B1 Idiom خنثی

Hålla sig flytande

Stay afloat

معنی

To manage to survive financially

🌍

زمینه فرهنگی

Swedes often use this phrase to avoid complaining directly about money. It's a way to acknowledge difficulty while maintaining a sense of 'lagom' (moderation) and control. In Swedish startups, 'hålla sig flytande' is often used during the 'burn rate' phase before profitability is reached. It signals sustainability. Because of the thousands of islands in the Swedish archipelagos, water metaphors are more common in Swedish than in many landlocked cultures. The phrase is often used in political debates about the 'social safety net' (skyddsnätet), discussing whether it's enough to keep people 'afloat'.

🎯

Use it for Workload

Don't just use this for money! It's a very natural way to tell a colleague you are busy without sounding like you're complaining too much.

⚠️

Don't forget 'Sig'

The most common mistake is forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Always say 'hålla MIG/DIG/SIG flytande'.

معنی

To manage to survive financially

🎯

Use it for Workload

Don't just use this for money! It's a very natural way to tell a colleague you are busy without sounding like you're complaining too much.

⚠️

Don't forget 'Sig'

The most common mistake is forgetting the reflexive pronoun. Always say 'hålla MIG/DIG/SIG flytande'.

💬

The 'Lagom' connection

This phrase is the definition of financial 'lagom'—not rich, not poor, just staying afloat.

خودت رو بسنج

Fill in the correct reflexive pronoun.

Vi har haft det tufft ekonomiskt, men vi håller ___ flytande.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: oss

The subject is 'Vi' (we), so the reflexive pronoun must be 'oss' (ourselves).

Which sentence uses the idiom correctly to mean 'surviving financially'?

Vilken mening är rätt?

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Företaget håller sig flytande trots lågkonjunkturen.

Option B uses the idiom figuratively to describe a company surviving an economic downturn.

Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.

A: Hur går det med ditt nya företag? B: Det är svårt, men jag lyckas _________.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: hålla mig flytande

After 'lyckas' (manage to), we use the infinitive 'hålla'. Since the speaker is talking about themselves, they use 'mig'.

Match the situation to the most appropriate use of 'hålla sig flytande'.

Situation: A student has three exams in one week and is very stressed.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Studenten håller sig flytande genom att plugga 12 timmar om dagen.

This describes managing a heavy workload/stress, which is a common figurative use of the idiom.

🎉 امتیاز: /4

ابزارهای بصری یادگیری

بانک تمرین

4 تمرین‌ها
Fill in the correct reflexive pronoun. جای خالی B1

Vi har haft det tufft ekonomiskt, men vi håller ___ flytande.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: oss

The subject is 'Vi' (we), so the reflexive pronoun must be 'oss' (ourselves).

Which sentence uses the idiom correctly to mean 'surviving financially'? Choose B1

Vilken mening är rätt?

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Företaget håller sig flytande trots lågkonjunkturen.

Option B uses the idiom figuratively to describe a company surviving an economic downturn.

Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom. dialogue_completion B1

A: Hur går det med ditt nya företag? B: Det är svårt, men jag lyckas _________.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: hålla mig flytande

After 'lyckas' (manage to), we use the infinitive 'hålla'. Since the speaker is talking about themselves, they use 'mig'.

Match the situation to the most appropriate use of 'hålla sig flytande'. situation_matching B2

Situation: A student has three exams in one week and is very stressed.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Studenten håller sig flytande genom att plugga 12 timmar om dagen.

This describes managing a heavy workload/stress, which is a common figurative use of the idiom.

🎉 امتیاز: /4

سوالات متداول

10 سوال

Not necessarily, but it implies a challenge. It's more 'neutral-striving' than negative.

Yes! If you are just barely passing your classes, you are 'håller dig flytande'.

'Klara sig' is more general. 'Hålla sig flytande' specifically implies you are fighting against 'sinking'.

It's a bit too idiomatic for a CV. Better to use 'resultatorienterad' or 'stresstålig'.

Use the word 'knappt': 'Jag håller mig knappt flytande.'

Literally yes, but 90% of the time in conversation, it's about money or work.

Yes, it's very common in business news to describe companies avoiding bankruptcy.

The past tense is 'höll sig flytande'.

Not a direct one, but 'hålla näsan över vattenytan' is a more informal variation.

Yes, if a relationship is struggling but surviving, you can use it metaphorically.

عبارات مرتبط

🔗

Hålla huvudet ovanför vattenytan

similar

To keep one's head above water.

🔗

Gå under

contrast

To go under / to fail / to perish.

🔗

Flyta med strömmen

similar

To go with the flow.

🔗

Klara sig

similar

To manage / to get by.

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