# Swedish: ett håll



## merryweather

Dear Swedish people on the forum,

This word "ett håll" is causing me some confusion. I have found dictionary definitions and online learning tools where it says that this word can mean the following:

- a grip, a hold (I guess like in wrestling or other contact sports)
- a stop or station on a public transport route

But when I look for the word being used like this on the Swedish google site, I haven't been able to find it used like this. A stop on the tunnelbana seems to be "hållplats", not just "håll", for example. I didn't go through nine million entries on google dot se, so maybe I have just missed the word being used like this.

Could any of you help me out here with some everyday sentences where this word is used in the senses of "grip, hold and stop or station"?

I am aware of its use meaning "direction", "quarter" or "of that kind" as I have come across these whilst reading my first Swedish full-length book, "Män som hatar kvinnor".

Many thanks in advance for your help!


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## AutumnOwl

I agree with "ett håll" being use for a grip or a hold, for example in wrestling, but also in holding someone or something, _"jag tog ett stadigare håll om paketet",_ even if it's more common to use _grepp _eller _tag_. It's also common to say _"håll om mig", _hold me/put your arms around me, for example when dancing or when sitting close to someone you love, and for a child you can say _"håll barnet i famnen"_, hold the baby in your arms.

The most common use for_ håll_ is _att få håll, _meaning to get a side stitch, when you exercise too heavily.

As to use _håll_ for _hållplats_, I've never seen it used.


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## MattiasNYC

I agree. "grepp" to me seems far more common when talking about gripping things, with the exception of persons in which case I would say "håll om mig" as AutumnOwl said (though including in wrestling and martial arts?). Never ever heard "håll" as short for "hållplats".

Might be interesting to know that "Att hålla av någon" is to "like" someone, even "love" I would say.


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## DerFrosch

The "håll om mig" example is irrelevant here, since "håll" in this case acts as a verb (it's the imperative form, to be precise), whereas merryweather's question concerned the noun.

I might add that "håll" in the sense of "grip" is not part of my active vocabulary (maybe more common in other regions?). I would never say "få håll i", always "få tag i".

It would also be interesting to know which source claimed that "håll" could mean "stop, station".


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## applefarm

My understanding:
*
1. *You can always look at the related verbs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs of the word.
For word "ett håll" the related verb is "att hålla", which is used to build word "en busshållplats". Here the verb "att hålla" means "to hold/keep from moving".
Example sentences with holding/stopping something:


to maintain, to keep from changing; to stop moving
_*Håll* temperaturen på en jämn nivå._ = _*Keep* the temperature at an even level. <--This means stopping temperature to change._

hold; to cause to wait
_*Håll* hissen!_ = _Hold the elevator! <--This means stopping the elevator's rutine and not letting it to start to move._
Source of the example sentences:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hålla

So the verb "att hålla" mainly means keeping/holding something, but also "stopping" because things stop if you start to hold/keep them, they stop to move.
Therefore "en (buss)hållplats" means a place where busses are stopped, where passangers hold buss not moving because they want to get in.
Short word "ett håll" means "a (buss)stop, a (buss) station".

Here is an example of "en hållplats":

_Jag är lite sen ut ur huset och springer till *busshållplatsen*, blir svettig, andfådd och *får håll *för att sedan se att bussen precis åker förbi innan jag är framme vid busshållplatsen -.- typiskt eller hur? <--_...and run to busstation, ... and get stomache pain ... the buss just drive away when i arrive.

Source:
http://stcmusic.blogg.se/2010/march/

In everyday language there is not much use of general word "ett håll" = "a stop", instead addons are added to that word to create more specific words like "a busstop".
(In a specific or even scientifical project you can design something for what you give name as "a stop". Example can be "a network protocol" that has stops/milestones when data flows through network wire. You design there a module that you will give name as a "håll" or "stop" or something.)

So you shouldn't want to find sentences with "ett håll" without additional addons. Just look at the verb "to keep, stop, hold" and understand that "en hållplats" is a "a stop place, a station".

*2. *The other meaning of "ett håll" is stomache pain which people get often when they run.
On previous sentence the example is "*får håll *" (get special stomache pain called "stitch").
Beside stomache pain, another definition of Stitch: One complete movement of a needle through a fabric/clothes in sewing.
So if you have stitch/håll in stomache then the feeling of this pain is figurarly like needle/sewing in stomache.
Example sentences of Stitch:

http://traningslara.se/hall-vid-traning-vad-ar-orsaken/

*3.* Meaning "direction":

_En kyrktupp har rest sig ur havet , och plötsligt märker man *åt vilket håll *vinden blåser ._
<--...and people see to which direction wind blows.

This meaning can be used to express: to which direction busses drive, which direction society goes, on which direction one looks and so on.

*4.* I didn't find from dictionary substantive "ett håll"  = "a grip", but found verb "to grip".


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## DerFrosch

I haven't found any source to confirm it, but I'm pretty sure "hållplats" is a calque of German "Haltestelle" (also meaning "stop"). In German, "halten" can mean not just "hold" but also "stop" as an intransitive verb (Swe. "stanna"). So you should think of "hållplats" as the place where the bus stops, not where it's being stopped.


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## applefarm

DerFrosch said:


> I haven't found any source to confirm it, but I'm pretty sure "hållplats" is a calque of German "Haltestelle" (also meaning "stop"). In German, "halten" can mean not just "hold" but also "stop" as an intransitive verb (Swe. "stanna"). So you should think of "hållplats" as the place where the bus stops, not where it's being stopped.



