Archive for January, 2012
Pronunciation of the Swedish å, ä and ö Posted by Katja on Jan 13, 2012
The Swedish alphabet consists of 29 letters. The last three are å,ä and ö. These are the only ones that differ from the English alphabet. The Swedish å-sound can either be a long sound or a short one. When being long it is pronounced like the English word fore. The short sound as in yonder…
Swedish Language Learning Humor Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 12, 2012
There comes a point in every language learner’s studies that the language is just frustrating. Swedish is no different. For some, that frustration sets in early. As early as learning you first few nouns even. En or ett? I just have to know it? There is no set rule? Nope. You just have to know…
Dust or pond? Posted by Stephen Maconi on Jan 10, 2012
There are lots of words in Swedish, just as in English, that have several meanings. One example of this relatively common phenomenon is the Swedish word damm. (Please keep in mind that the double m makes the vowel a short. If you pronounce the a long, you’re saying dam, which means ‘lady’.) Damm can mean…
“What is this?” in Swedish Posted by Katja on Jan 6, 2012
So, after looking at the feedback some of you guys sent in many of you were interested in becoming more able to have everyday conversations. I thought, since I don’t really have a good idea of what level you all are at, I start somewhere in the really basic area and work towards more complex…
Sweden’s Newest Religion Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 6, 2012
Sweden is not a religious country. At all. In fact, it is often described as one of the most secular countries in the world. That does not mean that there are not religions, or that there is no spirituality. Such things are alive and well in Sweden. In fact, Sweden has recently become the birthplace…
New Swedish words for 2012 Posted by jennie on Jan 4, 2012
God forsättning, dear blog readers! As a Swede living in England, I have recently discovered how useful the Swedish phrase “God fortsättning” is. It means something along the lines of “happy continuation” and this is the phrase we use when “God jul” (Merry Christmas) or “Gott nytt år” (Happy New Year) feels dated. Like on…
Let’s improve the blog together! Posted by Katja on Jan 3, 2012
The Swedish Blog wish you a fantastic 2012! For some of you this might be the year you finally are able to go to Sweden, for others you might make a major break through in swedish, who knows. We bloggers will try our best to help you achieve your goals concerning Sweden and our language…