Signification
To make a mistake.
Contexte culturel
In Swedish sports culture, 'årets tavla' (blunder of the year) is a common segment in end-of-year sports shows, showing the most hilarious mistakes. Swedes value transparency. Admitting you 'gjorde en tavla' is often seen as better than trying to hide the mistake. The word 'tavla' comes from Latin 'tabula', meaning board or plank. This explains why it's used for both paintings and targets. Using this idiom can be a 'social lubricant' in Sweden, helping to diffuse tension after a mistake through humor.
Use it for yourself
It's a very safe way to admit a mistake. It makes you sound humble and fluent.
Not for tragedies
Don't use it for serious accidents or deaths. It's too lighthearted.
Signification
To make a mistake.
Use it for yourself
It's a very safe way to admit a mistake. It makes you sound humble and fluent.
Not for tragedies
Don't use it for serious accidents or deaths. It's too lighthearted.
Add 'riktig'
Say 'en riktig tavla' to emphasize that it was a classic, textbook blunder.
Sports talk
If you want to bond with Swedes over sports, learn this phrase. It's used constantly in match recaps.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'göra'.
Igår ______ jag en tavla och glömde min nyckel.
'Igår' (yesterday) requires the preterite form 'gjorde'.
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Select the best option:
This correctly uses 'göra' + 'en tavla' to mean a mistake.
Match the 'tavla' to the situation.
A goalkeeper lets a ball in between his legs.
In sports, a visible mistake by a player is the classic 'tavla'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Varför är chefen arg? B: Jag ______ och skickade lönen till fel person.
Sending salary to the wrong person is a classic 'blunder'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesIgår ______ jag en tavla och glömde min nyckel.
'Igår' (yesterday) requires the preterite form 'gjorde'.
Select the best option:
This correctly uses 'göra' + 'en tavla' to mean a mistake.
A goalkeeper lets a ball in between his legs.
In sports, a visible mistake by a player is the classic 'tavla'.
A: Varför är chefen arg? B: Jag ______ och skickade lönen till fel person.
Sending salary to the wrong person is a classic 'blunder'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsYes, if the culture is casual and the mistake is minor. For example, 'Jag gjorde en tavla med bilagan' (I messed up the attachment).
It is almost always 'en tavla' (indefinite). 'Göra tavlan' would sound like you are referring to a specific, previously mentioned painting.
Not at all. It's a very mild and common idiom.
'Klanta sig' is a verb and slightly more informal. 'Göra en tavla' is a noun-based idiom and feels a bit more descriptive of the event.
Yes, a typo is a perfect 'tavla'.
No, it implies you made a human, often funny, error.
Yes, adding 'liten' (small) is very common to minimize the mistake.
Yes, it is a standard Swedish idiom used nationwide.
Yes, just add 'stor' or 'rejäl'. 'Jag gjorde en rejäl tavla.'
Rarely. You would usually say 'Jag har gjort många tavlor' if you are very clumsy.
Expressions liées
klanta sig
synonymto mess up/be clumsy
trampa i klaveret
similarto make a social faux pas
begå ett misstag
formal equivalentto commit a mistake
missa målet
builds onto miss the target
skita i det blå skåpet
contrastto really mess up/cross the line
