OK, so this entry isn’t about any day in particular, but I feel a little mad at my Swedish teachers. I don’t know if there is an official name for it, but in Swedish conversation there exists this... gasp?
You know when you are having a conversation with someone and they take a deep breath in before they talk? That noise is a word in Swedish. It means a lot of things. It mostly means “I understand, or yes, or keep talking.” It might be almost equivalent to a nod or something. It occurs in every conversation I have had so far in Sweden. Every time it happens, I turn and stare at the person...because I expected them to take a deep breath and say something. But that’s it. Just a gasp of air to let you know that they are still listening or that they understand what you’re saying.
In fact, when listening to my family talk in the Swedish, the Swedish gasp is the only word I need to know how to say. It was really strange at first, but now I think it’s the best word I know.
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