Archive for August, 2009
Buying a Car in Sweden Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 31, 2009
A few days ago one of the readers of this blog asked a question about car dealers in Sweden. He wanted to know whether they are as pushy and obnoxious as their American counterparts. That’s a very good question, but I am not sure whether I am the right person to answer it. Why? I’m…
Dem Pesky Personal Pronouns Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 26, 2009
The other day I got an email asking me to clarify which form of the third person plural personal pronoun (that would be the Swedish equivalent of “they” in English) was correct. The question, of course, was about “de” and “dom”. Hmmm… it’s an interesting question. Both of those words are pronounced the same –…
The End of Apoteket (well, almost) Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 24, 2009
If all goes well, very soon you’ll be able to buy over the counter and prescription medications at your local ICA supermarket! Yay! I’d say it’s about time! You see, until July 1st of this year, Sweden was one of the very few countries left in the world with a state-controlled pharmacy monopoly. That has…
Fun Places in Sweden – Öland Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 21, 2009
If you read with some regularity what I write here on this blog, you might have gotten the impression my most favorite places in Sweden are all in the north. True, many of them are, but not all. Take Öland, for example. Definitely not in the north. In fact, as far as Sweden goes, it’s…
What’s the deal with själv? Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 16, 2009
I was talking to an American gal who teaches Swedish (in the US) the other day and there was one thing she said that just stopped me dead in my tracks. And that was “själv is a reflexive pronoun.” What? Please don’t tell me this is what teachers of Swedish in the US tell their…
Driving and Driver’s Licenses in Sweden, part 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 11, 2009
So, let’s say you’ve been living in Stockholm, or in another big city for a while. You don’t own a car, because a) public transport is excellent, and b) you ride your bicycle pretty much everywhere pretty much year round. But then your sambo announces that he/she got a job in the sticks. And so…
What Time Is It? Posted by Transparent Language on Aug 7, 2009
About an hour ago I was struggling to explain to someone how to say what time it is. In Swedish naturally. You see, again, it’s one of those things that is deceptively easy on the surface and so similar to English that we tend to forget that there are a couple of bits that are…