Blunda

Meaning: To close your eyes on purpose — and, by extension, to knowingly refuse to see something.

Literally: To shut one's eyes

Origin: Swedish; one verb for what English spells out in three words.

More Swedish untranslatable words

Fredagsmys The Friday-night ritual of soft clothes, snacks and television with the people you live w…
Gökotta Rising at first light for no reason but to go outside and hear the birds sing.
Mångata The shimmering, road-like reflection the moon casts across water.
Resfeber The mix of nervous excitement and anticipatory anxiety you feel before a journey — your h…
Lagom Not too much, not too little — perfectly moderate, appropriate, and balanced. A cultural…
Fika A ritual pause in the day — coffee, something sweet, good company — that is more about co…

Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.

Flyg, fula fluga, flyg! Och den fula flugan flög. An 'fl' cluster repeated through three different vowels — y, u and ö, all of them front r…
Sex laxar i en laxask. A short 'x/lax/ks' crunch — Swedish's 'x' sounds like 'ks', which doubles the trap.
Sju sjösjuka sjömän skötte sjuttiosju sjösjuka sjölejon på skeppet Shanghai. An unstoppable 'sj/sk/sh' onslaught — the Swedish sj-sound (a unique voiceless fricative)…

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