Money Slang
Stålar, kosing, snålis — the informal Swedish of being broke and being careful.
Money slang, wallet to worldview: the cash words (stålar, kosing, deg), the note names (hundring, femhundring, tusenlapp), the broke scale (pank → barskrapad → klara sig med nöd och näppe), the character types (snålis, slösare, fyndjägare, skojare), the month's shape in slang (lönedagen, storhandlingen, pastaveckan), the wealth tier (stenrik, nyrik, silversked i mun) — landing where Swedish always lands: det löser sig.
- 1
stålar
money
Tip: casual, all ages
- 2
kosing
cash
Tip: casual, slightly older-sounding
- 3
deg
dough
Tip: youth, casual
- 4
en hundring
a hundred kronor
Tip: casual, universal
- 5
en tusenlapp
a thousand kronor
Tip: neutral-casual
- 6
en femhundring
five hundred
Tip: casual
- 7
en femtiolapp
a fiver (fifty kronor)
Tip: casual
- 8
två hundringar
two hundred
Tip: casual
- 9
växelpengar
loose change
Tip: neutral-casual
- 10
pank
skint
Tip: casual
- 11
barskrapad
flat broke
Tip: casual, a bit dramatic
- 12
klara sig med nöd och näppe
to scrape by
Tip: casual
- 13
ha det knapert
to be strapped
Tip: casual
- 14
vara kort den här månaden
to be short this month
Tip: casual
- 15
lönen kan inte komma fort nog
payday can't come soon enough
Tip: casual
- 16
en snålis
a tightwad
Tip: casual, teasing
- 17
snål
stingy
Tip: neutral-casual, quite an insult in Sweden
- 18
slösa
to splash out
Tip: neutral-casual
- 19
en fyndjägare
a bargain hunter
Tip: casual
- 20
göra ett kap
to bag a bargain
Tip: casual; lit. 'make a catch'
- 21
en skojare
a rip-off merchant
Tip: casual
- 22
ett fynd
a bargain
Tip: casual, positive
- 23
skitbilligt
dirt cheap
Tip: casual, mildly vulgar
- 24
jättedyrt
outrageously expensive
Tip: casual
- 25
rena rånet
a rip-off
Tip: casual; lit. 'pure robbery'
- 26
bortkastade pengar
a total waste of money
Tip: casual
- 27
pengar i sjön
money down the drain
Tip: casual
- 28
gängse pris
the going rate
Tip: neutral
- 29
ett schysst pris
a fair price
Tip: casual; 'schysst' = decent
- 30
vara stormrik
to be loaded
Tip: casual
- 31
ha det bra ställt
to be comfortable
Tip: neutral-casual
- 32
ha det gott ställt just nu
to be flush this month
Tip: casual
- 33
stenrik
filthy rich
Tip: casual; lit. 'stone rich'
- 34
född med silversked i mun
born with money
Tip: casual; lit. 'born with a silver spoon in the mouth'
- 35
nyrik
new money
Tip: casual, faintly disapproving
- 36
stoltsera med pengar
to show off with money
Tip: casual; deeply un-Swedish behaviour
- 37
hålla tyst om det
to keep it quiet
Tip: casual; the Swedish way with wealth
- 38
veckopeng
pocket money
Tip: neutral; paid weekly to Swedish kids
- 39
snylta
to sponge off someone
Tip: casual, disapproving
- 40
skjuta till
to chip in
Tip: neutral-casual
- 41
lönedagen
payday
Tip: neutral-casual; the 25th
- 42
storhandlingen
the big shop
Tip: casual
- 43
pastaveckan
pasta week
Tip: casual, self-deprecating
- 44
göra av med allt
to blow it all
Tip: casual
- 45
en räddare i nöden
a lifesaver of a payment
Tip: casual; lit. 'a saviour in need'
- 46
det löser sig
we'll manage
Tip: casual; the national reassurance