Essential Vocabulary For A Swedish Fika
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If you’ve started learning Swedish, there’s one word you have definitely heard by now.
Fika.
It’s one of the first words any foreigner learns, and honestly, it’s one of the most important concepts in Swedish culture.
Many people try to translate fika as “coffee break,” but it’s actually much more than that. It is a social institution.
It’s about slowing down, spending time with friends or colleagues, and enjoying something warm to drink and something sweet to eat.
You cannot visit Sweden or learn the language without understanding how to fika.
In this guide, I’ll teach you the essential vocabulary you need to order at a café, invite a friend out, and understand what is on your plate.
Table of Contents:
What is a fika?
Before we get to the words, you need to understand the social rules.
A fika can happen at work (usually around 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM), at a café (ett fik), or at home. It is acceptable to fika with a date, a best friend, or a coworker you hardly know.
The most important rule? You must take a pause. You cannot fika while rushing to the bus!
The beverage: Kaffe and more
Swedes are some of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. So, naturally, coffee is the centerpiece of the fika.
The Swedish word for coffee is kaffe.
If you order coffee in Sweden, you will usually get strong, black drip coffee (bryggkaffe). If you want milk, you ask for mjölk.
Here is a very important Swedish word: Påtår.
Påtår means a “refill” of coffee. In many Swedish cafés and almost all homes, a second cup is free or expected. If someone offers you påtår, they are asking if you want more coffee.
Vill du ha påtår?
Ja tack, det vore gott.
Not everyone drinks coffee, of course. Here are the common alternatives:
- Te (Tea)
- Varm choklad (Hot chocolate)
- Saft (Juice concentrate/squash - very popular for children)
Fikabröd: The sweet stuff
You cannot have a proper fika without fikabröd.
Fikabröd literally translates to “fika bread,” but it refers to all the sweet pastries, cakes, and cookies eaten during the break.
If you walk into a Swedish konditori (bakery/café), you will see rows of delicious treats. Here are the most famous ones you need to know.
Kanelbulle (Cinnamon bun)
This is the king of fika. A Swedish cinnamon bun is spiced with cardamom and cinnamon and topped with pearl sugar (pärlsocker), not sticky white icing like in America.
Kladdkaka (Sticky chocolate cake)
This is a very popular, dense, sticky chocolate cake that is similar to a brownie but much gooier in the middle. It is usually served with whipped cream (vispgrädde).
Chokladboll (Chocolate ball)
These are no-bake balls made of oatmeal, sugar, cocoa, and butter, rolled in coconut flakes or pearl sugar. They are loved by children and adults alike.
En kanelbulle och en kaffe, tack.
Useful phrases for inviting someone
The word fika can be a noun (the event), but it is also a verb (att fika).
If you want to make friends in Sweden, asking someone to fika is the best, low-pressure way to do it. It is casual and friendly.
Here is how you ask someone to join you:
Ska vi ta en fika?
Vill du fika imorgon?
Var ligger det bästa fiket?
If you are at someone’s home, they might say:
Kaffet är klart!
Essential vocabulary list
Here is a simple table of the words you will use most often in a café setting.
| English | Swedish | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | Kaffe | (n/a) |
| Cup | Kopp | En |
| Mug | Mugg | En |
| Pastry/Bun | Bulle | En |
| Cookie | Kaka | En |
| Cake (layer cake) | Tårta | En |
| Napkin | Servett | En |
| Spoon | Sked | En |
| Milk | Mjölk | (n/a) |
| Sugar | Socker | (n/a) |
| Bakery/Café | Konditori | Ett |
Regional variations and seasons
While kanelbullar are eaten year-round, Sweden has very specific pastries for specific times of the year.
Semla (Semlor)
If you are in Sweden between January and Easter, you will see the semla. It is a wheat bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. Historically, you only ate this on “Fat Tuesday” (fettisdagen), but now people eat them for months.
Lussekatt
In December, for St. Lucia Day, we eat saffron buns called lussekatter. They are yellow, shaped like an ‘S’, and contain raisins.
Spettekaka (Regional)
If you visit the south of Sweden, specifically Skåne (Scania), you might see a spettekaka. This is a tall, dry tower made of eggs and sugar that is baked on a rotating spit. It is very crunchy and sweet, and you won’t find it often in Stockholm or the north.
Tretår
I mentioned påtår (second cup) earlier. In some parts of Sweden, if you are having a very long and nice fika, someone might jokingly offer you tretår (a third cup) or even krusetår (a fourth cup!).
Start practicing!
The best way to learn these words is to go out and use them. Find a local Swedish bakery (or IKEA if you are abroad!) and order a kanelbulle.
Don’t worry if your pronunciation isn’t perfect. Swedes love it when you try to speak their language, especially when it involves something as holy as coffee.
Ska vi ta en fika?
