Archive for the year 2009
Your Experiences – Linda från Kalifornien Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 20, 2009
Your responses to my question about how you learn Swedish and what works for you and what doesn’t were incredibly insightful and I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to share your Swedish learning experiences with the rest of us. I also think that occasional readers may miss them if…
How Do YOU Learn Swedish? Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 17, 2009
I’ve been asked recently whether I prefer language courses or self-study, and which of those two is more effective when it comes to learning Swedish. My answer: neither. The most effective is moving to Sweden and using the language in every day life. However, that option was not feasible for the person asking the question…
Swedish Gifts – Dala Horses Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 15, 2009
Thank you all who contributed suggestions for gifts from Sweden. Your ideas were great! I tend to buy gifts that I would like to get myself, and hence, they are not always very representative of the region, and certainly do not take into account the tastes and preferences of other people. Since I am not…
Special Easter Mission for You Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 11, 2009
Easter day is almost upon us and pretty soon the church bells will go crazy and wake everybody up. But before that happens, here are a few things to remember about Påsk in Sweden. It’s a two day holiday. Easter Monday is known as Annandag Påsk. What are some traditional Easter foods? This being Sweden…
Swedish Easter Traditions Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 7, 2009
So, as most of you probably know, this is the week of Easter, known in the Christian tradition as Holy Week. In Swedish, it’s Stilla veckan or Passionsveckan. And this is how the days of the Holy Week are known in Swedish: Monday – blåmåndag or svarta måndag Tuesday – vita tisdag Wednesday – dymmelonsdag…
Deconstructing Swedish Stereotypes – Blue-Eyed Blondes Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 3, 2009
Before I begin to talk about those Nordic blondes (or non-Nordic non-blondes, as the case may be), I want to thank you for your emails. It’s really touching to see that so many of you took the time to write to see if I was OK. Some of you heard or read about the chicken…
Immigration to Sweden – A Few Thoughts Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 28, 2009
Last time we talked about Swedish emigration to the US, but what about foreign immigration to Sweden? This is a subject that everybody has an opinion about and when discussing those opinions, tempers can run high, even among normally very reserved Swedes. I don’t know if as an immigrant myself, I should be even discussing…