Significado
to speak in a mysterious or unclear way
Contexto cultural
Swedes value 'rak kommunikation' (direct communication). Speaking in riddles is often seen as a waste of time in professional settings. The Oracle at Delphi was famous for speaking in riddles, which influenced the Western concept of 'tala i gåtor' as something divine yet frustrating. Odin used riddles to outsmart his enemies. In this context, 'tala i gåtor' was a sign of superior intelligence. On platforms like Twitter or Instagram, 'vaguebooking' (posting cryptic status updates) is a modern form of 'tala i gåtor'.
Use it for frustration
This phrase is perfect when you want to show you are losing patience with someone's lack of clarity.
Don't forget the 'i'
Saying 'tala gåtor' sounds like you are literally reciting a list of riddles, not being mysterious.
Significado
to speak in a mysterious or unclear way
Use it for frustration
This phrase is perfect when you want to show you are losing patience with someone's lack of clarity.
Don't forget the 'i'
Saying 'tala gåtor' sounds like you are literally reciting a list of riddles, not being mysterious.
Pair with 'sluta'
The most common way to use this is 'Sluta tala i gåtor!' (Stop speaking in riddles!).
Swedish directness
Remember that calling someone out for 'tala i gåtor' is quite common in Sweden because directness is highly valued.
Ponte a prueba
Fyll i de ord som saknas för att göra meningen komplett.
Jag förstår inte vad du menar när du ____ i ____.
The standard idiom is 'tala i gåtor'.
Vilket av följande påståenden beskriver bäst någon som 'talar i gåtor'?
När någon talar i gåtor...
The idiom refers to being vague or cryptic.
Välj det bästa svaret för att avsluta dialogen.
A: 'Vart ska vi resa på semestern?' B: 'Dit där solen aldrig går ner men skuggan alltid vilar.' A: '...'
Speaker B is being cryptic, so Speaker A's frustration is a natural use of the idiom.
Matcha situationen med rätt uttryck.
En politiker som undviker att svara på en fråga om skatter.
Politicians often use vague language to avoid direct answers.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Tala i gåtor vs. Tala i nattmössan
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejerciciosJag förstår inte vad du menar när du ____ i ____.
The standard idiom is 'tala i gåtor'.
När någon talar i gåtor...
The idiom refers to being vague or cryptic.
A: 'Vart ska vi resa på semestern?' B: 'Dit där solen aldrig går ner men skuggan alltid vilar.' A: '...'
Speaker B is being cryptic, so Speaker A's frustration is a natural use of the idiom.
En politiker som undviker att svara på en fråga om skatter.
Politicians often use vague language to avoid direct answers.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
14 preguntasIt can be slightly confrontational if said with an annoyed tone, but it's generally a fair observation of someone's speech style.
Yes, 'prata i gåtor' is very common in casual conversation and means exactly the same thing.
No, you can also use it for written text, like a confusing email or a cryptic book.
The opposite would be 'att vara rak på sak' (to be straight to the point) or 'att tala klarspråk' (to speak clearly).
Yes, the idiom is fixed in the plural form 'gåtor'.
Usually no. For a drunk person, 'sluddra' (slur) or 'svamla' (ramble) is more appropriate.
Yes, often to describe a lack of transparency in corporate communication.
It comes from an old word for 'guess'.
Yes, 'gå som katten kring het gröt'.
Yes, it's a perfectly valid variation for written communication.
Very! Especially in crime dramas where characters have secrets.
It sounds like 'GO-tor' with a long 'o' sound.
Yes, it's a great idiom to move from basic to intermediate Swedish.
Yes, parents often use it playfully when children are being silly or vague.
Frases relacionadas
tala ur skägget
contrastto speak clearly/stop mumbling
gå som katten kring het gröt
similarto beat around the bush
tala i nattmössan
confusingto talk nonsense
lindat budskap
similara wrapped/indirect message
kryptisk
synonymcryptic
