Corona Virus: Learn the Swedish Vocabulary Surrounding This Pandemic
There is a lot going on in the world right now with this Pandemic. If you are living in Sweden it’s a good idea to get up to speed on the vocabulary the news stations and talk shows are using. Below is a list of the most commonly used phrases regarding a pandemic & sickness in general.
Tvätta Händerna
Wash your hands
Have you noticed in Swedish you wash the hands and not, your hands?
While it’s not wrong to say Tvätta dina händer you will more often hear the following:
| Tvätta händerna | Wash your (the) hands |
| Borsta tänderna | Brush your (the) teeth |
| Hon borstade håret | She brushed her (the) hair |
| Jag har ont i ryggen | I have a pain in my (the) back |
Sjuk
Sick
This is quite a difficult one so make sure you use the video to help you with pronunciation. If you can say the Sju (seven) you can say Sjuk! When you have mastered that follow on to the word below.
Sjukdom
Disease, Sickness
This is an umbrella word meaning disease, sickness or affliction.
Symptom
Symptoms
You shouldn’t have any trouble remembering this one. Just make sure to get the pronunciation right.
Feber
Fever
Another word that is very close to the English equivalent.
Hosta
Cough
cough noun – hosta (en)
to cough verb – att hosta
Diarré
Diarrhea
Not so different from the English, both are derived from the greek word diarrhoia meaning; flowing through.
Ett Virus
A Virus
Note this is an ett word so ‘the virus’ would be: Viruset
Pandemi
Pandemic
Pandemic – Pandemi (en)
Epidemic – Epidemi (en)
Smittsam
Contagious
An adjective meaning; Contagious, Infectious, Infective
Infekterad
Infected, Septic
att isolera sig själv
to self isolate
This is a reflexive phrasal verb to make sure to use the correct reflexive pronoun.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag isolerar mig själv | I self-isolate |
| Du isolerar dig själv | You self-isolate |
| Han isolerar sig själv | He self-isolates |
| Hon isolerar sig själv | She self-isolates |
| Vi isolerar oss själva | We self-isolate |
| Ni isolerar er själva | You self-isolate |
| De isolerar sig själva | They self-isolate |
Munskydd
Face Mask
Mun – Mouth (en)
Skydd – Protection
att skydda verb – to protect
Karantän
Quarantine
Fun fact: The word quarantine comes from quarantena, meaning “forty days“, used in the 14th-15th-century Venetian and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black death plague epidemic.
Spridning
Spread
Spread noun – spridning (en)
to spread verb – att sprida
Handsprit
Hand Sanitizer
This literally translates to hand liquor!
Vaccin
Vaccine
Another word you shouldn’t have any trouble remembering!
Well that’s it for this lesson. Hope you learned some useful words to follow along with the Swedish news during this Pandemic.
Any questions ask in the comments.
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