vacker flicka
/ˈvak.kɛr ˈflɪkːˌa/word by word
The English phrase "beautiful girl" is vacker flicka in Swedish.
The phrase describes a young female person who is physically attractive.
Which one should you use?
While vacker flicka can be used to describe a beautiful girl, the phrase snygg tjej is a more common, colloquial way to describe an attractive young woman, often translating to "good-looking girl" or "hot girl".
How does it change in a sentence?
Vacker flicka is the indefinite form. To say "the beautiful girl", use the definite form den vackra flickan. If you want to say "beautiful girls" in the plural indefinite, use vackra flickor.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈvak.kɛr ˈflɪkːˌa/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The Swedish word vacker shares a root with the English word 'wake'. In Old Norse, it originally meant 'watchful' or 'brave' rather than visually attractive.
- In modern Swedish, calling a grown woman a vacker flicka can be perceived as patronizing or infantalizing rather than purely complimentary.
- Swedish has several words for 'beautiful' depending on the subject, where vacker is used for aesthetic beauty but fin is often used for something 'pretty' or 'nice'.
Examples in context
- Du är en vacker flicka.You're a beautiful girl.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is a vacker flicka.Tatoeba #3801401 by herrsilen, translation #2545660 by CK
- Hon är en vacker flicka.She is a beautiful girl.
- En vacker flicka sprang förbi.A beautiful girl ran past.
Example conversation
Alice and Karl are looking at a photograph of a child.
- AliceVem är den här?Who is this?
- KarlDet är min dotter.That is my daughter.
- AliceHon är verkligen en vacker flicka.She is truly a beautiful girl.
- KarlTack så mycket, Alice.Thank you very much, Alice.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (vacker, flicka) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries flicka, vacker, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
