Flat-Pack Assembly Expressions
Insexnyckel, en skruv över, montera ihop — and the moment you realise it's back to front.
One flat-pack build from unboxing to the final wobble, in assembly order: lay out the parts, decode the wordless manual, the cam locks and washers, the classic disasters (a screw left over, the back panel on backwards), the wall-mounting finale — and the emotional truth: aldrig mer, tills nästa gång. Particle verbs carry this deck: ihop, isär, åt, emot, om.
- 1
lägga ut alla delar först
to lay out all the parts first
Tip: lit. the same — the step everyone skips.
- 2
räkna skruvarna
to count the screws
Tip: lit. the same.
- 3
instruktionerna
the instructions
Tip: lit. the same — wordless, which helps nobody.
- 4
bildanvisningen
the wordless manual
Tip: lit. 'the picture instruction'.
- 5
steg för steg
step by step
Tip: lit. the same.
- 6
insexnyckeln
the allen key
Tip: lit. 'the in-six key' — the one in every Swedish drawer.
- 7
montera ihop
to assemble
Tip: lit. 'mount together'.
- 8
en bricka
a washer
Tip: lit. the same — the flat metal ring under the nut.
- 9
en excenterlåsning
a cam lock
Tip: lit. the same — the round metal disc.
- 10
vrida ett halvt varv
to turn it half a turn
Tip: lit. the same.
- 11
spikar
small nails
Tip: lit. the same.
- 12
en hammare, försiktigt
a hammer, gently
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
slå i den
to hammer it in
Tip: lit. 'strike it in'.
- 14
bakstycket
the back panel
Tip: lit. the same — thin, and easy to nail on backwards.
- 15
sitta bakvänt
to be back to front
Tip: lit. 'sit backwards' — discovered at step twelve.
- 16
åt fel håll
the wrong way round
Tip: lit. 'in the wrong direction'.
- 17
ha en skruv över
to have a screw left over
Tip: lit. the same — the universal ending.
- 18
en del som saknas
a missing part
Tip: lit. 'a part that is missing'.
- 19
plocka isär allt igen
to take it apart again
Tip: lit. 'pick everything apart again'.
- 20
börja om
to start over
Tip: lit. 'begin again'.
- 21
dra sönder skruven
to strip a screw
Tip: lit. 'pull the screw apart'.
- 22
dra åt för hårt
to over-tighten
Tip: lit. 'tighten too hard'.
- 23
handdra först
finger tight first
Tip: lit. 'hand-tighten first'.
- 24
dra åt allt till sist
tighten everything at the end
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
en skruvdragare hade gått snabbare
a screwdriver would be quicker
Tip: lit. 'a power screwdriver would have been faster'.
- 26
men då drar du sönder gängan
but you'll strip the thread
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
ett tvåmansjobb
a two-person job
Tip: lit. the same — say it before you start, not after.
- 28
hålla emot
to hold it steady
Tip: lit. 'hold against'.
- 29
tappa tålamodet
to lose your patience
Tip: lit. 'lose the patience'.
- 30
svära åt en bokhylla
to swear at a bookshelf
Tip: lit. the same — a Swedish tradition.
- 31
det tog fyra timmar
it took four hours
Tip: lit. the same — the box said forty minutes.
- 32
vackla
to wobble
Tip: lit. 'to sway' — the finished result, usually.
- 33
lådan går trögt
the drawer doesn't run smoothly
Tip: lit. the same.
- 34
justera skenorna
to adjust the runners
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
ett vattenpass
a spirit level
Tip: lit. 'a water pass'.
- 36
få det i våg
to level it out
Tip: lit. 'get it in level'.
- 37
golvet är inte plant
the floor isn't level
Tip: lit. the same — it never is.
- 38
kila under ett ben
to shim under one leg
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
fästa i väggen
to fix it to the wall
Tip: lit. 'fasten in the wall' — the tip-over bracket, not optional.
- 40
en plugg
a wall plug
Tip: lit. 'a plug'.
- 41
borra ett hål
to drill a hole
Tip: lit. the same.
- 42
träffa en regel
to hit a stud
Tip: lit. 'hit a stud'.
- 43
tippskydd
a tip-over restraint
Tip: lit. the same — legally supplied, rarely used.
- 44
fäst den i väggen, på riktigt
fix it to the wall, seriously
Tip: lit. the same — children have died.
- 45
vara stolt i smyg
to be quietly proud
Tip: lit. 'be proud in secret' — very Swedish.
- 46
aldrig mer, tills nästa gång
never again, until next time
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
klart, och den vickar bara lite
done, and it only wobbles slightly
Tip: lit. the same.