olja
common gender
The English word 'oil' is olja in Swedish. Wiktionary also lists matolja.
Meaning: liquid fat (noun)
Ways to say it
| Swedish | Note |
|---|---|
| olja | common gender |
| matolja | common gender |
The noun olja refers to liquid fat. You can also use the related verb olja or smörja to mean lubricating or greasing something with oil, including greasing a pan for cooking.
Which one should you use?
While olja is the general term for oil, the compound word matolja is used specifically when referring to edible oils used in cooking. Note that the noun olja is spelled identically to the verb olja, which means to oil or lubricate.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun olja is a common-gender noun. Its definite form (the oil) is oljan, its plural form (oils) is oljor and its definite plural form (the oils) is oljorna.
Did you know?
- The word olja is used in the Swedish expression att ha olja i lampan, which literally means 'to have oil in the lamp' but figuratively means to have energy or spirit.
- In Swedish, the word smörja is often used interchangeably with olja when talking about lubrication, but smörja is derived from the word for 'butter'.
- The Swedish word olja was borrowed from Middle Low German olie, which itself came from the Latin oleum.
Examples in context
- Lampan måste fyllas med olja.The lamp needs to be filled with oil.This sentence shows how to use olja when referring to filling a lamp.Tatoeba #4335567 by richke, translation #3731376 by CM
- Oljan har har varit innesluten.The oil spill has been contained.This sentence uses olja in the context of an oil spill.Tatoeba #12110791 by johanrhg, translation #8819066 by Hybrid
- Det rådde brist på importerad olja.There was a shortage of imported oil.This sentence uses olja to describe a shortage of imported oil.Tatoeba #921390 by Tximist, translation #807308 by Source_VOA
- Jag behöver köpa olja till min bil.I need to buy oil for my car.
- Vi importerar mycket olja från andra länder.We import a lot of oil from other countries.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Karl and Linnea are in the kitchen preparing a meal.
- KarlHar vi någon olja hemma?Do we have any oil at home?
- LinneaJa, det finns lite olja i skåpet.Yes, there is a little oil in the cupboard.
- KarlPerfekt, jag ska använda den till maten.Perfect, I will use it for the food.
- LinneaDet låter bra, Karl.That sounds good, Karl.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “oil” translations and entries olja, matolja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries matolja, olja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
