{"id":5148,"date":"2016-09-19T09:14:30","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T08:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hejsweden.com\/en\/?p=5148"},"modified":"2020-06-03T14:33:42","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T13:33:42","slug":"favor-in-sweden-how-to-be-swedish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hejsweden.com\/en\/favor-in-sweden-how-to-be-swedish\/","title":{"rendered":"Inviting a Swede: Swedes Find It Difficult to Receive a Favor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swedes\u00a0have good personal qualities. They\u00a0can be generous\u00a0and welcoming. Plus, many Swedish people have a good memory.<\/p>\n

In combination this means, Swedes can remember that you\u00a0invited them\u00a0for a beer, even if it’s a while ago and that they\u00a0haven’t invited you\u00a0back since. This kind of story rarely happens in Sweden though, and if it does, expect your Swedish friend feeling guilty or even anxious\u00a0not having invited you back\u00a0yet.<\/p>\n

Invitation from a Swede<\/h3>\n

When you’re out for drink with a Swede, it’s completely fine if you invite them for a beer. But have a look at their face when you speak out the invitation – saying to the\u00a0personell you\u00a0pay the bill – your Swedish friend will make the same\u00a0expression as\u00a0a student\u00a0trying to memorize vocabulary. What your friend tries to remember is “Pay back a favor, worth amount x, as soon as possible”. If he won’t have the chance to invite you to something that same evening, he will take care to equalize his debt next time you meet, even if that is just for a fika. You invited him for a beer in a Swedish pub before? Expect the best latte macchiatto with cream and syrup in return. Remember, alcohol is expensive in Sweden.<\/p>\n

Or even if you drive along in\u00a0your friend’s car, you should offer to pay back half of the gasoline costs. This might sound weird in many countries but in Sweden this is completely normal. Even my closest Swedish friends, ask me how much they owe me after driving them to the city, a distance less than 5km.<\/p>

\"Book<\/a><\/div>\n

Without debt<\/h3>\n

It’s important not to bother anyone. To not take without giving back.<\/p>\n

On the first hand this might look like grasping, greediness, but it basically is just their believe to not end up in indebted relationships with others.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0way to reduce\u00a0the feeling of guilt, in situations of receiving a favor, is to say thank you<\/em>, a lot. “Tack, tack, tack-tack!<\/em>”<\/p>\n

So, dear new-Swede, if a Swede ever invites you for something, don’t forget to return the favor within an appropriate time… say, the same evening or at the latest next time you meet for a fika.<\/p>\n

In very urgent cases, say when you already know you’re not going to see your friend for a while, consider saying to your\u00a0friendly Swedish friend\u00a0that you can\u00a0“swisha tillbaks pengarna<\/em>“, meaning “paying back with the money transfer\u00a0app Swish”. Your friend will reply, “no, I invited you!” and he memorizes\u00a0that you should pay\u00a0time next time you’re out together.<\/p>\n

More ways to Swedishness, read the book: How to be Swedish – A Quick Guide to Swedishness – in 55 Steps<\/a><\/em>, here on Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Swedes\u00a0have good personal qualities. They\u00a0can be generous\u00a0and welcoming. Plus, many Swedish people have a good memory. In combination this means, Swedes can remember that you\u00a0invited them\u00a0for a beer, even if it’s a while ago and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[900],"tags":[208,1043],"class_list":["post-5148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-swedish-culture-and-traditions","tag-swedish-culture","tag-swedish-mentality","infinite-scroll-item","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"\nInviting a Swede: Swedes Find It Difficult to Receive a Favor - Hej Sweden<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hejsweden.com\/en\/favor-in-sweden-how-to-be-swedish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inviting a Swede: Swedes Find It Difficult to Receive a Favor - Hej Sweden\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Swedes\u00a0have good personal qualities. 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