Helpful Swedish Phrases Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 18, 2012
We try to give you a basic understanding of Swedish here at Transparent Language. We mix vocab in with grammar in with culture in with news. It’s always a challenge trying to make sure that these posts have a little bit for everyone. And we realize that that is nearly impossible. Some of you have…
Stop or shut? Posted by Stephen Maconi on Jan 17, 2012
Similar to the nouns in last Tuesday’s post, there are a number of Swedish verbs that have the same infinite form but different meanings and different conjugation. One of the best examples is the words sluta, meaning either “stop”, “end”, or “shut”, depending on its context and grammatical conjugation. It is also worth noting that…
Pronunciation of the Swedish å, ä and ö Posted by Katja on Jan 13, 2012
The Swedish alphabet consists of 29 letters. The last three are å,ä and ö. These are the only ones that differ from the English alphabet. The Swedish å-sound can either be a long sound or a short one. When being long it is pronounced like the English word fore. The short sound as in yonder…
Swedish Language Learning Humor Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 12, 2012
There comes a point in every language learner’s studies that the language is just frustrating. Swedish is no different. For some, that frustration sets in early. As early as learning you first few nouns even. En or ett? I just have to know it? There is no set rule? Nope. You just have to know…
Dust or pond? Posted by Stephen Maconi on Jan 10, 2012
There are lots of words in Swedish, just as in English, that have several meanings. One example of this relatively common phenomenon is the Swedish word damm. (Please keep in mind that the double m makes the vowel a short. If you pronounce the a long, you’re saying dam, which means ‘lady’.) Damm can mean…
“What is this?” in Swedish Posted by Katja on Jan 6, 2012
So, after looking at the feedback some of you guys sent in many of you were interested in becoming more able to have everyday conversations. I thought, since I don’t really have a good idea of what level you all are at, I start somewhere in the really basic area and work towards more complex…
Sweden’s Newest Religion Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 6, 2012
Sweden is not a religious country. At all. In fact, it is often described as one of the most secular countries in the world. That does not mean that there are not religions, or that there is no spirituality. Such things are alive and well in Sweden. In fact, Sweden has recently become the birthplace…