{"id":92,"date":"2008-10-19T14:13:24","date_gmt":"2008-10-19T18:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=92"},"modified":"2008-10-19T14:13:24","modified_gmt":"2008-10-19T18:13:24","slug":"hej-kara-peter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/hej-kara-peter\/","title":{"rendered":"Hej K\u00e4ra Peter!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Peter\u2019s comment on the post below made me think. I don\u2019t write that many letters in Swedish. In fact, I don\u2019t write that many letters in whatever language \u2013 I\u2019m probably the world\u2019s worst correspondent, as my friends no doubt can tell you.<\/p>\n

So, in order to properly answer Peter\u2019s question I had to dig deep into my memory banks.
\nOf course, the most common way of starting a letter is simply by writing \u201chej!<\/strong>\u201d but that does get old after a while. Though it hasn\u2019t stopped my friend Karin from writing \u201cHej Anna!<\/strong>\u201d for the past two years.<\/p>\n

I get letters from my local clinic (v\u00e5rdcentral<\/strong>) that start with \u201cHej!<\/strong>\u201d and my bank also sends me stuff beginning with \u201cHej!<\/strong>\u201d How very boring\u2026<\/p>\n

A different, more personal way of starting a letter would be by using \u201cK\u00e4ra + name<\/strong>\u201d which is the equivalent of \u201cDear whoever\u201d when writing to close friends or relatives. So, if I want to write to my sister \u2013 Maria, I\u2019d open with \u201cK\u00e4ra Maria<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 does it make sense? Some people would go an extra step and write \u201cHej k\u00e4ra Maria.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

But wait, there is also another way of beginning a letter. You can use the combination of \u201cB\u00e4ste + name<\/strong>.\u201d Technically, it also means \u201cDear whoever\u201d but with a slightly different feel. For example, my local BMW dealership always sends me stuff with \u201cB\u00e4ste Anna<\/strong>\u201d trying to entice me use their services. So does my insurance company.<\/p>\n

And how do we end a letter? Of course everybody knows the standard \u201cMed v\u00e4nliga h\u00e4lsningar<\/strong>\u201d (sometimes abbreviated by lazy people to \u201cmvh<\/strong>\u201d) which means either \u201cBest\/kind Regards\u201d or \u201cSincerely Yours.\u201d Personally, I can\u2019t stand getting letters signed with just \u201cmvh<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 it always makes me think of Miami Valley Hospital for some reason.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re writing to somebody who\u2019s a family member or a friend, you can finish off by saying \u201ckramar<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 hugs, or \u201cpuss och kram<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 literally \u201ckiss and hug\u201d but normally translated as \u201clove and kisses,\u201d or at least that\u2019s how I\u2019ve seen it in a couple of books in English translated from Swedish.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you are writing Christmas wishes, you can say that \u201cI want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,\u201d right? So, how do you write that in Swedish?
\nJag vill \u00f6nska Er alla en God Jul och ett Gott Nytt \u00c5r!<\/strong>
\nRemember here your \u201cen<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cett<\/strong>\u201d words \u2013 \u201cJul<\/strong>\u201d (Christmas) is an \u201cen<\/strong>\u201d word, and \u201c\u00e5r<\/strong>\u201d (year) is an \u201cett<\/strong>\u201d word. That\u2019s why the adjective \u201cny<\/strong>\u201d (new) became \u201cnytt<\/strong>\u201d because it accompanies an \u201cett<\/strong>\u201d noun.<\/p>\n

\u201cEr<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 plural \u201cyou\u201d (\u201cyou\u201d as an objective pronoun) is customarily capitalized to show respect. The same also happens with \u201cNi<\/strong>.\u201d And if you want to be super polite, you would use \u201cNi\/Er<\/strong>\u201d even when talking just to a singular person. But really, I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll see it much these days outside of dull, official correspondence, and maybe in letters from your grandmother.<\/p>\n

So, k\u00e4ra Peter<\/strong>, happy writing! Let me know how it went!<\/p>\n

Image from Inspiratosa Blog<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Peter\u2019s comment on the post below made me think. I don\u2019t write that many letters in Swedish. In fact, I don\u2019t write that many letters in whatever language \u2013 I\u2019m probably the world\u2019s worst correspondent, as my friends no doubt can tell you. So, in order to properly answer Peter\u2019s question I had to dig…<\/p>\n

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