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SWEDISH LANGUAGE

Six tips for learning Swedish without even being in Sweden

Jack Schofield taught himself Swedish from his home in the UK. Here are his best tips for learning the language before you move to Sweden.

Six tips for learning Swedish without even being in Sweden
A Swedish Midsummer Celebration at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Photo: Courtney Pedroza/Star Tribune via AP

1. Focus on learning the words you use in your own language the most

The most effective way to learn a language is to learn it the way children first learn their native language, not how we learn in classrooms.

That means that the colours and days of the week don’t really need to be the first thing you learn. Start instead with everything you think you need for the most basic of conversations when you first meet someone. Beyond that find out how to talk about your main interests, as those are the things you are most likely to find yourself regularly talking about when you’re speaking your own language.

Go through daily life thinking about words and phrases which would be relevant to those recurring situations, such as mealtimes, because the very heartening fact of the matter is that we all know in our native language way more words than we regularly use. 

So the good news is, it can be relatively easy, with dedication and persistence, to get to be highly conversational in Swedish, or reach functional fluency. 

Students studying in Umeå. Photo: Jonatan Stålhös/imagebank.sweden.se

2. Join any Swedish or Scandinavian clubs or societies that you can

If you’re a university student, be sure to join its Swedish/Scandinavian/Nordic Society. From my own experience with my university’s Scandinavian Society, it’s a great way to meet Scandinavians and take part in and learn about the culture. The main purpose of suggesting joining a society like this is for the opportunities it gives you to practise your Swedish. You may not know many, or even any, Swedes at the moment, and they’re probably not going to magically find you. So do what you can to put yourself in situations where you’re more likely, or guaranteed, to meet Swedes.

From the Anglo-Swedish Society in London to Scandinavia House in New York and Swedish societies in places such as Oakland, California; Calgary, Alberta; Houston, Texas and more, the opportunities are there, so look into what’s near you, but most importantly, if you go to an event, try to speak Swedish, however much or little you know, from the very beginning.

3. Put your money where your mouth is

You may find you’ve reached a wall of how far you can take yourself for a while, and need some things explained to you, or you may want the structure provided by some form of lessons to ensure you are actually working on the language. Definitely begin with free apps such as Duolingo, but if you really want to learn the language well and need help getting there, consider getting paid-for software or enrolling in a class. Many of the aforementioned societies around the world offer classes, for a fee, for example.

Many societies around the world offer Swedish classes. Photo: Emelie Asplund/imagebank.sweden.se

4. Immerse yourself in Swedish culture

Download for example SVT Play, the free app of Sweden’s national broadcaster. Not all of the shows are available abroad, but a lot of them are. If you’re miles off from being able to follow a programme in Swedish, pick ones which are in English and subtitled in Swedish (such as a period drama or crime drama, which are both popular in Sweden) and read along and work out what the Swedish for some English words being used is.

There are also programmes you can watch and enjoy where you won’t feel like you’re missing out if you don’t understand what they’re saying, such as shows with a lot of singing. Whether it’s outdoor sing-along Allsång på Skansen in the summer or studio-based show Så ska det låta during the year, the options are there.

Add Swedish songs to your playlist as well, and take a minute to look up what they mean. It’s a great way to learn new vocabulary, but perhaps most importantly, immersing youself in Swedish culture, not only staying up to date with its popular culture but feeling like you’re part of Swedish society yourself, makes you more invested in learning the language. You need a reason to do it, to keep going, and Swedish becoming the language that your life around you is in provides precisely that.

Watch Swedish entertainment as often as you can. Photo: Sofia Sabel/imagebank.sweden.se

5. Really put yourself out there

When trying to speak a new language, embarrassment isn’t allowed to enter into the equation. Making mistakes is all part of the learning process, and anyone who’s gone on to master a foreign language will have their stories of hilarious or embarrassing mistakes they’ve made. So whenever you go to a Swedish cultural event abroad, or visit Sweden as a tourist or business traveller, make the best use of that time.

