Slänga

Slänga is a Swedish verb meaning “to throw,” “to toss,” or “to cast.” It denotes the act of propelling an object through the air by releasing it from the hand, often with force, and is used both in literal and figurative contexts. In everyday language, slänga can refer to casual actions such as slänga en boll (throwing a ball) or more deliberate ones like slänga av sig kläderna (throwing off one’s clothes). Figuratively, it may describe discarding something, for example slänga bort gamla vanor (to cast aside old habits).

The word originates from Old Norse *slǫngva* and is related to other Germanic terms such as the English “sling” and German “schwingen.” Its etymology reflects the notion of swinging or hurling an object, a meaning that has remained stable throughout the history of the language.

In Swedish athletics, slänga appears in compound terms for throwing events, most notably “diskusslängning” (discus throw) and “spjutslängning” (javelin throw). In these contexts, slänga functions as a noun describing the discipline of throwing a specific implement. The term is also employed in idiomatic expressions, such as slänga in i kylan (to go out into the cold), illustrating its flexibility within colloquial speech.

Grammatically, slänga follows regular verb conjugation patterns in Swedish. Its present tense is slänger, past tense slängde, and supine form slängt. The infinitive can be paired with auxiliary verbs to indicate intention (ska slänga) or obligation (måste slänga). The word is common in both spoken and written Swedish, appearing across literature, media, and everyday conversation.