Swish & Paying Expressions
Cashless Sweden in phrases — swisha mig, dela på notan, kontantfritt and jag bjuder.
Swish civilization: splitting notan, kvitt declared, the church collection by app — och lite kontanter hemma, ifall systemet ligger nere.
- 1
swisha någon
to Swish someone
Tip: lit. 'to swish someone' — the payment app became a verb in about a year.
- 2
Swisha mig.
Swish me the money.
Tip: lit. 'swish me' — heard at every dinner table.
- 3
dela på notan
to split the bill
Tip: lit. 'share on the bill'.
- 4
dela lika
to go halves
Tip: lit. 'share equally'.
- 5
var och en betalar för sig
each pays for themselves
Tip: lit. the same — the Swedish default.
- 6
jag bjuder
my treat
Tip: lit. 'I invite'.
- 7
vara skyldig någon
to owe someone
Tip: lit. 'be guilty to someone' — same word for debt and guilt.
- 8
göra upp
to settle up
Tip: lit. 'make up' — square the accounts.
- 9
nu är vi kvitt
we're square now
Tip: lit. 'now we are quits'.
- 10
kontantfritt
cash-free
Tip: lit. 'cash-free' — on signs in most Swedish shops.
- 11
endast kort
card only
Tip: lit. 'only card'.
- 12
blippa kortet
to tap the card
Tip: lit. 'blip the card' — contactless.
- 13
slå koden
to enter the PIN
Tip: lit. 'strike the code'.
- 14
betalningen gick inte igenom
the payment didn't go through
Tip: lit. the same.
- 15
kortet nekades
the card was declined
Tip: lit. 'the card was refused'.
- 16
tar ni kort?
do you take card?
Tip: lit. the same — increasingly the wrong question here.
- 17
avrunda uppåt
to round up
Tip: lit. 'round upwards'.
- 18
lämna dricks
to leave a tip
Tip: lit. the same — optional and modest in Sweden.
- 19
vara rena rånet
to be a rip-off
Tip: lit. 'be pure robbery'.
- 20
vara värt det
to be worth it
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
betala i delbetalningar
to pay in instalments
Tip: lit. the same.
- 22
betala mot faktura
to pay by invoice
Tip: lit. 'pay against invoice' — very common online.
- 23
skicka påminnelse
to chase a payment
Tip: lit. 'send a reminder'.
- 24
ett inkassokrav
a debt collection notice
Tip: lit. 'a collection demand' — what comes next.
- 25
spara kvittot
to keep the receipt
Tip: lit. the same — you need it to return anything.
- 26
betala sin del
to pay your share
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
pengar byter ägare snabbt här
money changes hands quickly here
Tip: lit. 'money changes owner fast here'.
- 28
en swishförfrågan
a Swish request
Tip: lit. the same — you ask, they approve.
- 29
skicka en förfrågan istället för att fråga
to send a request instead of asking
Tip: lit. the same — less awkward, apparently.
- 30
numret är telefonnumret
the number is the phone number
Tip: lit. the same — that's the whole system.
- 31
ett swishnummer för företag
a Swish number for a business
Tip: lit. the same — starts with 123.
- 32
loppisståndet tar Swish
the flea-market stall takes Swish
Tip: lit. the same — even at a village jumble sale.
- 33
kollekten tas upp via Swish
the church collection takes Swish
Tip: lit. the same — genuinely.
- 34
betala barnvakten
to pay the babysitter
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
swisha till presenten
to chip in for a present
Tip: lit. 'swish to the present'.
- 36
klassföräldern samlar in
the class parent collects it
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
en beloppsgräns per dygn
an amount limit per day
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
höja den i appen
to raise it in the app
Tip: lit. the same.
- 39
en betalning till fel nummer
a payment to the wrong number
Tip: lit. the same — and hard to undo.
- 40
be snällt att få tillbaka
to ask nicely for it back
Tip: lit. the same — your only real option.
- 41
ett bedrägeri med Swish
a scam using Swish
Tip: lit. the same — never Swish a stranger for goods.
- 42
godkänn aldrig en betalning du inte startat
never confirm a payment you didn't start
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
kontanter är fortfarande lagligt betalningsmedel
cash is still legal tender
Tip: lit. the same — but shops may refuse it.
- 44
en skylt om att vi inte tar kontanter
a sign saying we don't take cash
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
äldre hamnar utanför
older people are left behind
Tip: lit. 'older people end up outside' — a real Swedish debate.
- 46
ha lite kontanter hemma
to keep some cash at home
Tip: lit. the same — official preparedness advice.
- 47
ifall systemet ligger nere
in case the system goes down
Tip: lit. the same.