15 Swedish Color Words Posted by Marcus Cederström on Aug 31, 2015
I grew up in Colorado, where every fall the aspen change colors and the mountains explode in red and orange and yellow. It’s an impressive sight that doesn’t last long before the cold comes, the leaves fall, and everyone and everything waits for the snow. But when the air gets a little crisper, I’m always…
Swedish verbs: “vill” does not mean “will” Posted by Stephen Maconi on Aug 27, 2015
There’s a lot that Swedish and English have in common. There is plenty of similar vocabulary – dag means “day”, skyskrapa means “skyscraper” – and plenty of similar expressions as well. One word that is a false cognate – a faux ami – is the Swedish verb vilja. Its present form is vill, and it…
Super Scary Prepositions: Vid Posted by Marcus Cederström on Aug 25, 2015
This is the third post in a very infrequent series about prepositions. We’ve covered the preposition till and the preposition under in the past, and now it’s time for vid. Prepositions are incredibly difficult to get right when learning a new language. Unfortunately, they’re also very important to greater levels of understanding. But don’t worry!…
Back to School (to Learn Swedish) Posted by Marcus Cederström on Aug 17, 2015
A while back we wrote a post about back-to-school vocabulary titled School in Sweden Vocabulary List. It’s maybe not the most exciting title ever, but it describes what you’re getting. With school starting up again in the next few weeks, we thought it might be time to write another post about language learning in Swedish…
Five Fun Swedish Summer Vacation Tips Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jul 31, 2015
The other day, I sent an email to a library in Sweden in search of an obscure recording. ‘Twas no use. The response was simple: “I’ll be on vacation for the next four weeks.” I should have known better. It’s summer in Sweden. And summer in Sweden means vacation. Most folks working a salaried job…
Barbecues in Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jun 30, 2015
Come summer, Swedes (in one of those stereotypes that paints with broad strokes) like to be outside. That means drinking at the outdoor bars even if it’s cold (don’t worry, the bars generally provide blankets and have plenty of heat lamps), trying to get out for a swim, a bike, a hike, something, and heading…
Going to the Bathroom in Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jun 25, 2015
When learning a new language, we don’t always spend too much time on certain vocabulary—like bodily functions. A while back, Katja wrote a post titled The sensitive subject (which isn’t so sensitive in Sweden) where you can learn all kinds of vocabulary about bodily functions. It’s a wonderful list. Now it’s time to expand on…