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Norwegian word of the day: Loppis

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Norwegian word of the day: Loppis
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR

Spring is the perfect time to go to a loppis in Norway and save some cash in the incredibly expensive country.

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What does loppis mean? 

Loppis is the Norwegian slang word for flea market. Flea markets are hugely popular in Norway, especially in the spring and autumn. In the big cities, such as Oslo, the best flea markets are typically put on by schools raising money for bands or sports clubs. 

It’s common for an apartment block or entire neighbourhood to get together and organise flea markets. There are also several squares across Oslo to go to a flea market. 

There’s plenty to love about flea markets, given the low prices, the fun of finding something cool amongst everything and the focus on recycling or upcycling things that would otherwise end up in a skip. 

As mentioned, loppis is slang, and the full term for a flea market is loppemarked. The full term is translated directly from the English ‘flea market’. 

This is a nod to the fact that the markets sell secondhand clothes and furniture and that, historically, some people looked down on these and claimed they were full of fleas.

Jeg har kjøpt den på loppis

I bought at the flea market 

Jeg vil selge de gamle klærne mine på loppis

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I will sell my old clothes at the flea market

Vil du være med på loppis i helgen?

 Do you want to come to the flea market this weekend?

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