Swedish Language Blog

Service is different in all countries. Compared to a country like Japan, Sweden’s train service isn’t that good maybe. The trains are very often late, or delayed by snow, accidents or because of waiting for other slower moving vehicles on the tracks.  However, to compensate for that the train companies compensate their travelers with the following system.

If you are delayed and have to wait more than 60 min but less than 2 hours then you either get compensated with 25% of the value of the ticket or 50% of the value of the ticket in vouchers. More than 2 hours delayed and the amount you receive back is more. If miss your connecting train or buss you will almost always receive compensation, eg. be allowed to take the next train, buss or if the last one has already gone be given a taxi.

However, many a time have the trains been severely delayed and announcements been made over the loud speakers without a single apology been made to the passengers. This is a issue of the culture of service in Sweden.

Swedish train delays have been a subject of discussion this past year, and there has recently been a lot more pressure put on the train companies to redo/rebuild the tracks so that there won’t be as many problems in the future. An investment which will hopefully be better for the environment as well.

In general it is fairly easy to travel between places in Sweden by train and can even be enjoyable if everything goes according to plan.

Many lines have been made to go straight past the big airports as well, for example Arlanda (Big International Airport for Stockholm) and a line straight to Copenhagen’s Airport right past Malmö central station, making even flying easier.

The biggest train company has a special point system going for it’s members (no charge to become or stay a member). For every Swedish crown you spend you receive a point which then adds up in your account. After saving up certain amounts you can buy food in the restaurant car or buy tickets for other trips, buy souvenirs or pay for hotels with your points. A great system, especially for those who travel often.

Hi All,

As you may have noticed the design of the blog has changed over the past week. This is because Transparent Language is developing an even better and much fancier design as well as changing platforms. If you guys have experienced any sort of trouble during this period, we are very sorry about that. Hold on a little longer; we are all looking forward to the new version.

And as always, if you have any suggestions/ideas either for improving the actual blog or its content, we are always appreciative.

Cheers, The Swedish Blog Team

In Sweden there are special channels which are funded by the state, making the accessible to everybody. These channels are also not supposed to have any commercials either.

Amongst the programs on these channels there is a special children’s program called “Bolibompa”. This is in Swedish the program which is called Barn Program. This program is also funded by the state and has been around for years and years, ever since it started in 1987 when it was actually just called Barnprogram.

Barnprogram is shown both in the morning from 05.30-07.00 and in the evening between 18.00-18.45 (19.00).

Over the years there have been TV shows like these have been very popular. Mainly made to help children learn the basics of letters, numbers, common sense etc. in a fun and interesting way.

Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter

Björnes Magasin

Doris och Gösta

Anki och Pytte

Myror i Brallan

All these children’s programs I think could be very good practice for your Swedish. And a great way to understand some culture aspects as well. Hope you enjoy!!

The Bolibompa site for the show nowadays is modern but still focusses on educational programs for younger kids.  They have online episodes so you can watch them online if you’ve missed any episode.

The Official Bolibompa site