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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Swedish word of the day: bus

Here's a Swedish word that's a false friend for English-speakers.

Published: 29 October 2019 15:36 CET
Swedish word of the day: bus
... or treat? Image: nito103/Depositphotos

Bus means 'prank' or 'mischief' (if you're looking for the Swedish word for 'bus', that's buss with a double 's').

Over Halloween you'll hear it far more than usual, as children dressed in spooky costumes go from door to door asking bus eller godis (trick or treat, although the Swedish literally means 'trick or sweet/candy'). This is a very recent custom in Sweden, which only really started marking Halloween in the 1990s. 

Because of this, there's inconsistency in how it's celebrated, so you might receive trick or treaters on October 31st, or on the night before the older Swedish festival Alla helgons dag (All Saints Day), which is always on the Saturday after Halloween.

According to Swedish etiquette website Vett och Etikett, the latter is preferred, and you can remember it by saying bus på fredag, ljus på lördag (trick on the Friday, light on Saturday).

Bus can also be used to refer to 'mischief' or 'trouble' more generally, while busa means 'to make trouble' and busig means 'mischievous'.

Examples

Hej hej, bus eller godis?
 
Hi, trick or treat?

Han har busiga ögon

He has mischievous eyes

Do you have a favourite Swedish word you would like to nominate for our word of the day series? Get in touch by email or if you are a Member of The Local, log in to comment below.

Member comments

  1. My favourite is always sköldpadda! It’s so different from the English word but so cute at the same time

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For members

SWEDISH WORD OF THE DAY

Swedish word of the day: fullständiga rättigheter

You might have seen this phrase on the sign or menu at restaurants, but what does it actually mean?

Published: 20 September 2024 06:53 CEST
Swedish word of the day: fullständiga rättigheter

Let’s start with the first word in this phrase: fullständiga, or fullständig when it isn’t used before a plural noun.

Speakers of German might recognise it as a version of the word vollständig, meaning complete.

The second word, rättigheter, or rättighet when singular, means a right, as in something you are entitled to. A literal translation of fullständiga rättigheter would therefore be “full rights”. Which admittedly doesn’t make a lot of sense in English.

Essentially, the rights in question here are the rights to serve alcohol. Sweden has strict alcohol laws: alcohol over 3.5 percent ABV can only be sold at Systembolaget stores, which are owned by the state, and you must be over 20 to do so.

In restaurants and bars, however, the drinking age is 18, and there are strict rules for waiters, bartenders and other hospitality workers when it comes to being allowed to serve alcohol over 3.5 percent.

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A restaurant displaying the phrase fullständiga rättigheter has applied for and been granted a license to sell alcohol (serveringstillstånd), which among other things bans people who have been sentenced to a crime or who haven’t paid taxes or employer fees on time from serving alcohol.

Applicants also need to have sufficient knowledge of Sweden’s alcohol laws, which may include a written test, depending on the municipality.

So, next time you’re looking for a restaurant for your next night out and you know you want to drink a few beers or share a bottle of wine, you know what to look for.

Example sentences:

Har du bara folköl? Nej, vi har fullständiga rättigheter!

Do you only have folköl [beer under 3.5 percent ABV]? No, we have a full alcohol license!

Restaurangen var bra, men de har precis öppnat, så de saknar fullständiga rättigheter.

The restaurant was good, but they’ve only just opened so they don’t have an alcohol license yet.

Villa, Volvo, Vovve: The Local’s Word Guide to Swedish Life, written by The Local’s journalists, is available to order. Head to lysforlag.com/vvv to read more about it. It is also possible to buy your copy from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Bokus or Adlibris.

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