If you have decided to learn Swedish but need some advice on where to turn, what resources to check out or how to go about your language studies, congratulations! You have come to the right place!
Learning Swedish can be time consuming and demands your dedication and motivation to become fluent. However, the time it takes to learn Swedish all comes down to how many hours you practice and what resources you adapt to learn the language.
In this article I am dedicated to helping you find the resources that may make it or break it when it comes to your language studies. Hopefully you will find some favorites in this list and perhaps they become a normal part of your daily routine.
The resources in this article will be online for the most part, seeing as these are applicable to you no matter where you live. A lot of them are going to be free to use and you will have quite a selection to choose from.
Now, before we begin I would like to give you a couple of advice when it comes to learning a new language.
- Be open minded when you try out different kinds of resources for language skills. What you think might work for you, may not always be the best fit. And the other way around. Also a mix of different kinds of resources is usually the best approach, as this also forces you to learn different skills and in a more nuanced way.
- Be brave! It is scary learning a new language and practicing it in real life can be daunting! But the best way to learn is to actually practice the language in your daily life. No one is going to judge you for not being fluent, but admire you for trying. The more you talk and communicate in Swedish, the faster you will learn!
Okay! I am ready if you are! Let us have a look at your different options when it comes to resources to learn Swedish!
Basic Swedish course
First off, when you move to Sweden you will be urged to participate in a state-funded language course learning Swedish. This is called Svenska för invandrare (SFI) and is a language course in multiple steps to help you learn the language, get familiar with Swedish traditions, culture and society and also adapt to your new home.
Svenska för invandrare is an amazing starting point when you want to start learning Swedish.
This basic Swedish course can be carried out in multiple ways decided between you and your teacher. You can either attend SFI on a full-time study schedule where you attend physical classes Monday through to Friday. Or you can do it part-time on evenings or weekends. Depending on your language skills, motivations and habit of studying, you may even be approved for the SFI online studies.
SFI is free and also mandatory for people who recently moved to Sweden. Usually there are SFI classes in every city in Sweden, making it easy for you to attend classes and keep in close touch with your teacher.
Swedish classes online
If you want to compliment your SFI studies with additional courses or deepen you knowledge after finishing SFI, there are plenty of approaches you can try. In order to practice Swedish online you must know what your goal is. After you have finished SFI, you will have gained a basic knowledge that will help you get by on an everyday basis. However, you might want to deepen your language skills to boost your career, grow your social life or adapt further to your new home.
The best approach for online classes in the Swedish language is through a private tutor. Superprof helps you get in touch with multiple tutors teaching Swedish on various levels. With Superprof you can choose to work with a tutor in your town for physical study sessions, or a tutor working online. Together you set the expectations and goals of your tutoring and work together to gain achievement.
If you prefer a teacher led class within an established school you have a couple of options within this category too.
Folkuniversitetet
Folkuniversitetet is a nationwide school for adults offering a wide selection of courses and studies within all kinds of topics. Folkuniversitetet are located in multiple Swedish cities offering classes and lectures at schools. The past few years they have really grown their selection of online courses too, though.
When learning basic Swedish, the studies are divided into 5 different levels each one more advanced than the other. Folkuniversitetet offers these five levels of language studies both physically and online. But they do also offer a selection of online courses in Swedish with focus on different careers. So if you move to Sweden for work, these might be perfect for you!
For example you can study these language courses:
- Swedish for veterinarians. During 10 online live lessons that are teacher led, you will learn Swedish that is applicable in your job as a veterinarian. This course costs 2450 SEK.
- Swedish for care-workers. 10 online live sessions. This course costs 350 SEK.
- Swedish for childcare-workers. 10 online live sessions for people working within childcare, or those who would like to work within child care. This course is free of charge!
- Selection of courses for medical workers. Folkuniversitetet offers a wide selection of courses and lectures for those who work within the medical sector to prepare for a career within Swedish healthcare. The price for these courses vary between 2450 - 6750 SEK.
Learn Swedish with help from textbooks
If you attend either of the language courses mentioned in this article you will be given textbooks as part of your curriculum. But if you would like to dive head first into the Swedish language, here are some Swedish language textbooks that might do the trick.
