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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Swedish word of the day: polarnatt

Here's a word that's relevant during the winter season in the northernmost parts of Sweden.

Published: 2 December 2019 10:19 CET

Swedish word of the day: polarnatt

But even during polar nights, it's not necessarily pitch black. Image: nito103/Depositphotos

Polarnatt means 'polar night', and is used to describe a period of time when the sun sets for more than 24 hours.

It occurs in the northernmost and southernmost parts of the earth, within the 'polar circles' (the Arctic and Antarctic Circles), hence the name. That includes parts of Swedish Lapland, with Kiruna being the largest town within the Arctic Circle. There, the polar night lasts for almost a month.

The polarnatt is the opposite to the midnattssol (midnight sun, also called the polar day), which is when the sun doesn't set for at least 24 hours. And another name for the polar night is middagsmörker or 'midday darkness'.

Because of the way that the sun's rays are bent, the midnight sun lasts for longer than the polar night; in Kiruna, the midnight sun lasts for 50 days compared to 28 of polar night.

But even during polarnatt, it's not necessarily totally pitch black.

That's because the requirement for the polar night is that the sun doesn't rise above the horizon, so it may still be level with the horizon – so-called polar twilight. This usually means deep blue skies with pinkish hues which are popular with photographers, and clear skies combined with polarnatt tend to offer some of the best chances to see the Northern Lights.

White snow and moonlight also add to the lightness.

However, the polar twilight isn't much use to people who find their moods affected by lack of daylight, since the twilight is too low a level of ambient light to offer the psychological benefits of sunlight.

Examples

Polarnatten i Kiruna är en tid av mörker, men det kan vara mysigt

The polar night in Kiruna is a time of darkness, but it can be cosy

Polarnatten sveper in över norra Sveriga

The polar night is sweeping in over northern Sweden

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Seven Swedish expressions which will make you sound like a local

Finns det hjärterum finns det stjärterum

This phrase literally translates as “if there’s room in your heart, there’s room for a bum”, and it essentially means that you can always make room for one more if you really want to.

If there were three of you sitting on a sofa and another guest arrives but there’s nowhere for them to sit, you might say this phrase while you all scooch up to make space for them to join you.

Kasta ett getöga (på något)

You would be forgiven for thinking this phrase has something to do with goat eyes – a goat in Swedish is en get, and an eye is ett öga.

However, this phrase doesn’t mean “to throw a goat’s eye (at something)”. Rather the word get here comes from the Old Norse verb geta, which means to watch, care for or guard something.

So rather than throwing bits of goats at someone, the phrase can be better translated as “to keep a watchful eye” on something.

Mycket snack och lite verkstad

This phrase directly translates to “a lot of talk and not much workshop”, and you might be able to figure out what it means.

It’s similar to the phrase “all talk and no action” or “all talk and no trousers” which you would use when someone or a group of people spend a lot of time discussing something but never actually do it.

It’s often used in a sports context if players talk a lot about strategy and beating the other team, but never quite manage to pull it out of the bag.

Små grytor har också öron

This expression can be confusing at first, as it contains a play on the word öron, which means both pot handle and ear in Swedish. It literally translates to “small pots also have ears”, and it essentially means that you should be careful of what you say around children.

It can be used in a couple of different ways. You could use it to remind someone that children are present if they’re about to tell you something that isn’t family-friendly, like the juicy details of their sex life.

It can also be used as a reminder to whoever you’re talking to that if they say anything in front of a child, it’s likely to be repeated somewhere else. So maybe save the discussion about how much you can’t stand one of the parents or teachers at preschool for somewhere your child can’t hear it.

Träsmak i röven

The word röv in Swedish is a vulgar term for the backside, roughly similar in strength to English “arse” or American “ass”.

It originally comes from the Old Norse word rauf meaning gap, rift or hole, used in words like raufarsteinn (a stone with a hole drilled through it) and raufartrefjur (cloth filled with holes).

The word in its modern meaning exists in Swedish as röv, in Danish as røv and in Norwegian as ræv or rauv.

Träsmak i röven (literally: “the taste of wood on your arse”) is a great phrase which describes the feeling you get when your bottom starts hurting from sitting down for too long.

Less offensive alternatives to the word röv which you can use in this phrase include rumpa, bakdel, ända, stjärt and gump.

Kratta manegen

The Swedish phrase kratta manegen is roughly equivalent to “pave the way” or “set the stage” in English, essentially to make it easier for someone to do something.

You could, for example, use it about some sort of pioneer: hon krattade manegen för kvinnor i politiken (she paved the way for women in politics). It can also be used about something other than an individual: lagen krattade manegen för landets tillväxt (the law paved the way for the country’s growth).

Literally, a kratta refers to a rake and manegen to a circus ring or riding arena, so imaging someone raking the sand in the ring before it’s used by riders and performers.

I grevens tid

A greve in Swedish is a count – as in the noble title – so this phrase literally translates to “in the count’s time”.

It refers to doing something at the last possible moment, similar to the phrases “in the nick of time” or “not a minute too soon” in English.

It’s believed to refer to a specific count, Per Brahe the Younger, who was Governor-General of Finland in the mid 17th century. During this time he reformed the administration of the country, introduced a new postal system, founded a large number of new towns and promoted education, for example by founding the Royal Academy of Turku.

The Finns were a fan of Count Brahe, which is why the phrase I grevens tid also exists in Finnish as kreivin aikaan, where it refers to arriving at the right time or the best possible time.

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