cool
/kuːl/
The English phrase 'cool' can be translated into Swedish as cool.
In Swedish, cool is used as a loanword from English to mean 'fashionable' or 'impressive' in an informal context. It can also be used to describe someone or something as having a slightly low temperature.
Meaning: having a slightly low temperature (adj)
Which one should you use?
While cool is used for social status or slang, the native Swedish word sval is used to describe a pleasant, cool temperature.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the comparative form, use coolare (cooler). The superlative form is coolast (coolest).
How do you pronounce it?
/kuːl/
Did you know?
- Even though cool is a common loanword, you will often hear Swedes use grym to mean 'cool' or 'awesome'. This is surprising because, in its literal sense, grym actually means 'cruel' or 'brutal'.
- If you want to describe a 'cool breeze' or a 'cool room' in a pleasant way, avoid the word cool and use sval. In Swedish, calling a person sval can actually imply they are emotionally distant or cold toward you.
- The word cool entered the Swedish vocabulary in 1951, coinciding with the rise of American jazz and youth culture in Sweden.
Examples in context
- Jag vill vara cool.I want to be cool.This sentence shows the use of cool to express a desire for a certain state.Tatoeba #10673437 by Pineapple, translation #6738242 by Adelpa
- Jag är väldigt cool.I'm very cool.This sentence demonstrates the use of cool to describe a person's state.Tatoeba #10705789 by Pineapple, translation #7114431 by CM
- Jag tycker att du är cool.I think you're cool.This sentence shows how to express an opinion about someone being cool.Tatoeba #10660670 by Pineapple, translation #7110614 by CM
- Den nya bilden är verkligen snygg!The new picture is really cool!
- Wow, så schysst bil du har köpt!Wow, what a cool car you have bought!
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Linnea and Oscar are sitting outside on a terrace.
- LinneaDet är ganska coolt ute idag.It is quite cool outside today.
- OscarJa, jag fryser lite.Yes, I am freezing a little.
- LinneaVill du ha min jacka?Do you want my jacket?
- OscarTack, det vore skönt.Thanks, that would be nice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cool, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cool, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
