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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Five ways to learn Swedish with legendary comedian Hasse Alfredson

Discover Swedish culture, history and language with the help of Swedish jack-of-all-trades Hasse Alfredson.

Five ways to learn Swedish with legendary comedian Hasse Alfredson
Hasse Alfredson, left, and his comedy partner Tage Danielsson in 1975. Photo: TT

Swedish comedian, writer, actor and director Hans 'Hasse' Alfredson passed away at the age of 86 on Sunday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from Swedes who grew up laughing at his jokes.

For readers unfamiliar with his work, and those interested in expanding your knowledge of Swedish culture and language, The Local takes a look at five of our favourite moments.

1. Lindeman

'Lindeman' is a series of short improvisational two-person comedy skits. The basic premise is this: Alfredson takes on the role of a different Lindeman character each time – punk rocker Trindeman Lindeman, mobile home owner Lindeman, flying saucer expert Ufo Lindeman and so on; the other person (often Alfredson's long-time comedy partner Tage Danielsson) asks him questions on a random topic and Alfredson ad libs his answers. They are weird, sometimes a bit dated, often hilarious. Listen to them on Spotify below.

READ ALSO: How this Swedish band helped me learn the language

2. Den enfaldige mördaren – The Simple-Minded Murderer

Alfredson was not just known for his comedy. The movie 'The Simple-Minded Murderer', which he adapted from one of his own novels, is a dark tale of evil and power in the 1930s. It stars Alfredson himself as the sadistic factory owner and a young, lisping Stellan Skarsgård as one of his workers, and was picked as one of 30 Swedish films to watch before you die. The dialogue is in the southern Swedish accent, so if you are still learning the language you may struggle with this one. Turn on the subtitles and enjoy the acting.

READ ALSO: 17 dialect words you need to survive in southern Sweden


Hasse Alfredson during the shooting of 'The Simple-Minded Murderer'. Photo: Stefan Lindblom/TT

3. Djingis Khan – Genghis Khan

In his early career at Lund University, Alfredson was a member of iconic Lundensian theatre company Lundaspexarna and penned one of their most famous productions in 1954 about a certain Mongolian warlord's attempts to invade Samarkand. If you're a student in Lund, you will be expected to know about this, and it is still performed once every five years. The rest of you will not be quizzed on bizarre student traditions, but it is worth knowing the lyrics to 'Härjavisan', a legendary tune still often sung as a drinking song.

Ja, nu ska vi ut och härja, supa och slåss och svärja,

bränna röda stugor, slå små barn och säga fula ord.

Yes, we're going out to ravage, drink and fight and swear,

burn down red cottages, hit little children and say bad words.

4. Guben i låddan

Guben i låddan is a 1960s sketch by Alfredson and Martin Ljung set in a train car. Ljung reads a bedtime tale and keeps mispronunciating the words 'gubben i lådan' ('the man in the box') as 'guben i låddan', much to the rapidly growing anger of Alfredson. Nothing else happens, but for that reason it is good for practising your Swedish skills (as long as you don't accidentally memorize the wrong pronunciation). Plus your Swedish partner's grandparents are sure to give you bonus points for having heard about this one.

5. Blommig falukorv

Blommig falukorv is a children's song written by Alfredson. The lyrics are the words of a child who insists on only eating “flowery falukorv” (the flowery bit is nonsensical fun, but a falukorv is a typically Swedish sausage) for lunch, rejecting all other food their mother suggests. Great for learning Swedish food vocabulary.

Jag vill ha blommig falukorv till lunch mamma.

Nåt annat vill jag inte ha.

Jag hatar tomaten och fisken och spenaten

och plättarna med lingonsylt.

I want flowery falukorv for lunch, mum.

I don't want anything else.

I hate the tomato and the fish and the spinach

and the small pancakes with lingonberry jam.

CULTURE

Daddy cool: Swedish dads go viral as boy band

Five Swedish fathers singing capella pop songs while taking care of their young children have taken social media by storm, with their videos garnering tens of millions of views.

Daddy cool: Swedish dads go viral as boy band

The five men, all in their 30s, film their “Dad Harmony” sessions while hanging out with their kids at home in the northern town of Skellefteå.

“This story all started at my bachelor party” in the summer of 2022, Peter Widmark, a 33-year-old who works in sales, told AFP in an interview. “We were hanging out and singing as we usually do when we hang out… (and) my brother filmed it and put it on TikTok with his seven followers.”

The next morning the dads discovered the video had been viewed 40,000 times. The number had skyrocketed to 20 million hits worldwide within a few weeks.

The five friends decided to start posting videos regularly, shot in their kitchens or on their sofas, often holding their little ones on their laps.

Singing the chorus of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah”, one of the dads can be seen holding his weeks-old newborn in his arms.

“It’s a soothing thing when we sing,” Widmark said, explaining why the children are usually so calm in the videos.

‘Typical Swedish guys’

“We are typical Swedish guys,” said Widmark’s brother Tomas, who is also part of the group, adding it was “not that unusual” for men in Sweden to spend a lot of time with their children.

“Almost every guy in Sweden is used to taking paternity leave so it’s not a big deal for us,” he added.

Each of the dads has two kids.

Dad Harmony’s repertoire includes hits by Michael Jackson, the Beatles and popular Christmas songs.

Since the end of November the group has been on a month-long tour criss-crossing Sweden to perform live shows each weekend – albeit without their kids.

During the weeks, they go back to Skellefteå and continue to work at their normal jobs and spend time with their families.

The members of Dad Harmony in an interview with AFP. Photo: Viken Kantarci/AFP

“I just stumbled on their video on Instagram and I was mesmerised,” said Louise Elgström, a 41-year-old fan who attended a recent show in the town of Norrköping.

She said their appeal lies in the fact that “they feel so natural and also (that they are) involving their children”.

The dads vow their success won’t go to their heads. “No televisions flying from the hotel rooms!” joked band member Sebastian Åkesson.

But the group has big dreams: they hope to line up tour dates in the United States and Asia, and say they would love to sing with Elton John one day.

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