Calling a Tradesman: Expressions
Behörig elektriker, jourutryckning, rotavdrag — and describing a fault you don't understand.
The tradesman call from symptom to invoice: describing electrical faults in civilian Swedish (proppen har gått, det luktar bränt — and the honest grejen på väggen), the fullbokade-till-mars reality, the safety commandment (rör det inte själv), the full directory of trades from rörmokare to sotare, the plumbing crossover — and the price dance ending in före eller efter rotavdrag.
- 1
en behörig elektriker
a qualified electrician
Tip: lit. 'an authorised electrician' — required by law for most work.
- 2
en jourutryckning
an emergency call-out
Tip: lit. 'an on-call turn-out' — and priced accordingly.
- 3
proppen har gått
the fuse has blown
Tip: lit. 'the fuse has gone'.
- 4
jordfelsbrytaren har löst ut
the trip switch has gone
Tip: lit. 'the earth-fault breaker has released'.
- 5
strömmen är borta
the power is out
Tip: lit. 'the current is gone'.
- 6
ett strömavbrott
a power cut
Tip: lit. the same.
- 7
en kortslutning
a short circuit
Tip: lit. the same.
- 8
det gnistrade
it sparked
Tip: lit. the same.
- 9
det luktar bränt
it smells of burning
Tip: lit. the same — say this and they come fast.
- 10
uttaget sitter löst
the socket is loose
Tip: lit. 'the outlet sits loose'.
- 11
lampan blinkar
the light flickers
Tip: lit. 'the lamp blinks'.
- 12
det funkar ibland
it works intermittently
Tip: lit. 'it works sometimes' — the worst kind of fault.
- 13
beskriva felet
to describe the fault
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
jag vet inte vad det heter
I'm not sure what it's called
Tip: lit. the same — perfectly acceptable.
- 15
grejen på väggen
the thing on the wall
Tip: lit. 'the thing on the wall' — how most calls actually start.
- 16
komma ut och titta
to come out and take a look
Tip: lit. the same.
- 17
när kan ni komma?
when can you come?
Tip: lit. the same.
- 18
vi är fullbokade till mars
we're fully booked until March
Tip: lit. the same — the standard answer.
- 19
sätta upp er på listan
to put you on the list
Tip: lit. the same.
- 20
det är en gammal installation
it's an old installation
Tip: lit. the same — usually the real answer.
- 21
det behöver bytas helt
it needs replacing entirely
Tip: lit. the same.
- 22
rör det inte själv
don't touch it yourself
Tip: lit. the same — good advice with 230 volts.
- 23
en rörmokare
a plumber
Tip: lit. the same.
- 24
en snickare
a carpenter
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
en målare
a painter
Tip: lit. the same.
- 26
en plattsättare
a tiler
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
en sotare
a chimney sweep
Tip: lit. the same — a legally required visit.
- 28
kranen droppar
the tap is dripping
Tip: lit. the same.
- 29
avloppet är stopp
the drain is blocked
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
det rinner vatten genom taket
water is coming through the ceiling
Tip: lit. the same — call immediately.
- 31
stäng huvudkranen
turn off the stopcock
Tip: lit. the same — know where it is.
- 32
elementet är kallt
the radiator is cold
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
lufta elementet
to bleed the radiator
Tip: lit. 'air the radiator'.
- 34
service på pannan
a boiler service
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
en värmepump
a heat pump
Tip: lit. the same — in most Swedish houses now.
- 36
en OVK-besiktning
a ventilation check
Tip: lit. 'obligatory ventilation control' — required by law.
- 37
framkörningsavgiften
the call-out charge
Tip: lit. 'the driving-up fee' — charged before anything is fixed.
- 38
timtaxan
the hourly rate
Tip: lit. 'the hour rate'.
- 39
ett fast pris
a fixed price
Tip: lit. the same — always ask for one.
- 40
en skriftlig offert
a written quote
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
offert kostar inget
an estimate is free
Tip: lit. the same — ask, and confirm it.
- 42
kan ni komma och titta utan kostnad?
can you come and look for free?
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
vi tar betalt för utryckningen
we charge for the call-out
Tip: lit. the same.
- 44
kan ni ge en ungefärlig summa?
can you give a ballpark figure?
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
mellan fem och åtta tusen
between five and eight thousand
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
före eller efter rotavdrag?
before or after the ROT deduction?
Tip: lit. the same — always clarify.
- 47
rotavdraget
the tax deduction for labour
Tip: lit. 'the ROT deduction' — the invoice shows it automatically.