inte. Det är så svårt att välja, det finns så många bra. Har du någon favorit?
English	I don’t know. It is so hard to choose, there are many good ones. Do you have a favourite?

The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.
It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to jag and det which are often pronounced ja and de.
When att comes before an infinitive, it’s mostly pronounced like å.
The pronoun någon often becomes nån in spoken language

"Ja står int ut me den här ena låten!"

Skriftspråk	Jag står inte ut med den här ena låten!
English	I can’t stand that one song!

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to jag and med which are often pronounced ja and me.
The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.

"Menar du Sveriges bidrag? Int ja heller!"

Skriftspråk	Menar du Sveriges bidrag? Inte jag heller!
English	Do you mean Sweden’s entry? Me neither!

The word inte is often pronounced without the final e in Finland-Swedish and in many northern Swedish dialects.
The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"Ja va annars på en supertrevli konsert igår!"

Skriftspråk	Jag var annars på en supertrevlig konsert igår!
English	By the way, I went to a super nice concert yesterday!

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to jag, var and supertrevlig.

"Låter härlit! Vilken konsert va de?"

Skriftspråk	Låter härligt! Vilken konsert var det?
English	Sounds amazing! Which concert was it?

When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.
It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to var and det.

"Följer du med i politiken?"

Skriftspråk	Följer du med i politiken?
English	Do you follow politics?

When adjectives in writing end with skt, the k is not pronounced.
It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to inte, mycket and valet.
The pronouns mig, dig and sig are always pronounced mej, dej and sej.

"Int så hemst mycke, förutom nu när vale närmar sej."

Skriftspråk	Inte så hemskt mycket, förutom nu när valet närmar sig.
English	No very much, except now when the elections are coming up.

"Har du ren rösta?"

Skriftspråk	Har du redan röstat?
English	Have you voted yet?

The word redan is often shortened to ren in Finland-Swedish spoken language.

"Nä, de har ja int. Ja har int bestämt mej ännu för vem ja ska rösta på. Har du?"

Skriftspråk	Nej, det har jag inte. Jag har inte bestämt mig ännu för vem jag ska rösta på. Har du?
English	No, I haven’t. I haven’t decided yet who to vote for. Have you?

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to nej, det, jag and inte.
The pronouns mig, dig and sig are always pronounced mej, dej and sej.

"Hur tar du dej ti universitete?"

Skriftspråk	Hur tar du dig till universitetet?
English	How do you get to the university?

The pronouns mig, dig and sig are always pronounced mej, dej and sej.
The l-sound in till often drops out in spoken language.

"Ja brukar cykla om vädre eokej men ida to ja tåge."

Skriftspråk	Jag brukar cykla om vädret är okej men idag tog jag tåget.
English	I usually cycle if the weather’s okay, but today I took the train.

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to many of the words in this sentence.

"Tåge va helt fullt ida!"

Skriftspråk	Tåget var helt fullt idag!
English	The train was completely full today.

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to all the marked words in this sentence.

"Ja, de va trångt! Fick du stå hela vägen?"

Skriftspråk	Ja, det var trångt! Fick du stå hela vägen?
English	Yes, it was packed! Did you have to stand the entire way?

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to both det and var.

"De va iskallt i morse."

Skriftspråk	Det var iskallt i morse.
English	It was freezing cold this morning.

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to both det and var.

"Ja verkligen. Ja fryser ännu."

Skriftspråk	Ja verkligen. Jag fryser ännu.
English	Totally! I am still freezing.

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"Ljuvlit väder ida! Äntligen lite sol!"

Skriftspråk	Ljuvligt väder idag! Äntligen lite sol!
English	Lovely weather today! Finally some sun!

"Jo, de känns härlit!"

Skriftspråk	Ja, det känns härligt!
English	Yes, it feels wonderful!

When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.
Jo is used more extensively in Finland Swedish than in standard Swedish, where ja is used as the answer to an affirmative question.

"De va så hemst väder igår!

Skriftspråk	Det var så hemskt väder igår!
English	The weather was horrible yesterday!

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to both det and var.
When adjectives in writing end with skt, the k is not pronounced.

"Jo, de va de. Ja höll mej inomhus hela dan."

Skriftspråk	Ja, det var det. Jag höll mig inomhus hela dagen.
English	Yes it was. I stayed inside the whole day.

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to many of the words in this sentence.
The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej.
The word dagen is often shortened to dan in spoken language

"Åj, har du också en katt?"

Skriftspråk	Oj, har du också en katt?
English	Oh, do you have a cat too?

"Jo, vill du se?"

Skriftspråk	Ja, vill du se?
English	Yes, do you want to see?

Jo is used more extensively in Finland Swedish than in standard Swedish, where ja is used as the answer to an affirmative question.

"Va heter den?"