- Complete Swedish Beginner to Intermediate Course by Anneli Beronius Haake. This textbook will help you gain a basic understanding of the Swedish language by practicing grammar, vocabulary and authentic conversations. Anneli has written multiple books and materials for learning Swedish and is a much appreciated teacher and author within her field. This is claimed to be the best book for self-studies.
- Short stories in Swedish by Olly Richards. This book is specifically written for those who are undergoing SFI studies to practice Swedish in a fun and engaging way!
- To shit in the blue cupboard by Joakim Andersson. This too is one of those books that might bring a smile to your face. It is filled with over 2000 Swedish idioms and sayings. This might be a light hearted way to make your language studies more fun and varied.
Swedish language lessons online free
Learning a new language is difficult, demanding and time consuming. At least if you truly want to be able to communicate in the language. You have all of the internet at hand to pick out your favorite resources and adapt them to fit your goal and situation.
However, if you are looking to find language courses online that are available for free, I want you to reconsider your motivs. You may find courses that are free despite not being government provided, but sometimes that also indicates the quality of the course.
So if you are looking for Swedish lessons online free, then my advice is to think again.
With that being said, there are plenty of resources and tools online that are free but require some more dedication from your end. Let us have a look at different apps and online resources you could benefit from when learning Swedish! Combining different kinds of learning methods is usually the best way to learn.
Learn through video
YouTube is, as you may already know, a treasure when it come to learning new things! Learning Swedish is no exception. Whether you turn to YouTube for specific language lessons, or just to watch short clips in Swedish you will find both.
Check out these accounts on YouTube to learn more about Swedish grammar, vocabulary and advice for daily situations.
- Learn Swedish with SwedishPod 101. This account is filled with educational and engaging videos in various lengths giving you all sorts of inspiration, lessons and how-to's when it comes to learning the Swedish language.
- Fun Swedish. This account is teaching Swedish on all levels of fluency (or non-fluency) in videos that are 10-15 minutes long.
- Agaton Linguistics (Svenskaläraren). If you want to practice understanding Swedish when listening to it, Agaton Linguistics is a great account for daily situations where the teacher is speaking slowly and with subtitles to help you practice your language skills.
However, YouTube isn't our only source of video content. We have a tv channel called UR and the online version is UR Play. A free streaming service with lots of educational content within a wide range of topics. Including learning new languages.
Scroll through the selection of videos and tv-shows until you find something that catches your attention. Chances are you will find new favorites. Here you might also find some new favorites if you have children who's also trying to learn the new language.
Language apps to speak Swedish
The benefits of using language learning apps are many. They are usually free or available at a low cost, they're efficient but most imporantly, they make learning a new language available and fun!
Using apps makes it easy to practice your Swedish language skills while you are on the go, scrolling on your phone at night or waiting for the bus. Also they're often designed to be playful and give you a good time while learning. Some are even designed as games.
Let us have a look at a few different language learning apps that will help you learn how to speak, read and understand Swedish in no time!
- Mondly: learn 33 languages. This app truly delivers on its promise! Every day a new practice is presented, helping you learn new words, form sentences, participate in conversations and practice your grammar. The app is free, however you can purchase a subscription in order to gain full access to all the content. This costs $9.99 (approximately 110 SEK) per month or $47.99 (525 SEK) per year.
- Duolingo. Perhaps the most popular and well-known app for learning a new language! Through quick, bite-size lessons you will learn how to speak, read, listen and write the Swedish language. The app is free to use and helps you track your progress. Millions of users vouch for Duolingo saying it has truly helped them learn a new language!
- HejSvenska. Swedish government is providing language studies for all new residents in Sweden, known as SFI (Svenska för Invandrare). And alongside these studies, apps called HejSvenska has also been designed to deepen the studies and help you learn Swedish. HejSvenska is available in multiple levels, HejSvenska 1, HejSvenska 2, HejSvenska 3 and so on. The apps are completely free of charge and helps you learn the Swedish language one step at a time. It may not be the most graphic and fun app to use, but it definitely makes up for it in terms of lessons and learning!
Most people would agree the app approach to learning a new language is a lot more fun, than reading school style textbooks or attending classes. My advice is to do both and create a mix that helps you achieve a nuanced and fun learning experience. Add your private Superprof tutor to the mix as well and you are set up for success!
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