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Swedish you actually need2 min read

Swedish weather vocabulary for real forecasts

From cold weather to black ice, learn the Swedish words needed to understand a forecast and talk naturally about the conditions.

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The short answer

To talk about Swedish weather, use det är with an adjective, as in det är kallt, and det plus a verb for a weather event, as in det regnar or det snöar. Väder means weather, temperatur temperature, halka slippery or icy conditions and prognos forecast.

Three patterns cover most weather talk

Say det är kallt, varmt, soligt, molnigt. For an event, use det regnar, snöar, blåser. For a change, say det blir kallare.

Place each forecast on a Swedish day or month so the weather words never float without context.

In Swedish
In SwedishWhat it meansWhen you use it
Det blir kallare i morgon.It will be colder tomorrow.
Det blåser mycket.It is very windy.

Words that matter in Sweden

Halka warns of slippery roads, slask is dirty melting snow, minusgrader means temperatures below zero and snöblandat regn is sleet.

Those words also lead directly into Swedish clothes and shopping vocabulary.

In Swedish
In SwedishWhat it meansWhen you use it
Det är risk för halka.There is a risk of icy conditions.

Read a forecast without translating every line

Find the place, time, temperature, weather symbol and wind first. The details become easier once the forecast's structure is clear.

The guide to a first winter in Sweden explains why daylight and ground conditions matter as much as the temperature.

In Swedish
In SwedishWhat it meansWhen you use it
Hur blir vädret i helgen?What will the weather be like this weekend?

Give a tiny forecast every morning

Look outside and produce three sentences: now, this afternoon and tomorrow. Then compare them with a weather app and correct only the missing word.

Save stubborn words in SvenskaApp vocabulary with a sentence about your own town.

Questions people ask

How do you say it is cold in Swedish?
Say det är kallt. The neuter form kallt is used after det är.
What is the difference between väder and temperatur?
Väder means the weather as a whole. Temperatur refers only to the measurement in degrees.
What does halka mean in Swedish?
Halka means slippery ground or road conditions, often caused by ice or freezing temperatures.

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Where to start in the course

The unit that teaches the words in this article. Free, and it opens straight into the first lesson.

Weather

Väder

A1 · 2 lessons · 73 XP

Comment on the weather

Start this unit

Free · no account · about 10 minutes

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