The many ways of lagom. A case study

Abstract: The word lagom fills the Swedes with a certain sense of pride. It is felt to be a truly Swedish word which often is allowed to represent the notion of Sweden and the Swedish way of being. Not only is the usage of the word widespread in the Swedish language but it has an extensive range of senses. It is this polysemy of the word that may create difficulties in translations from Swedish to English; especially since there is no proper equivalent in the English language.