Words shape and redefine reality, a constantly evolving and fluid interpretation of social rules and ideas. Foreign words expose us to other realities, unfamiliar practices and exotic beliefs. They can help us discover feelings that are not expressible in our native language. They can inspire us to adopt a new lifestyle, or question the way we live. They may seem obvious, obscure, quirky, unnecessary, universal, or remarkably niche.

Swedish has enriched the English language with moped, ombudsman, and smorgasbord. While culturally, Abba, Ikea, Spotify, and Volvo have become part of the global lexicon and in many ways transcend their Swedish origins. But it is more recent words like lagom (moderation) and fika (coffee breaks) which have pushed Swedish language and culture deeper into the global consciousness.

But Sweden is more than lifestyle trends and technical solutions. Swedish is the language where the word for poison is the same as for married, where yes is just another word for no, and words without meaning are called snömos (mashed snow). Sweden is also the country of fredagsmys (cosy Friday), kosläpp (release of the cows), and lillördag (little Saturday, Wednesday).

• Explore more than 100 Swedish words, translated into English, with linguistic and cultural explanations
• Appreciate three different Swedish dialects with complementary audio files, and learn more about what Swedish sounds like with the help of the pronunciation guide
• Be challenged with language quizzes, word games, crosswords, and other interactive exercises
• Enjoy the silliness of direct translations, false friends, and other quirky features of the Swedish language
• Learn the etymology and understand the touchpoints between Swedish and English, and other European languages

Villa Volvo Vovve is inspired by The Local’s popular ‘Word of the day’ column which continues to explore Swedish language and culture beyond global stereotypes and buzz words.