#6 Leaving Your Luggage at a Hotel｜Swedish Travel Expressions
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#2 Shopping at a Supermarket | Swedish Shopping Expressions
Haruno
In Sweden, many supermarkets operate in a self-service style. Products are divided into detailed categories, including dairy items, bread, vegetables, and frozen foods.
In addition, health-conscious products such as eco-friendly foods and gluten-free items are widely available, which means that customers often need to ask staff to confirm the availability or location of certain products.
In this article, I introduce useful Swedish phrases for shopping at a supermarket, along with detailed grammatical explanations.
Contents
Dialogue
Ursäkta, vet du var pasta finns?
（“Excuse me, do you know where the pasta is?）
Ja, den finns i gången längst till vänster.
（Yes, it is in the aisle on the far left.）
Tack! Och jag letar också efter ekologiska tomater. Har ni det?
（Thank you. I am also looking for organic tomatoes. Do you have them?）
Javisst. De finns vid grönsaksavdelningen, precis bredvid gurkorna.
（Yes, we do. They are in the vegetable section, right next to the cucumbers.）
Perfekt. Förresten, kan ni rekommendera ett bröd?
（Great. By the way, is there a bread you would recommend?）
Då skulle jag rekommendera vårt surdegsbröd. Det är väldigt populärt.
（In that case, I would recommend our sourdough bread. It is very popular.）
1. Asking Where Products Are Located
When searching for an item in a large supermarket, the following expression is particularly useful:
- Ursäkta, vet du var 〜 finns?
（Excuse me, do you know where 〜 is?）
The word “ursäkta” corresponds to “excuse me,” and is a standard expression for politely calling a staff member.
In addition, “vet du 〜” means “do you know 〜?” and “var … finns” means “where … is located.”
By learning this structure, you can ask for almost any product.
- Ursäkta, vet du var pasta finns?
（Do you know where the pasta is?） - Ursäkta, vet du var ägg finns?
（Where are the eggs?） - Vet du var kaffet står?
（Where is the coffee placed?）
Common vocabulary used in staff responses includes:
- i gången längst till vänster
（in the aisle on the far left） - vid mejeriprodukterna
（by the dairy section） - borta vid frukten
（over by the fruit section）
Remembering these expressions will make communication smoother.
2. Checking Product Availability
Because Swedish supermarkets offer a wide variety of items—vegetables, dairy products, sugar-free products, preservative-free foods, and more—you will often need to ask whether a specific item is available.
- Har ni … ?
（Do you have … ? / Do you carry … ?）
This simple question is highly effective when checking product availability.
- Har ni ekologiska tomater?
（Do you have organic tomatoes?） - Har ni glutenfritt bröd?
（Do you have gluten-free bread?） - Har ni laktosfri mjölk?
（Do you have lactose-free milk?）
Typical responses:
- Ja, de finns vid grönsaksavdelningen.
（Yes, they are in the vegetable section.） - Den är bredvid ostarna.
（It’s next to the cheeses.）
Note that “den” is used for singular nouns and “de” for plural nouns.
3. Asking for Recommendations
When visiting a store for the first time or when there are many choices, it is efficient to ask staff for recommendations.
- Kan ni rekommendera ett bröd?
（Could you recommend a type of bread?）
This expression means “Could you recommend 〜?” and can be used not only in supermarkets but also in many other stores.
Example responses:
- Då skulle jag rekommendera vårt surdegsbröd.
（In that case, I would recommend our sourdough bread.） - Det är väldigt populärt.
（It is very popular.）
The phrase “jag skulle rekommendera” (I would recommend) is polite and commonly used in customer service.
4. Confirming Details Before Checkout
In Sweden, products are often sold by weight, so customers may need to weigh fruits or vegetables before paying. The following expressions are useful:
- Var kan jag väga frukten?
（Where can I weigh the fruit?） - Är det här på erbjudande?
（Is this on sale?）
The word “erbjudande” means “special offer” or “discount,” and you will see it frequently in supermarkets.
You can also use the following phrase when the remaining stock on the shelf is low:
- Har ni fler av den här?
（Do you have more of this item in stock?）
Summary
- Ursäkta, vet du var 〜 finns?
→ A polite way to ask where an item is located. - Har ni … ?
→ Used to check availability or product variations. - Kan ni rekommendera … ?
→ Useful when asking for recommendations. - De finns vid grönsaksavdelningen.
→ A standard response commonly used by staff when giving directions.
