Lagom and Other Ways to Say How Much
Swedish grades everything, starting with the word for exactly enough.
The degree dial, lagom at its centre: from knappt någon to alldeles för — how Swedish measures everything.
- 1
lagom
Just the right amount
Tip: The famous one. Lagom varmt = the perfect temperature
- 2
hyfsat
Decently, reasonably
Tip: Hyfsat bra = pretty good, no complaints
- 3
skapligt
Passably
Tip: A notch below hyfsat
- 4
halvdant
Half-heartedly, poorly done
Tip: Of work someone couldn't be bothered with
- 5
sisådär
So-so
Tip: The honest answer to 'how are you?'
- 6
ganska
Quite, fairly
Tip: The neutral middle setting
- 7
rätt
Pretty (quite)
Tip: Rätt bra = pretty good. Same word as 'right'
- 8
jätte-
Really, very (prefix)
Tip: Glued on: jättebra, jättetrevlig. Literally 'giant'
- 9
skit-
Seriously, damn (prefix)
Tip: Skitbra = seriously good. Informal; literally 'shit'
- 10
lite grann
A tiny bit
Tip: Softer than lite alone
- 11
knappt
Barely
Tip: Jag hann knappt = I barely made it
- 12
nästan
Almost
Tip: Also 'nearly' in every sense
- 13
högst
At most
Tip: Also means 'highest'
- 14
minst
At least
Tip: Also means 'smallest'
- 15
ungefär
Roughly, about
Tip: Often shortened to ca in writing
- 16
precis
Exactly
Tip: Also a standalone 'exactly!' in conversation
- 17
tillräckligt
Enough
Tip: Tillräckligt bra = good enough
- 18
gott och väl
More than enough
Tip: Fixed phrase
- 19
knappt någon
Hardly any
Tip: Knappt någon kom = hardly anyone came
- 20
alldeles för
Far too
Tip: Alldeles för dyrt = way too expensive