The Swedish Kitchen Series: Frukost Posted by Chelsea B on Jan 14, 2021
The building blocks of a successful day come from your first meal – frukost, breakfast. Many folks simply grab a piece of fruit and cup of coffee as they spring out the door. But when Swedes take the time, they are sure to cover every food group in their first nosh of the day. In…
Discover Laleh’s “Sand överallt” on the Musikblogg Posted by Chelsea B on Jan 8, 2021
You’ve made it to the first Swedish blog post of the new year – grattis! 🥳 If you’re a new subscriber, välkommen! If you’re a weekly reader, hej och tack for your readership each week! My first post of each month always has a connection to music. Music is one of my absolute favorite language…
Hot Topic: Mellandagsrea and Corona Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 29, 2020
Welcome to “the between days!” Mellandagarna refers to the days between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Children are home on school break, employees enjoy some much needed respite, and Swedish retailers offer end of the year sales. In a typical year, the streets are bustling with shoppers taking advantage of sales. This week, we’ll…
Glögg: Swedish Christmas in a Cup Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 24, 2020
Mulled wine, Glühwein, glögg! A cup of this warm, aromatic drink is a must around Christmas time. Swedes purchase glögg in a ready-made bottle or brew their own with red wine, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom – serve with a pepparkaka, and you’re all set! This week, we’ll learn a bit about the history of glögg…
Ollie’s Ski Adventure is a Wintertime Classic Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 17, 2020
Olles skidfärd (Ollie’s Ski Trip) is a Swedish classic. Elsa Beskow’s winter tale follows young Olle’s wish for snow and the magic that follows on his first ride with a new pair of skis. Let’s read a passage of the story, learn some wintery vocabulary, and discuss a couple of much-needed modernizations to the text. …
Building Particle Verbs with Gå Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 11, 2020
Verbs start out as just one word like in the example “Speak.” But when they add a particle “Speak” + “up” = “Speak up” the meaning changes completely. The short words that help transform regular old verbs into particle verbs, or phrasal verbs, are common prepositions or adverbs – so you’ll recognize them! Words like…
Musikblogg: Fill in the Blank with SVT’s Musikkalendern Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 4, 2020
SVT is treating us this year with the premier of Musikkalendern (Music Calendar). In typical advent calendar fashion, a different artist gives a personal greeting and in-studio performance each day of December until Christmas. The best of the best in indie, pop, rap, and rock, and classic vocals join together in an attempt to bring…