Skriftspråk	Vad heter den?
English	What’s its name?

Like many other words, vad is often shortened in spoken language.

"Den heter Simba. Va heter din katt?"

Skriftspråk	Den heter Simba. Vad heter din katt?
English	It’s called Simba. What’s your cat called?

Like many other words, vad is often shortened in spoken language.

"Hur gammal e den?"

Skriftspråk	Hur gammal är den?
English	How old is it?

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.

"Den e ren ganska gammal, 15 år."

Skriftspråk	Den är redan ganska gammal, 15 år.
English	It is already quite old, 15 years.

The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.
The word redan is often shortened to ren in Finland-Swedish spoken language.

"Din tröja är supersnygg. Var har du köpt den?"

Skriftspråk	Din tröja är supersnygg. Var har du köpt den?
English	Your sweater is gorgeous. Where did you get it?

"Tack! Ja hitta den på loppis."

Skriftspråk	Tack! Jag hittade den på loppis.
English	Thanks! I found it at a flea market.

Verbs in the past tense often lose the -de ending in spoken language.
The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.

"Du har ny frisyr. Snyggt!"

Skriftspråk	Du har ny frisyr. Snyggt!
English	You’ve got a new hairstyle. Looks great!

"Tack! Ja tänkte att de va dags för nåt nytt."

Skriftspråk	Tack! Jag tänkte att det var dags för något nytt.
English	Thanks! I thought that it was time for something new.

It is common for word endings to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to many of the words in this sentence.
The pronoun något often becomes nåt in spoken language.

"Har du vari hos frissan? Den där frisyren passar dej jättebra."

Skriftspråk	Har du varit hos frissan? Den där frisyren passar dig jättebra.
English	Have you been to the hairdresser’s? That hairstyle really suits you.

Just as with many other words, the ending often drops when varit is pronounced, so it becomes vari. In Finland Swedish, vari is often pronounced with a short a, whereas in Sweden Swedish it’s pronounced with a long a: vaari.
The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej.

"Va ska man ha på sej på karonkan? Borde man ha lång eller kort klänning?"

Skriftspråk	Vad ska man ha på sig på karonkan? Borde man ha lång eller kort klänning?
English	What should one wear to the karonka (doctoral dinner)? Should one wear a long or a short dress?

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.
The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej.
Note that the word karonka is used in Finland, but not in Sweden.

"Bra fråga, ja har aldri vari på en karonka. Fanns det en klädkod i inbjudan?"

Skriftspråk	Bra fråga, jag har aldrig varit på en karonka. Fanns det en klädkod i inbjudan?
English	Good question, I’ve never been to a karonka before. Was there a dress code mentioned in the invitation?

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to jag, aldrig and varit, which are often pronounced ja, aldri and vari. In Finland Swedish, vari is often pronounced with a short a, whereas in Sweden Swedish it’s pronounced with a long a: vaari.

"Vilken tid börjar festen? - Hmm, när va denu… Jo! Fördrinkarna e klockan 18. "

Skriftspråk	Vilken tid börjar festen? - Hmm, när var det nu... Jo! Fördrinkarna är klockan 18.
English	What time does the party start? - Hmm, when was it again... Right! The pre-drinks are at 6 p.m. Thank you very much.

The d in vad and t in det often drop out in spoken language.
The verb är is usually pronounced with a short e.

"Ja hörde att du fyller år ida. Grattis! "

Skriftspråk	Jag hörde att du fyller år idag. Grattis!
English	I heard it’s your birthday today. Congratulations!

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language. This applies to jag and idag which are often pronounced ja och ida.

"Tack så mycke!"

Skriftspråk	Tack så mycket!
English	Thank you so much!

It is common for the ends of words to be dropped in spoken language: mycket which is often pronounced mycke.

"Hur uttalar man acquisition?"

Skriftspråk	Hur uttalar man acquisition?
English	How do you pronounce acquisition?

"Kan du förklara va safe space betyder?"

Skriftspråk	Kan du förklara vad safe space betyder?
English	Can you explain what safe space means?

The d in vad often drops out in spoken language.

"Härlit att nån orkar tala så långsamt. "

Skriftspråk	Härligt att någon orkar tala så långsamt.
English	It’s great that someone takes the time to speak so slowly.

When adjectives in writing end with igt, the g is not pronounced.

"Ja vill bara kolla att ja förstod dej rätt. Mena du att ja ska klicka på den här gröna ikonen först?"

Skriftspråk	Jag vill bara kolla att jag förstod dig rätt. Menade du att jag ska klicka på den här gröna ikonen först?
English	I just want to check that I understood you correctly. Did you mean that I should click this green icon first?

The pronoun jag often loses its final letter when spoken.
The pronouns mig and dig are always pronounced mej and dej.
Verbs in the past tense often lose the -de ending in spoken language.