Ok, i understand. 
Also in Estonian language the word is something like "buss+stanna".


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## MattiasNYC

DerFrosch said:


> The "håll om mig" example is irrelevant here, since "håll" in this case acts as a verb (it's the imperative form, to be precise), whereas merryweather's question concerned the noun.



I suppose that's true, though it might still be of interest as long as the difference is clear, to actually clear up possible confusion. Unless of course it adds confusion. i don't think it did the latter though.

I agree however that "håll" is an extremely unusual abbreviation of "hållplats". I've never heard it myself.


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## merryweather

AutumnOwl said:


> I agree with "ett håll" being use for a grip or a hold, for example in wrestling, but also in holding someone or something, _"jag tog ett stadigare håll om paketet",_ even if it's more common to use _grepp _eller _tag_. It's also common to say _"håll om mig", _hold me/put your arms around me, for example when dancing or when sitting close to someone you love, and for a child you can say _"håll barnet i famnen"_, hold the baby in your arms.
> 
> The most common use for_ håll_ is _att få håll, _meaning to get a side stitch, when you exercise too heavily.
> 
> As to use _håll_ for _hållplats_, I've never seen it used.



Thanks for your input, Autumn Owl, it is much appreciated.

The most common use of "håll" from my - albeit limited - reading so far in Swedish seems to be in the sense of "direction, of that sort, of that kind, quarter", rather than the meaning of "side stitch", in fixed expressions like "_någonting åt det hållet"_ or "_sedd på nära håll"._ Are these uses not common in spoken Swedish? I had the impression that "något på det hållet" was quite colloquial.

It is good to know that "håll" isn't used for a train or bus stop because my own research didn't back that up either.


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## merryweather

MattiasNYC said:


> I agree. "grepp" to me seems far more common when talking about gripping things, with the exception of persons in which case I would say "håll om mig" as AutumnOwl said (though including in wrestling and martial arts?). Never ever heard "håll" as short for "hållplats".
> 
> Might be interesting to know that "Att hålla av någon" is to "like" someone, even "love" I would say.



Thanks for the extra information about the verb, Mattias. I had also come across that before and put it in my "similar-to-German" memory box - in German there is a phrase "ich halte nicht viel von" means to NOT like something much.

And good to know that there are now TWO no-votes for "håll" as a bus-stop.


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## merryweather

DerFrosch said:


> The "håll om mig" example is irrelevant here, since "håll" in this case acts as a verb (it's the imperative form, to be precise), whereas merryweather's question concerned the noun.
> 
> I might add that "håll" in the sense of "grip" is not part of my active vocabulary (maybe more common in other regions?). I would never say "få håll i", always "få tag i".
> 
> It would also be interesting to know which source claimed that "håll" could mean "stop, station".



I don't know where the person who wrote this vocabulary course got this information from. I am in the process of editing and improving it and that was in the original definition. I have now removed the bit about "håll" meaning bus stop etc.

Thank you for pointing out that I had only asked about the _noun_ and not the verb , but I guess more information is always better than too little!


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## merryweather

Thanks also to you, applefarm, and even though I hadn't asked for information about the verb, it was still interesting to read what you wrote.

I am a proficient linguist, though, so it wasn't necessary for you to tell me that I need to know the meaning of verbs in order to understand the meaning of the nouns derived from them: that is something I have known for a long long time! But you aren't to know what level of proficiency I have at learning languages, so you are forgiven, OK? 

For future reference, though: I have a 2:1 university degree in German, obtained in 1982 when that grade was given to only 5% of the population (the figure is much higher now) and a translator's diploma for translating German to English. I also speak French, some Spanish, a tiny bit of Italian and did two years of Latin at school. I have lived in Germany since 1988 and earn my living teaching English in the private sector. I am now learning Swedish as a personal experiment and am finding it fascinating!

Your Swedish is WAAAAAY better than mine, though; I have only been learning it since April 2014, so I do appreciate your contributions, just not the being talked down to.


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## merryweather

And I learnt a new word!

CALQUE: *▸ noun: *an expression introduced into one language by translating it from another language

Thanks, autumn owl!


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## DerFrosch

merryweather said:


> The most common use of "håll" from my - albeit limited - reading so far in Swedish seems to be in the sense of "direction, of that sort, of that kind, quarter", rather than the meaning of "side stitch", in fixed expressions like "_någonting åt det hållet"_ or "_sedd på nära håll"._ Are these uses not common in spoken Swedish? I had the impression that "något på det hållet" was quite colloquial.



I agree with you, I'd say "direction" is the most common sense, quite often heard in spoken
language, for example when asking for directions on the street ("Åt vilket håll ligger hotellet?" - "Which way is the hotel?"). Also common is the sense "distance", as in your example "på nära håll", or "från långt håll".

The sense "side stitch" is in every Swede's vocabulary, but to claim that it's more common than the previous two senses seems rather odd to me.


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## DerFrosch

merryweather said:


> And I learnt a new word!
> Thanks, autumn owl!



Are you sure you thanked the right person?


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## merryweather

DerFrosch said:


> Are you sure you thanked the right person?



OOPS!!! It was you, wasn't it? Sorry! Thanks very much for the new word!


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