drake
/ˈdrɑːˌkɛ/common gender
The English word "dragon" is translated into Swedish as drake.
drake is a common-gender noun used to refer to a mythical creature. Depending on the context, it can also refer to a male duck.
Meaning: mythical creature (noun)
Which one should you use?
While drake refers to a mythical dragon, it is a homonym that also means a male duck in Swedish. The meaning is determined by the context of the conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
To create the definite form "the dragon", you add the suffix -en to the word to form draken.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdrɑːˌkɛ/
Did you know?
- In Swedish, the word drake is used in the name of the kite, known as pappersdrake or simply drake, because of its dragon-like shape.
- The Swedish term drakblod refers to 'dragon's blood', which is not the blood of a monster but a bright red resin from certain trees.
- In Swedish folklore, the lindorm is a wingless, serpent-like dragon that differs from the more classic winged drake.
Examples in context
- Draken kan inte dödas.The dragon cannot be killed.Tatoeba #12347554 by SilasNordgren, translation #6108134 by mailohilohi
- Beowulf bestämde sig för att följa draken till dess lya.Beowulf decided to follow the dragon to its lair.Tatoeba #12110779 by johanrhg, translation #5370447 by Hybrid
- Draken sprutade eld på riddarenThe dragon spewed ["sprayed" – idiomatic] fire on the knight
Example conversation
Oscar and Alice are reading a fantasy book together.
- OscarTitta, en stor drake i boken!Look, a big dragon in the book!
- AliceDen ser väldigt läskig ut.It looks very scary.
- OscarJag hoppas att draken är snäll.I hope the dragon is kind.
- AliceI en saga är den säkert vänlig.In a fairy tale, it is surely friendly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dragon” translations and entries drake, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
