Swedish Jul – A Christian Tradition with Pagan Roots Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 24, 2021
Swedish jul (Christmas) is more a cultural fixture than a religious observation. Its roots connect to the pagan Yuletide season, centered around the winter solstice – the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth came later. This week, we’ll discuss how modern Swedish jul tells the story of shared historical and religious practices. Roots of Yule…
Expand and Explore with Swedish Word of the Day Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 17, 2021
“Work on your Swedish every day. Just thinking about your last class or current vocabulary list can help with your Swedish studies. Ask yourself, can I name all the clothing items I’m wearing? Can I describe all the activities I see while I’m out and about?” Your Swedish instructors are probably constantly suggesting study tips…
Magdalena Andersson is Sweden’s First Woman Prime Minister Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 10, 2021
In, then out, then in again! After a political rollercoaster that lasted nearly a week, it’s official: Magdalena Andersson is Sweden’s first woman to serve as prime minister. Why did she resign almost instantly after being selected to lead the government? This week’s post will clear that up. I’ll introduce this topic in English and…
Say skål! Swedish Christmas Drinking Songs Posted by Chelsea B on Dec 3, 2021
It’s December – let the holiday festivities begin! Besides celebrating Christmas, Swedes enjoy advent and Lucia. Each holiday comes with a suite of songs that people know by heart. But at the dinner table with family and friends – a proper skål craves another type of jovial ballad – the snapsvisa. This week, we’ll cover…
The Swedish Kitchen Series: Festmiddag Posted by Chelsea B on Nov 26, 2021
The holidays are upon us! And because I’ve been busy cooking Thanksgiving dishes today, I wanted to take another look at Svenska institutet’s booklet on Swedish food and traditions,“Det svenska köket.” Festmiddag (Dinner Party) is the last chapter of the book and reflects the culture of the sometimes formal, yet relaxed Swedish dinner party among…
5 Irregular Swedish Verbs You Need to Master Posted by Chelsea B on Nov 19, 2021
A student recently reminded me how difficult it is to memorize irregular verbs in your foreign language. Well actually, she said, “Swedish irregular verbs are the worst.” Att vara, att se, att göra, to name a few, are among the most common words used in daily Swedish. Just as language learning is a balance of…
COP26 Verbs and Nouns in Swedish Posted by Chelsea B on Nov 12, 2021
The multi-day United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, is about to wrap up. Political leaders, climate scientists, and activists came to Glasgow, Scotland to spark action, address shortcomings, and reach international agreements to curb climate change. This week, we’ll look at the 8sidor article Politikerna lovar förändring (The politicians promise change), and learn some important…