Summer House Expressions
The language of the sommarstuga — ute i vischan, i ur och skur, uppe med tuppen and vinterstänga.
The stuga in idiom: money pit and hjärteprojekt at once, wells and woodsheds, generations of the same smell — värt varenda krona.
- 1
komma bort från allt
to get away from it all
Tip: lit. 'come away from everything'.
- 2
ute i vischan
in the middle of nowhere
Tip: lit. 'out in the boonies' — affectionate, very common.
- 3
ladda batterierna
to recharge your batteries
Tip: lit. 'charge the batteries'.
- 4
koppla bort allt
to unplug from everything
Tip: lit. 'disconnect everything'.
- 5
ett stenkast bort
a stone's throw away
Tip: lit. 'a stone's throw away'.
- 6
smida medan järnet är varmt
to make hay while the sun shines
Tip: lit. 'forge while the iron is hot'.
- 7
lugnet före stormen
the calm before the storm
Tip: lit. the same.
- 8
ta det lugnt
to take it easy
Tip: lit. 'take it calm' — the standard Swedish goodbye too.
- 9
njuta av lugnet och ron
to enjoy the peace and quiet
Tip: lit. 'enjoy the calm and the rest'.
- 10
ha hemlängtan
to be homesick
Tip: lit. 'have home-longing'.
- 11
pyssla runt
to potter about
Tip: lit. 'fuss around' — the national summer-house activity.
- 12
ett hjärteprojekt
a labour of love
Tip: lit. 'a heart project'.
- 13
vara ett svart hål för pengar
to be a money pit
Tip: lit. 'be a black hole for money'.
- 14
vara ett renoveringsobjekt
to be a doer-upper
Tip: lit. 'be a renovation object' — estate-agent speak everyone uses.
- 15
sova som en stock
to be dead to the world
Tip: lit. 'sleep like a log'.
- 16
i ottan
at the crack of dawn
Tip: lit. 'in the early morning hour' — slightly literary but alive.
- 17
vara utlämnad åt vädret
to be at the mercy of the weather
Tip: lit. 'be handed over to the weather'.
- 18
i ur och skur
come rain or shine
Tip: lit. 'in foul weather and downpour' — also the name of outdoor preschools.
- 19
bli uppäten av mygg
to be eaten alive by mosquitoes
Tip: lit. 'be eaten up by mosquitoes'.
- 20
de ljusa sommarkvällarna
the long light evenings
Tip: lit. 'the light summer evenings' — the whole point of the season.
- 21
vara uppe med tuppen
to be up with the lark
Tip: lit. 'be up with the rooster'.
- 22
ha fullt upp
to have your hands full
Tip: lit. 'have full up'.
- 23
gammalt hederligt slit
good old-fashioned hard work
Tip: lit. 'old honest toil'.
- 24
hålla på att falla ihop
to be falling apart
Tip: lit. 'be in the process of falling together' — about a building.
- 25
vara värt varenda krona
to be worth every penny
Tip: lit. 'be worth every single krona'.
- 26
vinterstänga stugan
to close the place up for winter
Tip: lit. 'winter-close the cabin' — draining the water, the autumn ritual.
- 27
säsongen är slut
the season is over
Tip: lit. the same — said with a sigh in late August.
- 28
sommaröppna stugan
to open the cabin for the season
Tip: lit. 'summer-open the cabin' — turning the water back on in May.
- 29
koppla på vattnet
to connect the water
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
utedasset
the outdoor privy
Tip: lit. 'the outdoor loo' — still common, and not a joke.
- 31
inget rinnande vatten
no running water
Tip: lit. the same.
- 32
hämta vatten i brunnen
to fetch water from the well
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
brunnen har sinat
the well has run dry
Tip: lit. the same — a real summer worry.
- 34
elda med ved
to heat with wood
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
hugga ved
to chop firewood
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
vedboden
the woodshed
Tip: lit. the same.
- 37
ett getingbo under taket
a wasps' nest under the eaves
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
möss under vintern
mice over the winter
Tip: lit. the same — what you find in May.
- 39
vädra ordentligt
to air the place out
Tip: lit. 'air properly'.
- 40
doften av gammal stuga
the smell of an old cabin
Tip: lit. the same — everyone knows it.
- 41
grannarna bor tre kilometer bort
the neighbours are three kilometres away
Tip: lit. the same.
- 42
ro över sjön
to row across the lake
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
bryggan behöver lagas
the jetty needs mending
Tip: lit. the same — every single year.
- 44
bada innan frukost
to swim before breakfast
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
sitta på trappen i kvällssolen
to sit on the steps in the evening sun
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
tappa räkningen på dagarna
to lose track of the days
Tip: lit. 'lose the count of the days'.
- 47
tre generationer har varit här
three generations have been here
Tip: lit. the same.