No Casual Chatter, Please
While casual tourist banter like “How are you?” and “Isn’t the weather lovely?” might be the norm in the US and the UK, it doesn’t quite align with Swedish customs. Swedes hold their privacy dear and seldom indulge in trivial small talk. For them, conversation should be substantial and meaningful, not trivial.
Small talk appears frivolous to time-conscious Swedes, earning terms like “kallprat” (cold talk) or “dödprat” (dead talk). They often avoid eye contact to sidestep unnecessary and awkward discussions with strangers. To them, communication means exchanging vital information rather than indulging in idle chitchat.
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