This is one of my most important points, because if you don’t put what you do know to use when the opportunity arises, you are giving yourself no chance of improving. You’re learning the language because you want to speak it to people, so don’t allow the Swedes to let you stick to English, show them that you’re trying (that alone will impress them).

If you visit Sweden, don’t forget to speak Swedish. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se

6. Dabble in some Norwegian and Danish

Trying out some Norwegian and/or Danish is a good way to make you consciously realise some systematic differences between the closely-related Scandinavian languages, and thereby shore up your knowledge of some Swedish spelling and grammar rules. Having some understanding of the rest of Scandinavia gives breadth to your cultural immersion in Sweden itself as well. Not to mention, one go at speaking Danish and you’ll be thanking your lucky stars that you chose to learn Swedish instead. Just trust me on that one.

Kim Bodnia and Sofia Helin from season two of ‘The Bridge’. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

By Jack Schofield. Article first published in 2016, updated in 2023.

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READER INSIGHTS

Reader’s story: How I slowly fell in love with the Swedish language

What makes a person want to learn Swedish? The Local's reader Sunny Das tries to answer a question that's bigger than quantifiable goals.

Reader's story: How I slowly fell in love with the Swedish language

It was a dark and cold October day as I found myself standing outside Arlanda Airport.

It had been a long journey from Singapore to Stockholm in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first thing I noticed was that most of the pandemic restrictions that applied to people in the rest of the world were not as strict in Sweden. I looked like a real stranger with my face mask on.

But, somewhere in my heart something stirred, and my soul felt a little joy after seeing some form of normality. The taxi driver said something that sounded like “hey” in English, and so I responded in English. Then we started driving towards the centre of Stockholm.

Within 45 minutes, I was in Gamla Stan, and it was already evening. I was tired, but I won’t forget what I felt when I saw the beauty of the city. When the lights sparkled on the water, it was like poetry composing itself.

In the hotel lobby, I heard Swedish being spoken among people, and it was like music to my ears. It had been a long time since I learned a new language, but there was something melodic in the Swedish language that truly captivated me from the beginning.

This article was written by The Local’s reader Sunny Das. Photo: Private

Because there is freedom in Swedish society, it is easy to fall in love with something.

None of the Swedes I met said that I had to learn Swedish to survive in Sweden. As a result, I explored the language in my own way, and slowly fell in love with it.

Of course, attitudes towards language requirements have changed nowadays, but I’m grateful that it wasn’t like that when I started learning Swedish. It could have been very demotivating for me if someone had tried to force the language on me.

Instead, I had the opportunity to enjoy Swedish music, books and the culture in general. There was a song that inspired me to develop my Swedish and delve deeper into my language journey. The song was called Vem tänder stjärnorna by Eva Dahlgren (“Who lights the stars?”). What a beautiful song, just amazing. Evighet (eternity) is my favourite word in Swedish, which I learned from that song.

What is my goal with the Swedish language? A really good question.

But is there a goal in just watching the sunset with your dog on the beach? Or to dim the lights at three in the morning, closing your eyes and listening to “The Midnight” or “The Paper Kites”? Is there a goal when you share “Dad jokes” with your friends on a taco Friday night?

Many people learn French, Japanese or Italian to experience the culture and follow their hearts. I can say that there is no quantifiable goal but to enjoy the language journey, and sometime in the future, I can articulate my thoughts properly in a proper way in the Swedish language.

Yes, indeed, I’m still learning Swedish. There are certain situations when I can’t understand anything or find the right words from my limited vocabulary to explain something. But I’m trying, like many of us who are learning Swedish and love the language.

My grammar is wrong in various ways, and my pronunciation is flawed, and there have been several occasions when Swedish speakers have switched to English, perhaps out of sympathy or sometimes with a bit of a rude attitude.

I can only ask everyone who speaks Swedish not to discourage us but rather to help us learn this beautiful language instead.

Indian by origin, Sunny Das moved to Sweden in October 2020 and works as a software developer. The article was originally published in Swedish and translated to English by The Local. Would you like to share your Swedish story with The Local? Email our editorial team at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you if it’s something we’re able to publish.

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