{"id":7017,"date":"2015-09-25T02:56:40","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T02:56:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=7017"},"modified":"2015-09-25T13:22:25","modified_gmt":"2015-09-25T13:22:25","slug":"three-common-swedish-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/three-common-swedish-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Common Swedish Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning a language can be difficult and early on (and even later on) there are some common mistakes that you\u2019ll make again and again. That\u2019s ok. But some of them can be easily remedied. Let\u2019s take a look at three common Swedish mistakes.<\/p>\n

Svart<\/em> vs. sv\u00e5rt
\n<\/em><\/strong>One pesky letter. That\u2019s all it takes sometimes to change the meaning of a word completely. In this case, we\u2019re dealing with a letter that doesn\u2019t even exist in English: –\u00e5<\/em>. But that little circle over the -a (a ring diacritic, if you want to get super technical) changes \u201csvart<\/em>,\u201d \u201cblack\u201d to \u201csv\u00e5rt<\/em>,\u201d \u201cdifficult.\u201d My trick? You can\u2019t see the circle over the -a in the blackness. And remembering that circle over the -a can be difficult.<\/p>\n

For example:
\nDet \u00e4r sv\u00e5rt att l\u00e4sa\u00a0svarta bokst\u00e4ver p\u00e5 en svart bakgrund<\/em>. = It\u2019s difficult to read\u00a0black letters on a black background.<\/p>\n

G\u00e5<\/em> vs. \u00e5ka
\n<\/em><\/strong>G\u00e5<\/em>. It sounds so similar to go. It\u2019s tricky like that. It also means \u201cgo.\u201d \u00c5ka<\/em> doesn\u2019t sound at all like go, but it also means \u201cgo.\u201d It\u2019s no wonder this one gets confused so often. But here\u2019s the trick:<\/p>\n

G\u00e5<\/em> gets used to describe moving with your feet. As in walking.\u00a0For example: Jag ska g\u00e5 hem<\/em>. = I\u2019m going to go home (by foot). Or: I\u2019m going to walk home.<\/p>\n

\u00c5ka<\/em> gets used to describe moving with help of something. As in traveling by car.\u00a0For example: Jag ska \u00e5ka hem<\/em>. = I\u2019m going to go home (by car\/train\/plane\/etc.)<\/p>\n

Be sure to check out an early episode of \u201cSwedish with Steve\u201d to get an even better understanding of g\u00e5 versus \u00e5ka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grattis<\/em> vs. gratis
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Royal Guard wished the King of Sweden “Grattis,” not “gratis.” There’s nothing free about royalty. Photo credit Marcus Cederstr\u00f6m.<\/p><\/div>\n

Grattis<\/em>, with two \u2013ts means congratulations. It\u2019s kind of like the English \u201ccongrats!\u201d Grattis<\/em> is often used as an interjection when something exciting happens.<\/p>\n

For example, if your friend just won a million Swedish kronor, you might want to congratulate them (and get on their good side). So when they told you, you might respond with a simple \u201cGrattis<\/em>!\u201d And if you\u2019re excited about someone\u2019s birthday: Grattis p\u00e5 f\u00f6delsedagen<\/em>. = Literally, congratulations on your birthday. Or: Happy birthday!<\/p>\n

Gratis<\/em> on the other hand, means free, as in you\u2019re getting something for nothing. It\u2019s used as an adjective or adverb.\u00a0For example: Ingenting \u00e4r gratis<\/em>. = Nothing is free.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the best way to remember this? Since you can’t get anything for\u00a0free, you won\u2019t be getting a second \u2013t for nothing. Congratulations. Now you can differentiate between grattis<\/em> and gratis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Learning a language can be difficult and early on (and even later on) there are some common mistakes that you\u2019ll make again and again. That\u2019s ok. But some of them can be easily remedied. Let\u2019s take a look at three common Swedish mistakes. Svart vs. sv\u00e5rt One pesky letter. That\u2019s all it takes sometimes to…<\/p>\n

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