Archive for 'Swedish Language'
The sensitive subject (which isn’t so sensitive in Sweden) Posted by Katja on Sep 12, 2012
Talking about pee and poo is seen in many countries as unacceptable, which is understandable. But taking it back to it’s most natural form, it shouldn’t be that funny or even something to be made a big deal out of. However it has sort of become a sensitive subject in a lot of countries. That…
Växa vs. växa – What is the difference? Posted by Stephen Maconi on Sep 10, 2012
What is the difference between the verbs växa and växa? Well, växa means ‘to grow’ and växa means ‘to grow’. Okay, then you might be wondering why I’m asking for a difference between the two. Well, there is a slight nuance between them, and that is that växa means ‘to grow’ in a human or…
Possessives not used for Swedish body parts Posted by Katja on Sep 5, 2012
Although it may seem strange, when Swedes say “Every morning I brush my hair” the literal translation from Swedish sounds more like “Every morning I brush the hair”. Varje morgon borstar jag håret. This is however not limited to brushing your hair alone, it goes for all the body parts in Swedish. In English it…
Phrases to use when meeting a Swede abroad Posted by Katja on Aug 28, 2012
Have you ever had that feeling that you want to try to speak with somebody that you are almost sure is a Swede? For example; you are out shopping and you hear what you are certain to be Swedish, since you spend so much of your free time learning Swedish it would be cool to…
How to ask for directions in Swedish Posted by Katja on Aug 24, 2012
More likely than not you will at some point have to ask for directions or be asked for them. At times like that who wouldn’t want a couple of good phrases up their sleeve? There are some basic phrases which will most likely help you in understanding what the other person is saying. In this…
Describing and asking where an object is in Swedish Posted by Katja on Aug 21, 2012
I can’t say how many times I’ve thought “had it been a snake it would have bitten me”, in other words, the object I was looking for was much closer than I thought. I thought I would share how to ask, in Swedish, where things are and of course equip you so you can answer…
How to small talk in Swedish Posted by Katja on Aug 14, 2012
Small talking is a very important thing in many cultures, maybe not so much in Sweden as in other places but still not to be underestimated. In Sweden you often try to start up a conversation by finding something in the surrounding area that you both have in common or can see etc. For example…