nounadjective

ett skum

foam

Massa av små bubblor som ofta bildas när man blandar tvål eller schampo med vatten.

Skum has several meanings in Swedish:

Foam, froth — a layer of bubbles on a liquid, especially on soap, beer, or the sea.
- Det ligger skum på ölet. — “There is foam on the beer.”
- Havet var täckt av skum. — “The sea was covered in foam.”
Suspicious, shady, dubious — describing a person, activity, or situation that seems untrustworthy or possibly illegal.
- Han verkar vara en skum typ. — “He seems like a shady guy.”
- Det var en skum affär. — “It was a suspicious deal.”
Strange, odd, or unsettling — colloquially, something that feels unusual or gives a bad impression.
- Det där är väldigt skumt. — “That is really strange/suspicious.”

Skum as a noun is an ett-word: ett skum. It is usually an uncountable mass noun meaning “foam” or “froth.”
Skum as an adjective has the same form for common and neuter nouns:
- en skum person — “a shady person”
- ett skumt ställe — “a suspicious place”
- skumma personer — “shady people”
The definite form is skumma: den skumma personen — “the shady person.”
The comparative is skummare, and the superlative is skummast: “more suspicious” and “most suspicious.”
The noun meaning “foam” is related to older Germanic words for foam or froth. The adjective meaning “suspicious” developed a separate figurative sense associated with something unclear, dubious, or hard to trust.

Skum — the general word for foam or froth.
Fradga — foam, especially foam produced by agitation or boiling; it can sound somewhat more descriptive or literary.
Lödder — lather or suds, normally associated with soap, shampoo, or detergent rather than beer or the sea.

There is no exact everyday antonym for this physical meaning. Depending on context, klar vätska (“clear liquid”) can be used as a contrast.

Misstänkt — suspicious; more neutral and direct than skum, often used when there is a specific reason for suspicion.
Skum — colloquial and often implies that someone or something feels shady, dubious, or untrustworthy.
Tvivelaktig — dubious or questionable; more formal than skum.
Lurt — suspicious or fishy in an informal way, often about a situation or explanation.
Konstig — strange or odd; it does not necessarily imply dishonesty, unlike skum.

Possible antonyms include:

Skum person — shady or suspicious person.
Skum typ — shady character; colloquial.
Skumt ställe — suspicious or dubious place.
Skum affär — shady or questionable deal.
Det luktar skumt — literally “it smells strange,” commonly meaning “something seems suspicious.”
Ta bort skummet — remove the foam.
Ölskum — beer foam.
Tvålskum — soap suds.

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Badet har mycket skum.noun

The bath has a lot of foam.

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