This post is for move advanced learners in Swedish. Although, if you have a similar structure in your language it can be familiar for you. Present Participle or in Swedish Presens Particip is used in very many ways. It ends with -ande or -ende

• It can be a noun in a sentence: En ordförande= a chairman , ordföranden=the chairman, flera ordföranden = chairmen, ordförandena=the chairmen, Some of these nouns are very common. Don´t Think about them just learn them. Nouns can also habe different endings. Think about the very often used noun ett meddelande= a message.
• It can also  be used as an adjective: Ett sovande barn = A sleeping child, ett klingande glas= a clinking glas
• It can also be used as an adverb: Huset ligger förtjusande fint vid havet. = The house is enchantingly beautiful by the sea.

Note that the adverb talks always about the verb. Ad-verb. It´s in its name. While the adjective talks all the time about the noun.

Not really onomatopoetic words ie. sound-imitating Words but very close. They often get these endings as well. Hereby follows some examples!

De hörde ett högt donande ljud från gatan.

Jag hör en brummande björn.

Hon har ett sådant dunkande huvudvärk.

Han har en väsande andedräkt.

Skramlande bilnycklar.

Rasslande chipspåsar.

Can you translate it to your own language? Start with the Participle forms with black.

You know all of those teachers who warn you about using Wikipedia academically? Well… they have a point. Kind of. At least if you start citing Wikipedia in your university papers. Don’t. But if you’re looking to improve your language skills? Do.

There are plenty of ways to use Wikipedia to improve your Swedish language skills. Here are three specific ways to do just that:

1. Read in Swedish. Interested in learning more about Petra Mede who hosted the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest? There’s a Wikipedia page about her. Love the Swedish national hockey team? There’s a Wikipedia page about Tre kronorna. Curious about Husby, Stockholm? There’s a Wikipedia page about the suburb. Wikipedia might not be to a point where it is trusted as a cited source in research papers, but it most definitely is a great place to start. To pick up a few new facts. To practice reading your Swedish!
2. Learn vocabulary. Quick, what’s the word for Sandhill Crane in Swedish? Don’t worry, I didn’t have the slightest clue either. Know what I did? Went to the Sandhill Crane Wikipedia page and then just clicked on the link to the left that reads “Svenska.” (It’s prärietrana by the way.) It seems silly. Sometimes it is. But Wikipedia allows you to bounce around, clicking your way into a fun oblivion of new Swedish words. You can switch back and forth between your native language and Swedish or you can just work your way through the page reading and coming up with your own translation. Try it. It’s surprisingly entertaining. Plus, you learn a bunch of things you really don’t need to know.
3. Edit Wikipedia pages. Notice that the date of an obscure battle that you happen to be an expert on is wrong in the Swedish Wikipedia entry? Fix it. Realize that there is no Swedish entry about Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s play Invasion!? Write one. Disappointed that there is no English entry about your favorite Swedish astronomer, Jesper Sollerman? Translate it from Swedish into your native language. You get the idea. If you’re confident enough in your Swedish abilities, want to practice writing or even translating, Wikipedia is a great way to add to the democratization of information and learn some Swedish while you’re doing it. Of course, make sure your Swedish is at a level where you can create something that other people will be reading. If you’re not entirely comfortable using Wikipedia to edit, head over to sandlådan (the sandbox) where you can practice a bit.

Don’t limit yourself to just one strategy when learning a language. Using online sources to learn Swedish (or any language really) can be incredibly helpful. From online translators to newspapers to Wikipedia. You’ll be amazed at what you can find. And of course, Transparent Language has several different options to improve your Swedish and to test yourself. Good luck!

And seriously… someone needs to write a good Wikipedia entry about Khemiri’s play Invasion!

Who was this Swede? You probably feel like you have heard his name before, was he an author or perhaps a director? Well, depending on whom you ask in Sweden the reactions you will get will be quite different. Ask a young person and they will most likely know as much as you, but ask somebody a little older and everybody will know the name of this famous author, and for various reasons.

Strindberg was in fact an author, photographer, amateur scientist, journalist, director and even a librarian at the royal library at one point. Many others know him because of how he has expressed his hate for women in his plays.

Simple facts about the guy:

This man was born in Stockholm 1849 and was one of eight children.

Both his parents worked and didn’t have much time for him.

Strindberg was also very known for voicing his thoughts on all matters. This made things difficult for him when he decided to study medicine at Uppsala University. After many differences of opinion with his teachers he finally left the university and became a journalist for a newspaper called Dagens Nyheter. While he was writing for them he was also working as a librarian. His father did not approve of these career choices leading to a never resolved conflict between them. Strindberg died from stomach cancer in 1910. It is also to be mentioned that that was after arousing a huge debate between Swedish authors all around the country. He started this by yet again sharply criticizing a man called Heidenstam.

What Strindberg is most famous for are his plays and books, amongst others the famous Miss Julie, Röda rummet and Hemsöborna. He was born and grew up during the naturalistic period, together with many other famous authors and directors such as Zola, Guy de Maupassant and Ibsen, though it doesn’t seem like he was on such good terms with them either.

Strindberg’s plays were very liberal in the sense that he introduced never before preformed topics. Ones of the lives of the poor, giving one of two leading roles to a servant. He also let many of his plays be performed on a stage missing the fouth wall. For example a kitchen, with the audience looking onto the happenings, which had been private until then.

As for the rest of society, apart from the methods used on stage, well Strindberg had a lot to say about them too. He criticized the army, the royal family as well as Swedish academy and made many enemies as a result.

Nevertheless, many of his plays have been done over and over again, and are still appreciated today. He is a known face out into the international world of literature and drama, a person Sweden is proud to export.