potät

See also: potat

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English potatoes, in the plural potäter. Attested since 1762.

Noun

potät c

  1. (dialectal or colloquial) a potato
    Synonym: potatis
    • 1955, “Kattvisan [The cat song]”, Astrid Lindgren (lyrics), Lille Bror Söderlundh (music):
      Tänk, jag drömde i natt, att jag hade en katt, och han åt bara sill och potäter. Du får tro't [tro det] om du vill, men potäter och sill, det är just vad små kattungar äter.
      See [the "tänk" (think) expresses (mild) thoughtful amazement], I dreamed last night, that I had a cat, and he ate only herring and potatoes. Believe it or not ["You may believe it if you want"], but potatoes and herring, that is exactly what little kittens eat.
    • 2007, Laser Inc (lyrics and music), “Det var en gång en fågel [Once upon a time, there was a bird]”:
      Det var en gång en liten fågel. Ja, en fågel. Han bodde på landet, och Roger hette han. Han ville gärna leka med sina vänner, med sina vänner, men det fick inte han. Men denna historia slutar sorgligt, för Roger blev skjuten, skjuten i magen av gamle jägar'n [jägaren] Pär. Han ville hem och äta, äta en fågel med lite potäter, men Roger hann iväg.
      Once upon a time, there was a little bird. Yes, a bird. He lived in the countryside, and Roger was his name. He wanted to play with his friends ["He wanted gladly to play with his friends," in the sense of, "He wanted, with keenness, to play with his friends" – the translation skips the gärna as it doesn't make much difference to the meaning], with his friends, but [that – to play with his friends] he didn't get to. But this story ends sadly, because Roger was shot, shot in the stomach by old hunter Pär ["den gamle jägaren Pär" matches "the old hunter Pär" – skipping "den" makes "jägaren Pär" sound lexicalized]. He wanted to go home and eat, eat a bird with some potatoes, but Roger got away [in time].

Usage notes

Often used for a jocular, somewhat homely folksy tone.

Declension

Declension of potät 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative potät potäten potäter potäterna
Genitive potäts potätens potäters potäternas

References

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