Archive by Author
Job Scam Targeting English-Speakers Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 25, 2008
I was going to tell you about “tvättstuga” today, but then realized that there are more pressing subjects in the world today. And no, I am not talking about the American banking crisis. I am talking about this article in The Local: “An experienced scam artist has been targeting English speaking jobseekers in Sweden, luring…
Swedish Verbs, part 2 Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 23, 2008
A few posts back we started to discuss Swedish verbs, remember? And I told you that those verbs can be divided into two big groups: “ar” and “er”. I also mentioned that there is a third group and then promptly refused to say anything else about it. Oh yes, that third verb group. This is…
Stick It To The System(et) Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 21, 2008
So, I’m half way through this Bill Bryson book “Neither Here Nor There” about his travels in Europe, and it is really interesting to read his observations about Sweden. With some of them I disagree (he thinks that driving even during sunny days with the headlights on is stupid) and with some I totally agree…
Swedish Customer Service Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 17, 2008
Few topics can fire up an expat living in Sweden as much as “Swedish customer service.” Or not even an expat. Swedes, who lived abroad for an extended period of time, like to discuss it, too. Really, it’s one of those ever-green subjects that can go on forever. And just what is it about the…
Swedish Verbs, part 1 Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 12, 2008
Long, long time ago, I think in one of my earliest posts, I said that Swedish verbs are easier than English. And for the most part, that is indeed true. There is no goofy “–s” in the third person singular, no irregular “to be”, the auxiliary “do” is gone altogether, and “have/has” is simply “har”…
Finland Swedish – Finlandssvenska Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 9, 2008
I’m sorry this post is a bit late. But I have a good excuse. I’ve been away. I went to Finland! Oh yes, I can just feel your excitement in the air like static electricity. But wait a second now! There is a reason why I am writing about Finland here. You see, they also…
Real Gender Specific Nouns Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 4, 2008
In my last post, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I showed you a Swedish noun with a “real” gender. A noun that has both a male and a female version. That word was “skådespelare” which means an “actor”. This is actually a bit similar to what happens in English as well. We have an actor…