Even before the mobile phone texting language came into play, we did have quite a few shortenings or abbreviations as they are called. So let’s have a look at a few Swedish ones. There’s also a video linked at the end.
bl.a. = bland annat/among other things.
Jag har bl.a. städat badkaret idag. / I have among other things cleaned the bathtub today.
t.ex. = till exempel/for example.
Vi har t. ex. köpt ett hus. / We have for example bought a house.
t.o.m. = till och med /even
Hon har t.o.m. en katt. / She even has a cat.
s.k. = så kallad, kallat/ so-called (the d and t is dictated by the context of the articles en or ett)
Det är en vänstersväng, en s.k. spansk sväng. / It’s a left turn, a so-called Spanish turn.
IVA = intensivvårdsavdelning/intensive care unit
Han åkte in till IVA idag. / He went to the ICU today.
BB = barnbördshus/maternity hospital (literally house of child birth, but only BB is used)
Ni måste åka till BB direkt. / You have to go to the (maternity) hospital straight away.
BH = bysthållare/bra (literally bust holder but only BH is used)
Du har en fin BH. / You have a pretty bra.
ca = cirka/about, just about, roughly
De bor ca 30 minuter bort. / They live about 30 minutes away.
fr.o.m. = från och med/as of
Han blir statsminister fr.o.m. 1 september. / He becomes prime minister as of (or from) September 1st.
ggr = gånger/times
Hon har ringt fyra ggr. / She has called four times.
iaf = i alla fall/anyway or at least
Jag har iaf min värdighet. / At least I have my dignity.
m.a.o. = med andra ord/in other words
Han har m.a.o. inte tagit ut soporna. / He has in other words not taken out the trash.
o.s.v./osv. = och så vidare/and so on
Vi ska bygga om, renovera, städa osv. / We’re gonna rebuild, renovate, clean and so on.
i o.m. = i och med/since
I o.m. att jag lärare så borde jag undervisa. / Sine I am a teacher, I should teach.
kr = kronor/crowns (currency)
Ni har tusen kr. / You (plural or you singular polite) have a thousand crowns.
SEK = svensk krona/Swedish crown (currency label)
Nej, vi har hundra SEK. / No we have a hundred Swedish crowns.
nr = nummer/number
Vi bor i nr 8. / We live in number 8.
o.s.v. = och så vidare/and so on
Man ställer klockan varje kväll o.s.v. / You set the alarm every night and so on.
Here’s a video explaining these words with more examples.
30 October, 2022 at 12:21
Tack, mycket intressant! Do you know why are they called Spanish turns?? Were they invented in Spain?? In Spain we call them raquetas, which means rackets
30 October, 2022 at 13:56
From what I understand, these turns are common in Spain, and thus the name was imported.