Whatever brings you to Sweden, a look for a change of scenery, a new job or studies abroad. I hope you feel welcomed to your new home! The country where fika is a central part of our culture and values, where sunlight is a limited resource and where foreign influences are never far away! I hope the home of IKEA, Zara Larsson and Spotify can be your long term home too!
A great part of feeling like home, is to actually knowing the language and being able to communicate with locals. Even though the majority of us Swedes are comfortable talking English, you are probably going to feel a whole lot more at ease when you understand Swedish.
Luckily, this article is your complete guide to learning Swedish as a beginner! Superprof is a global provider of private tutoring, helping people all over the world daily to achieve their goals and learn new skills. We have gathered our best practices, experiences and advice in this article so that you too can achieve your goals!
You will get some great advice on how to learn Swedish in an easy and fun way, what resources to reach for when gaining new language skills, how to count to ten in Swedish and we will help you learn your first words in Swedish! We have a lot to dig into, so we may as well get started right away.
What can I expect?
Learning something new always demands your dedication and determination. That is also what determines how hard it is going to be learning a new language and how long it is going to take.
You might wonder how difficult it is going to be to learn Swedish and the answer might not be helpful at all, because it depends. Some claim that learning swedish when your native language is English or German is easier, than if not. This is because the Swedish, German and English language share roots.
Some also claim that out of all the Scandinavian languages, Swedish is the most beneficial language to learn. This is because it is understood by most people in Scandinavia. Finland even teaches Swedish at school in some parts of the country.
How long does it take to learn Swedish?
It always takes time learning something new, and learning a new language is always a challenge. However, it is also easy to see the progress you're making and measure your growth.
Learning Swedish means you need to spend hours doing the homework, practicing grammar and pronunciation, reading books and listening to the melody of the language. How many hours it takes, depends on the skill level you are aiming for.
Generally, it is said to take between 200-600 hours of language studies to learn Swedish. Although, the journey is of course individual.
- Beginner: If all you want is to get by in everyday life or while traveling to Sweden, aim for beginner level. Dedicate 200 hours of language studies, boiling down to approximately 7 hours a week, you will reach beginner level within six months.
- Intermediate: Carry out simple day-to-day conversations on familiar topics by dedicating around 350 hours. Give your studies 6-7 hours a week and you will reach this level of fluency within one year.
- Advanced: Do you want to be completely fluent in Swedish? In that case you're recommended to dedicate 600 hours of language studies. If you spend 12-15 hours a week to learning Swedish you might become fluent in Swedish within one year.
It all comes down to how dedicated you are learning the language and becoming fluent, and also how you decide to go about your studies.
How should I go about my Swedish studies?
In today's digital society, you have plenty of options as to how you learn Swedish. If you haven't made the move to Sweden yet, you are going to benefit from using some free online resources prior to moving. And if you are already getting started with language classes, adding some fun and engaging resources may help you feel motivated, measure progress and tailor your learning experience.
Let us have a closer look at the resources available to learn Swedish.
- Svenska för Invandrare (SFI). All foreigners and newcomers to Sweden are offered a basic Swedish course for free. This is called SFI (Swedish for foreigners) and provides you with a basic understanding of the Swedish language. Once you are admitted, a personalized study plan will be placed to fit your goals, skill levels and preferred study method.
- Classes online. Whether you want to get in touch with a private tutor from Superprof, or attend classes hosted by Folkuniversitetet, you have the option of learning Swedish through online courses.
- Textbooks. There are plenty of educational textbooks available to help you learn Swedish. The most popular one is called 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.
- YouTube. Not using the free online content available would be a stupid move. Streaming services such as YouTube offers a wide variety of educational content that will help you learn Swedish in a fun, bite-size approach.
- Language apps. This method of learning has become widely appreciated in the past few years, and rightfully so! Check out the apps Mondly, Duolingo and HejSvenska to boost or start off your Swedish language studies.
Learn some good-to-know words and count to ten
The Swedish dictionary holds approximately 600,000 words. You won't be able to learn all of them. I'm native Swedish and I for sure don't know all of them. But I do know the important ones, like kaffe (coffee) and kanelbulle (cinnamon bun). And so could you!
The tricky part about swedish words is that they're often not pronounced the way they are spelled. Also we tend to compound words. We're a bit complicated like that.
You are going to learn all about Swedish grammar, pronunciation and communication skills. But let's start off with some basic words you will be glad to know at the beginning!
- Hi - Hej [hej´]
- Bye - Hej då [hej|då]
- Thank you - Tack
- Sorry - Förlåt [fœɭ'oːt]
- You're welcome - Varsågod [va´rså‑ el. ‑go´d]
- Good morning - God morgon [go(d)mår`(g)on]
- Good night - Godnatt [go(d)nat´]
- Yes - Ja
- No - Nej
- Excuse me - Ursäkta mig [u`r‑ el. ‑säk´ta] [mej]
Of course you might also want to be able to order some Köttbullar [²ɕ'œtːbɵlːar] (meatballs) when you pay a visit to IKEA.
Knowing some basic phrases might also make you feel a bit more at ease when getting to know your new home. Why not look into some greeting phrases and other good-to-know sentences to help you get by.
- How are you? - Hur mår du?
- I'm fine, thanks - Jag mår bra, tack.
- Excuse me, where is the restroom? - Ursäkta mig, var ligger toaletten?
- Do you speak English? - Talar du engelska?
- It's nice to meet you! - Trevligt att träffas!
- Have a nice day - Ha det bra!
Learn to count to ten!
"Tre kanelbullar tack!" (three cinnamon buns, please!)
Maybe it's not so much about knowing how to count to ten. But to understand some numbers can be very helpful when you are learning a new language. If you want to learn how to count to 100 in Sweden then go for it! But let's have a look at 1-10 to begin with.
- Ett
- Två
- Tre
- Fyra
- Fem
- Sex
- Sju
- Åtta
- Nio
- Tio
The trickiest part is number seven, as the sound you make to say sju is often a tongue twister for other native speakers. The trick is to start off with a whistle sound, or the way you would start a whistle sound. Learning to master this sj- or sk-sound might be hard practice but also necessary.
Other words starting with this sound is sjuksköterska (nurse), sjöman (sailor) and skön (comfortable).
What is the best way to learn Swedish?
What might be the best way for me to learn a new language, might not be the best way for you. So keep that in mind. We are all individuals with different needs when it comes to learning new things, as well as different set of skills and weaknesses.
However, the most common answer to your best way to learn, is by doing so in a way that you enjoy doing. Because when we enjoy doing something, we want to do more of it which leads to faster learning and often a more diverse learning experience.
So how would you enjoy to learn your new language? Perhaps by reading books, watching movies and listen to podcasts in Swedish? These often help you learn the melody of the language, practice pronunciation and pick up on valuable communication skills.
Adding some language learning apps, online classes and textbooks to the mix probably won't be of any disadvantage.
The best way to learn Swedish is to create a combination of different learning methods that excite you, fit your needs and are tailored to your preferred study technique. In order to do that, you probably need to be aware of what you need in order to learn. It is also something a Superprof tutor could help you with.
This way you could, technically, learn Swedish on your own. But in order to succeed you need to be structured, determined and actually put in the hours necessary to become fluent in Swedish. If you do that, you will speak Swedish in no time!
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