Foraging Expressions & Smultronställen
The forest vocabulary of Swedish — smultronställe, bärår, bättre fria än fälla and going home tomhänt.
Foraging at C1 — two vocabularies braided: the expert's idioms (gammal räv, näsa för något, smultronställe — the word for a secret place the language itself treasures) and the species you must know by name, including the two that matter most: karljohan and the death cap. The safety proverb rules the deck: bättre fria än fälla.
- 1
ta vara på säsongen
to make the most of the season
Tip: lit. 'take care of the season'.
- 2
ett riktigt bärår
a bumper year for berries
Tip: lit. 'a real berry year' — the forest is full.
- 3
vara en gammal räv
to be an old hand
Tip: lit. 'be an old fox' — experienced and a bit cunning.
- 4
kunna sin sak
to really know your stuff
Tip: lit. 'know one's thing' — quiet Swedish praise for expertise.
- 5
ha näsa för något
to have a nose for something
Tip: lit. 'have a nose for something'.
- 6
ha gröna fingrar
to have green fingers
Tip: lit. 'have green fingers'.
- 7
pigg som en lärka
as fresh as a daisy
Tip: lit. 'lively as a lark'.
- 8
utanför allfarvägen
off the beaten track
Tip: lit. 'outside the main road'.
- 9
ett smultronställe
a treasured hidden place
Tip: lit. 'a wild-strawberry place' — a personal, perfect spot.
- 10
hålla på sitt smultronställe
to keep your secret spot to yourself
Tip: lit. 'hold on to one's wild-strawberry place' — nobody reveals theirs.
- 11
först till kvarn
first come, first served
Tip: lit. 'first to the mill' — about the best picking spots.
- 12
leta efter en nål i en höstack
to look for a needle in a haystack
Tip: lit. the same — a hopeless search.
- 13
inte se skogen för alla träd
to not see the wood for the trees
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
göra en fullträff
to hit the jackpot
Tip: lit. 'make a direct hit'.
- 15
hitta en guldgruva
to strike gold
Tip: lit. 'find a gold mine'.
- 16
växa upp som svampar ur jorden
to spring up everywhere
Tip: lit. 'grow up like mushrooms out of the earth'.
- 17
växa som ogräs
to grow like weeds
Tip: lit. 'grow like weeds'.
- 18
full till brädden
full to the brim
Tip: lit. 'full to the board' — about a bucket or a stomach.
- 19
gå tomhänt hem
to come home empty-handed
Tip: lit. 'go empty-handed home'.
- 20
vara genomplockat
to be picked clean
Tip: lit. 'be thoroughly picked' — someone got there first.
- 21
ta sig vatten över huvudet
to bite off more than you can chew
Tip: lit. 'take water over one's head'.
- 22
gå vilse i skogen
to get lost in the woods
Tip: lit. 'go astray in the forest' — literal and figurative.
- 23
vara mör i benen
to be aching after a long day
Tip: lit. 'be tender in the legs'.
- 24
vara mödan värt
to be worth the effort
Tip: lit. 'be worth the toil'.
- 25
kantarellen
the chanterelle
Tip: lit. the same — the one everyone can identify.
- 26
trattkantarellen
the funnel chanterelle
Tip: lit. 'the funnel chanterelle' — the late-autumn favourite.
- 27
karljohansvampen
the porcini
Tip: lit. 'the Karl Johan mushroom' — named after a Swedish king.
- 28
flugsvampen
the fly agaric
Tip: lit. the same — red, spotted, and not for eating.
- 29
vit flugsvamp
the death cap
Tip: lit. 'white fly agaric' — the one that kills.
- 30
bättre fria än fälla
when in doubt, leave it out
Tip: lit. 'better to acquit than convict' — the mushroom-picker's rule.
- 31
är du osäker – låt den stå
if you're not sure, don't pick it
Tip: lit. 'if you're uncertain, let it stand'.
- 32
slå upp den i svampboken
to check it in the mushroom book
Tip: lit. the same — every Swedish home has one.
- 33
gå till en svampkonsulent
to take it to a mushroom consultant
Tip: lit. the same — they exist, and they are free.
- 34
hjortronet
the cloudberry
Tip: lit. the same — the gold of the northern bogs.
- 35
en hemlig hjortronmyr
a well-kept cloudberry bog
Tip: lit. 'a secret cloudberry bog' — guarded like treasure.
- 36
blåbäret
the bilberry
Tip: lit. 'the blue berry' — wild, not the cultivated kind.
- 37
lingonet
the lingonberry
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
hallonsnåret
the raspberry patch
Tip: lit. 'the raspberry thicket'.
- 39
en bärplockare
a berry picker
Tip: lit. the same — the comb-like scoop.
- 40
plocka med bärplockare
to comb the berries off
Tip: lit. the same — faster, and slightly frowned upon.
- 41
plocka för hand istället
to pick by hand instead
Tip: lit. the same — cleaner berries.
- 42
löv och kvistar i hinken
leaves and twigs in the bucket
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
rensa dem på köksbordet
to clean them on the kitchen table
Tip: lit. the same — the evening's work.
- 44
koka saft
to make juice
Tip: lit. 'boil juice' — the Swedish autumn ritual.
- 45
slå rot
to take root
Tip: lit. 'strike root' — literal, or about settling somewhere.
- 46
en frys full av sommar
a freezer full of summer
Tip: lit. the same.
- 47
så det räcker till våren
enough to last till spring
Tip: lit. the same.