"Var är allt smör?"

Translation: Where is all the butter?

[Menelion]

Vad betyder gås? Jag menar, vi hade ordet smörgås, nu vet vi vad smör är, så vad är gås? :)

[HelenCarlsson]

It's a goose :). Before, when people made their own butter, they thought that the clots/lumps/whatever on top looked like geese (no comment). People ate them with bread and eventually the bread was called butter goose as well. More or less.

Note that it is
en gås - flera gäss
en smörgås - flera smörgåsar

[Menelion]

Your answer is very clear and helpful as always, Helen :). Tusen tack!

[HelenCarlsson]

I normally listen to a Swedish radio program called "Språket" and they talked about the origin of "smörgås" just some weeks ago. It's not very intuitive :).

[Lundgren8]

Also for me and I think many people, smörgås is pronounced as if it were smörrgåss and in the plural smörrgåssar. Unlike gås which has a long å.

[RichardWal211702]

a bit like Dutch 'boterham' (butter ham) for sandwich

[Kai9116]

Giving a lingot because this is just too funny to me

[Segwyne]

I was delighted when I suddenly realized that smorgasbord literally means sandwich table, and I pictured a table with lots of sandwich makings on it for making your own sandwiches. Kind of like Subway (the sandwich restaurant), but classier and DIY.

[thorr18]

Name your competing smörgåsbord restaurant The Butter Goose Table.

[Bailjo]

Is this just an odd translation? Or can smör be said with a definite article?

[HelenCarlsson]

Sure, but not with "allt":
Var är smöret? (Where is the butter?)
Var är allt smör? (Where is all the butter?)

[Bailjo]

Is this a common rule? Did I just miss this?

[HelenCarlsson]

All/allt + indefinite? Yes, it is:
Han drack upp all mjölk.
Hon spillde ut allt kaffe.

[Bailjo]

Ahh. Tack så mycket!

[thorr18]

Where is the smore?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%27more

[rwhodges]

Kanske i en saga finns det ett land Smörland där allt är smör också?

[devalanteriel]

You're not that far off, actually. Småland is a Swedish province (landskap), and a Swedish saying goes Inte för allt smör i Småland! - "Not (even) for all of the butter in Småland!"

Also, where I live, there used to be an homestead in the 19th century, affectionally called Smörslottet by local residents since apparently their butter was great and they were joking about the little cottage. It's long gone but a local street is still named for it. :)

[GiovanniS11]

Jag kan inte tror det är inte smör!

[devalanteriel]

Jag kan inte tro att det inte är smör! :p

Although the phrase doesn't really translate into Swedish. I'd probably change it to "I can scarcely believe it's not butter": Jag kan knappt tro att det inte är smör!

[Buzdawg]

Actually I have noticed that first construction a couple times before - in such sentences is it implied that there is an "att" after the "tror" so that it becomes a subordinate clause?

EDIT: Ignore what I just said - I just reread and noticed the "att" in your sentence -_-

[nporter7]

It's Bregott!

[Rik487976]

Why not smöret? Where is all THE BUTTER?

[Segwyne]

HelenCarlsson answered that above. Essentially, "the" is included in "allt". Sorry, I don't know how to tag people or comments here.

[alan26964]

I remember this phrase from first time round and it didnt make sense in english, It still doesnt ????????????????

[devalanteriel]

Which part of it do you not understand?