The short answer
For clothes shopping in Swedish, learn kläder, storlek, provrum, kvitto and öppet köp. The key verbs are prova, passa, sitta, byta and lämna tillbaka. A garment can passa in size and sitta bra when you describe how it looks or feels on the body.
Learn clothes as outfits
Group en tröja, en skjorta, ett par byxor, en klänning, en jacka, en mössa, ett par skor. A real outfit is easier to retrieve than an alphabetical list.
Place each item mentally in your Swedish home and furniture vocabulary, perhaps in garderoben or hallen.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Jag letar efter en varm jacka. | I am looking for a warm jacket. |
Size, fit and the fitting room
Ask Vilken storlek är det? and Finns den i en större storlek? In the fitting room, den passar often concerns size, while den sitter bra describes the way it fits on you.
Swedish weather vocabulary helps you specify vattentät, varm, tunn or fodrad.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Var finns provrummen? | Where are the fitting rooms? | |
| Den är för liten. | It is too small. |
Pay, exchange or return
Keep the receipt, kvittot, and check öppet köp, the shop's offer to accept an unused return. Bytesrätt is usually an exchange right under the shop's conditions.
For a fault, follow the guide to complaining about a faulty purchase in Sweden.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Kan jag lämna tillbaka den här? | Can I return this? |
Act out a fitting-room exchange
Play both customer and assistant: need, size, fitting room, opinion and payment. On the second round, make the requested size unavailable so the exchange requires adaptation.
The SvenskaApp tutor can play the member of staff and vary the reply.
Questions people ask
- How do you say clothes in Swedish?
- Clothes is kläder. One item of clothing is ett plagg.
- How do I ask for another size in Swedish?
- Say Finns den i en annan storlek? For a larger size, say Finns den i en större storlek?
- What does öppet köp mean?
- It is a shop policy that usually lets you return an unused purchase within a stated period when you have the receipt.
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