potatis
/pʊˈtɑːtɪs/common gender
The Swedish word for potato is potatis. Wiktionary also lists potät and jordäpple.
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
Ways to say it
| Swedish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| potatis | /pʊˈtɑːtɪs/ /pʊ²tɑːˌtɪs/ |
common gender |
| potät | common gender | |
| jordäpple | neuter | |
| pära | /²pæːra/ | common gender |
| pantoffel | /panˈtɔfɛl/ | common gender |
| plugg | common gender |
The term refers to the starchy plant tuber used as a vegetable in cooking.
How does it change in a sentence?
potatis is a common gender noun. To say one specific potato, use potatisen. For multiple specific potatoes, use potatisarna. To talk about potatoes in general or multiple potatoes, use potatisar.
How do you pronounce it?
/pʊˈtɑːtɪs/
Did you know?
- Swedish has a specific term for a person who is boring or unexciting: en potatis. This usage treats the vegetable as a metaphor for someone bland.
- The etymological roots of the Swedish word can be traced all the way back to the Taíno word 'batata' from the Caribbean.
- In Swedish, jordäpple literally translates to 'earth apple'. This mirrors the naming convention found in French 'pomme de terre' and Dutch 'aardappel'.
Examples in context
- Tom älskar potatissallad.Tom loves potato salad.This sentence shows how to use potatis in a compound word like potato salad.Tatoeba #10689713 by Pineapple, translation #10659639 by CK
- Pommes frites görs av potatisFrench fries are made from potatoes [potato]This sentence shows how potatis is used to describe the source of French fries.
- Hon gillar potatissallad.She likes potato salad.This sentence shows the use of potatis in a compound word for potato salad.Tatoeba #3691747 by Balamax, translation #1721092 by Spamster
- Kan du hjälpa mig skala potatisen?Can you help me peel the potatoes?
Example conversation
Alice and Oscar are grocery shopping together.
- AliceSka vi köpa en påse potatis?Should we buy a bag of potatoes?
- OscarJa, det behöver vi.Yes, we need that.
- AliceJag vill laga en god potatisgratäng.I want to make a delicious potato gratin.
- OscarDet låter jättegott, Alice.That sounds delicious, Alice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “potato” translations and entries potatis, potät, pära, pantoffel, plugg, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries potatis, potät, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
