Tag: idioms

Beautiful Finnish Idioms that do not exist in other languages

Unique Finnish expressions emphasizing typical traits of Finnish culture, as its connection to nature and a melancholic feeling.

9th April is Finnish language day, here are some aesthetic expressions from this small yet beautiful language:

  • Sielunmaisema: landscape of the soul: the emotional world, values, memories, and thoughts that shape how a person experiences life
  • Kaiho – hopeless longing: an involuntary solitude in which one feels incomleteness and yearns for something unattainable or extremely difficult and tedious to attain.
  • Luonnonlapsi – nature’s child: a genuine and sincere person who’s carefree and down to earth, a scatterbrained, someone who doesn’t care about the ways of society. Slightly negative but in an endearing way

More expressions

  • Olla hyvällä tuulella— To be on / To have a good wind 🌬: To have a good mood. To be mildly happy.
  • siirtyä ajasta ikuisuuteen/iäisyyteen – went from time to eternity: said about someone who has died
  • oma maa mansikka, muu maa mustikka 🍓🫐-our land strawberry, other land blueberry: there’s no place like home

sources: @/finnishtogo

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Scandinavian Embassy‘s bakery and cafe in Amsterdam zuid

On a trip to Amsterdam, I decided to test Scandinavian Embassy and both of its two locations, starting with the bakery in europaplein. The two locations are in Amsterdam zuid: Saphatipark and Europaplein: in the former, a more central location, you can sit but it has fewer items than the bakery in Europaplein. The bakery,…

Chiara's avatar by Chiara

Idioms with berries in Nordic languages

idioms in Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Danish with berries

Berries are a big thing in Nordic countries, and you can hear that in their languages as well! So I have collected a few sayings and idioms involving them in Swedish, Norwegian Finnish and Danish.

Swedish

  • Smultronstället – Place of wild strawberries – a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness
  • Blott Sverige svenska krusbär har – Only Sweden has Swedish gooseberries – There’s no place like home… Originally a quote by writer Carl Jonas Love Almqvist (1793-1866)
  • Hej hopp i blåbärsskogen! / Hej svejs i lingonskogen tjosan hoppsan hej! – hey hey in the blueberry/lingonberry wood hey hey: a funny surprised expression Swedes may use in a joking way

Norwegian

  • Det er bare blåbær – It’s just blueberries: it’s not a big deal/it’s a piece of cake
  • Være på bærtur – To be picking berries: being completely lost/wrong.

Finnish

  • Oma maa mansikka, muu maa mustikka – our land strawberry, other land blueberry: No place like home, here too 🙂
  • he ovat kuin kaksi marjaa – they are like two berries: they look very much alike
  • se maksaa mansikoita – it costs strawberries: very expensive
  • and last but not least paskanmarjat – sh*t berries: bullsh*t

Danish

  • stikkelsbærben – gooseberry legs: pale, skinny, and hairy legs
  • et surt ribs – a sour redcurrant: a grumpy person
  • at give (eller få) en på bærret: to give (or get) one on the berry: to hit or get hit on the face

sources: Københavns sprogcentret

Feel free to comment if you know more!

5 symbols of Sami culture

Sámi people, indigenous people of North Scandinavia, have a distinct culture, symbolised by its unique flag and traditional clothing, and part of it are Duodji handicrafts and unique musical expression through yoik.

Chiara's avatar by Chiara