sueco
“sueco” means “Swedish” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
Swedish
📝 In Action
Tengo un amigo sueco que vive en Estocolmo.
A1I have a Swedish friend who lives in Stockholm.
Me gusta mucho el diseño sueco.
A2I really like Swedish design.
Las empresas suecas son famosas por su innovación.
B1Swedish companies are famous for their innovation.
Swedish, Swede
📝 In Action
El sueco suena muy melódico.
A2Swedish sounds very melodic.
Había un sueco en mi clase de español.
A1There was a Swede in my Spanish class.
Ella está aprendiendo sueco para mudarse allí.
B1She is learning Swedish to move there.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: sueco
Question 1 of 3
How do you say 'She is Swedish'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'Sueticus', which was the name used to describe the people living in the region of Sweden.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I capitalize 'sueco'?
No. In Spanish, names of languages and nationalities are always lowercase unless they start a sentence.
Does 'sueco' also mean the shoe?
No. The wooden shoe is spelled 'zueco'. They sound very similar in some parts of Spain and the same in Latin America, but the spelling is different.
Where does the phrase 'hacerse el sueco' come from?
It likely comes from the Latin word 'soccus' (a type of shoe worn by actors in comedies), but because it sounded like 'Swede', people started associating it with foreigners who pretend not to understand the local language.