Every country has its fair share of weird expressions and Sweden is no different. As a Newbie who speaks Swedish you will soon encounter Swedish expressions that will make you a bit confused.

Quick guide to No cow on the ice and in Sweden (updated for 2025).

And if you don’t speak Swedish yet, don’t worry – it is quite common that Swedes will take their expressions and just translate them directly to English. So if someone tells you that there is no cow on the ice, don’t start looking for the nearest psychiatric hospital or for any livestock on the lose – just chill as it simply means not to worry.

1. When a Swede tells you you are a lucky cheese (din lyckans ost) he means that you are a lucky dog.
2. When a Swede tells you not to walk like the cat around hot porridge (gå inte som katten kring het gröt) he is telling you to not beat around the bush.
3. To carry the dog head (bära hundhuvuet) means to carry the can.
4. No danger on the roof (ingen fara på taket) is a Swedes way to tell you not to worry.
5. When a Swede is on the cinnamon (på kanelen) he has simply had one too many drinks.
6. And the next day he will be wearing a lead cap (blykeps), which is not an intricate torturing device but a raging hangover.
7. If you do something bad to a Swede, he will not seek revenge – instead he will give you back for old cheese (ge tillbaka för gammal ost).
8. If a Swede tells you that Satan and his aunt will be there (fan och hans moster) you mustn’t worry about going to hell. It just means that everyone will participate.
9. When a Swede tells you he wasn’t born in a hallway (inte född i farstun), don’t feel you need to regale your own birth story as he is just telling you that he can’t be fooled.
10. And finally, a Swede is not raging mad, he is forest crazy (skogstokig).

There are of course many more linguistic beauties but we will save them for some other occasion. In the mean time, get out there and impress with your knew found Swedish knowledge.

E-learning course: Your Swedish learning options

Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed about The Swedish stuff? Where can you learn? How does it work? Can you join the different options if you don’t have a Swedish personal number? We’ve got you covered. Over the years we’ve been repeatedly told just confusing this process can be so we created a digital course with all the information you need to make a good decision. Here you will learn about:

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After finishing this course, you will be able to make an educated study choice and you will learn the most important key words and phrases for studying Swedish in Sweden. Hopefully, Swedish will start making sense!

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Further reading

• Newbie stories
• Work in Sweden guides
• Learn Swedish

FAQs

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