October 18, 2026, 11:36 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Do you like to learn standard phrases in the local language before a vacation, such as “Hello,” “Goodbye,” “Sorry,” “Yes,” “No,” “Thank you,” and “Please”? Then you’ll face a dilemma in the Scandinavian countries. While most of these words are easy to translate directly, “please” becomes a bit more complicated. But don’t worry, you don’t have to leave your politeness at home. Here’s what you can say instead.
“Would you please bring me a coffee?” “Could you please help me?” or, when traveling abroad, “Could I have a cup of coffee, please?” and “Could you please help me?” Many of us are (hopefully) used to saying these or similar phrases. However, if you travel to one of the Scandinavian countries, you might hesitate when you want to use the local version of the German “bitte” or English “please.” That’s because it doesn’t exist—or at least not in a one-to-one translation.
“Please” in Scandinavia
If you look at a translation program, you’ll find direct translations of “please.” However, their meanings don’t necessarily match what you want to express.
In Norwegian, according to the language platform “norwegisch-lernen.info,” there is the offering version Vær så god (translated as “You’re welcome”), the emphatically requesting and mainly for acquaintances used Vær så snill (translated as “Be so kind” or “Please”), or the very polite request Kan du være så snill å (translated as “Could you please …”). The direct translation often offered in translation programs is Vennligst, which is more formal.
It’s similar in Swedish. Here, snälla means “please,” but it’s used in a much more pleading or insistent way than the polite “please” in German or English, which might be added to a coffee order.
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In Danish, there are also various terms to express a request, such as Må jeg bede om or Vær så venlig at. The Finnish language offers the variant Ole hyvä for the offering “Please (go ahead).” In Icelandic, Görðu svo vel is used, and a more formal request is expressed with Vinsamlegast.
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Thank You Instead of Please
After all these different and yet not quite fitting versions of “please,” the confusion is greater than before. So, what do you use in Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Denmark instead of the German “bitte” or English “please”? In most cases, nothing at all. Instead of the universally used “please,” the magic word in Northern Europe is often “thank you,” such as tack (Swedish), takk (Norwegian and Icelandic), tak (Danish), or kiitos (Finnish). For example, you order a Norwegian coffee with the words: “En kaffe, takk.” The Danish version sounds very similar: “En kop kaffe, tak.”
The words are not equivalent, as they simply don’t mean the same thing. However, they are generally suitable for the politeness aspect of a coffee order.
An article from the British news site “BBC” also addresses the topic of the missing “please” and explains that politeness in the region relies “less on a respectful word like ‘please’ and more on phrasing, tone, and context.” Language is more than just words, the BBC quotes linguist Dr. James Puchowski. It’s also about how an idea is presented.