As a follow up to my last post about becoming Swedish and getting Swedish citizenship – I’ve compiled a list of 40 things that can help determine how Swedish you are!
(Yes, some of these are exaggerated, generalizations, stereotypes, might not apply to all Swedes, or has nothing to do with being Swedish – but they are all things that I have either noticed or experienced since moving to Sweden and are meant to be read for fun)
Don’t forget to keep track of how many you answer “yes” to to find out how Swedish you are at the end of the test!
So, how Swedish are you?
1. Do you pick wild flowers, mushrooms, or berries at least once a year?
Allemansrätten, Mushroom Picking
2. Do you looove lösgodis (loose candy)?
Lösgodis
3. Do you regularly eat open faced sandwiches for breakfast or mellanmål (snack)?
4. Do you put butter on all said open sandwiches?
5. Have you spent at least one winter in Thailand?
Snowfall
6. Did you grow up watching the same snippets of classic Disney movies every Christmas?
Swedish Cartoons
7. Is it true that you have never painted any of your walls any color but white (not counting wall paper)?
8. Do you bike to work, school, and/or to go food shopping?
Biking
9. Is pasta incomplete without ketchup?
When in Rome
10. Do you wear socks with your sandals?
11. Is your preferred way of confrontation writing angry or passive aggressive notes towards your neighbors?
12. Do you believe there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing?
Lessons Learned
13. Have you ever slept with flowers under your pillow?
Midsummer
14. Have you ever traveled long distances to buy booze (say out of the country, to Denmark or Germany for example) to save money?
15. Have you ever dressed up as a witch for Easter or Santa for Christmas?
Glad Påsk, Witches in Sweden,
16. Do you and your friends always have a few drinks at home before going out to the bar (förfest)?
17. Have you ever worn a crown of flowers on your head?
18. Do you enjoy fika (social coffee break with sweet pastries) at least once a day during work hours and sometimes again afterwards with friends?
First Fika, Cinnamon Rolls, Working in Sweden
19. Have you ever danced like a frog?
Midsummer
20. Do you smash words together to create new words that you wouldn’t find in the dictionary, but everyone understands you anyway? (AKA do you speak Swedish?)
Language Mishap
21. Have you ever had to cancel plans because you had a laundry time booked or used laundry time as an excuse to get out of plans?
22. Does the idea of buying pre-sliced cheese when you can cut it yourself perplex you?
23. Have you ever worn a reflective vest at some point as an adult?
24. Do you dread winter, not because of the darkness or cold, but the fear of getting the inevitable “vinterkräksjuka” (winter puking)?
25. Do you eat burgers and/or pizza with a fork and knife?
26. Do you proudly shop at loppis (flea markets) and show off your finds to all of your friends?
27. Have you ever eaten Swedish meatballs? (Maybe at IKEA?)
28. Is there nothing you look forward to more than the first semla of the year?
Semlor Galore, February, Cooking Semlor
29. Do you occasionally look at the time, panic, and rush out the door to buy a bottle of wine for the upcoming weekend?
30. Have you ever painted furniture white?
31. Do you sharply inhale to say ‘yes’, agree, or to acknowledge that someone is speaking?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URgdIAz4QNg]
32. Do you always, always, always take your shoes off when you enter a (any) house or apartment?
33. Do you go food shopping at least four times a week instead of in bulk?
Swedish Supermarkets
34. Is locating the number machine to queue in line the first thing you do when you enter a store?
35. Can you eat knäkebröd (hard bread) without getting crumbs everywhere?
36. Have you ever sang in unison with your friends or family before taking a shot of snaps?
Cheers! Skål!
37. Is it true that you have never met your neighbors and you like it better that way?
38. Does your name have a birthday (namnsdag)?
39. Can you read the words ‘slut’ (end) and ‘fart’ (speed) without giggling?
40. Are you really good at recycling?
If you answered yes to:
36 – 40: You are extremely Swedish! You are a Swede that loves Swedish traditions and culture!
31 – 35: You were born, raised, and have lived in Sweden your whole life!
26 – 30: You are a born Swede living abroad or you moved to Sweden 10+ years ago!
21 – 25: You were born in Sweden and moved away when you were young, but have spent every summer there!
16 – 20: You moved to Sweden within the past 5 years!
11 – 15: You have Swedish relatives or are dating/close with someone Swedish!
06 – 10: You have visited Sweden!
00 – 05: You have no Swedish friends or relatives and have never visited Sweden.
Leave a comment with your result and how accurate it was! (Keep in mind this is for FUN!)
dankoon says
May 14, 2015 at 5:41 pmOh-oh, I am more Swedish than I thought but have only lived here since 2011. Fortunately, my Swedish still sucks big time, so no one will ever mistake me for a native. Interesting test, Meg.
megalagom says
May 14, 2015 at 5:42 pmHow many did you get, Dan? (I’ve only tested it on myself and my husband – so I’m curious!)
Lena says
May 14, 2015 at 6:49 pmMy score was 14, meaning “You know someone Swedish or have Swedish relatives!” My mother is Swedish and most of my extended family on her side still live in Sweden. While I have never lived in Sweden, I spent many a summer there as a child. Pretty accurate quiz if you ask me! 🙂
megalagom says
May 14, 2015 at 7:38 pmMy husband also got in that range and we said that it was because of me and spending so much time in NYC that he got lower – maybe I made it too hard to be a Swede!
Claire Duffy says
May 14, 2015 at 8:44 pmThese are excellent! After only four years it appears I’m worryingly Swedish…
megalagom says
May 14, 2015 at 8:52 pmHow many did you get? 🙂
Filipa Lourenço says
May 14, 2015 at 11:03 pmHey =) These are really funny but so spot on. My boyfriend is swedish and the first time I went there I was so surprised with some of these things. Who takes their shoes off when they enter a house?! So weird and impractical. I’ve been reading your blog for a while, really like your input on swedish culture from a foreigner’s perspective.
Blackwater says
May 14, 2015 at 11:30 pmNative here. I got 10. Not sure what that means.
Swedapura says
May 14, 2015 at 11:59 pmI scored a 20 and it is accurate. I did move to Sweden in the last five years. Thanks for putting this together, it was interesting!:)
https://swedapura.wordpress.com/
tildaas says
May 21, 2015 at 3:33 pmI got 33, which was very accurate since I am born here and have lived here for my whole life 😉