There was an article in the Guardian this week about a town in the north of Sweden which is running a campaign to encourage people to “säg hej” (“say hi”, but the Swedish “say hey” rhymes nicely).
Good luck with your Swedish studies. We are only ten million who speak Swedish, so we warmly welcome you to the group.
Swedish is a Germanic language and closely related to the other Nordic languages: Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese, but also related to languages such as English, German, and Dutch. If you can read Swedish, you can also read Norwegian and Danish, understand certain words in Icelandic and Faroese, and see the similarities with certain words in English and German.
I want to thank you for a very fine and beautiful blog that brings me joy every Sunday!
Saying “good morning”, apparently randomly in London??! You are viewed with horror and as a freak. I do this DELIBERATELY in our office lift on arriving in the morning: the cheeriest “good morning” and a broad grin. I work with a lot of actuaries. They look traumatised by the time of my exit on the fifth floor.
I have just returned from Japan where I was effectively mute for eleven days and reduced to the status of a helpless child by my inability to read or speak the language. Luckily my son was our guide and is fluent but it was still very strange to have my personality silenced along with my voice. Thank you was the most important word I learnt. And I'd like to thank you too for making your excellent writing available without a paywall.
I found this so interesting. We have been to Sweden often. We started because of my husband’s fascination with the Henning Mankell novels. We’ve explored that part of the country several times (it’s beautiful and not remotely crime ridden as far as we can tell). But the TV films of the novels (with subtitles - and the Martin Beck novels have been well televised too) are a good way to get some small grip of the language although we joke that our vocabulary is limited to such phrases as “The gun was a Glock 13” or similar. I agree it’s a fascinating language and the way that the Swedes slip effortlessly into perfect English (and other languages) is mortifying.
I love Swedish which I learned many years ago because one of the other exchange students had been Swedish and I wanted to go there. I did - biked around the country twice. As a former linguist and language learner myself I complagree with your annoyance at the setup of the text books used. And it may not be easy to go out and find a Swedish friend to have all these conversations with that you want to have. But when you get to Sweden, yoy will! Och barbarn skall kommer...
Over many years of visiting friend/not-family in Denmark, I’ve picked up enough Danish to understand some simple Swedish too. Which is pleasing when watching eg The Bridge with subtitles. I can almost fool myself that I actually understand it.
Hoping to do a visit to Sweden, Finland and Denmark next summer, so looking forward to (re)reading about your travels in the Nordic countries. Esp hoping to fit in visits to Skansen and the Larsson house 🤞🏼
What a wonderful challenge. I’m always fiddling with different languages. I wonder if you’ve come across Coffee Break Swedish and I think there’s an accompanying book. They’ve a big discount this weekend but I do the free podcasts. Perfect for fika! I’d got fed up in my Spanish class with exactly the sorts of lessons you describe so I’m now doing one on one by zoom and it’s a great investment as it’s tailored to my interests. You don’t have to be very good at a FL to understand poetry. I remember French coming alive when we studied Dejeuner du matin. I had a Swedish student who did the most wonderful presentation on children’s books in Swedish. They are beyond fabulous with their illustrations..,that’s where to start! Language will be perfect. There’s also some amazing medieval poetry -Havamal I remember which I think was in an early Swedish dialect of Old Norse. Good luck.
I’m also someone who likes fiddling with different languages for fun! In my case, I’m learning Danish, as my stepdad’s family are from Odense, and I’m hoping to start learning Latvian for my job. Thanks for recommending the Coffee Break series--I’ll have to see what languages it’s available in!
If you learnt French in a UK state school in the early 1980s, a key phrase was ‘Le singe est dans l’arbre’. With multiple variations: ‘Ou est le singe?’ ‘Regardez - il est dans l’arbre’ etc. Eddie Izzard also did a very funny routine, in his case imagining a scenario in France where it would be useful to discuss a monkey in a tree.
I must look for the Eddie Izzard sketch! We seemed to learn a lot about pencils and rubbers - also the French for penknife. My poor German and Swedish-speaking husband thought until I set him straight recently that "le canif" was the French for table knife. Thankfully I've never heard him asking for a penknife in a restaurant in France.
I love hearing about your Swedish explorations! For a couple of years, when I was ten, my dad worked in Sweden, and we all moved to Stockholm - the most exciting interlude in my otherwise suburban childhood. I went to an international school so my Swedish never became brilliant, but I liked making what I called 'Swedish noises' - that inhale of breath as they say 'ah' and 'ja, juste!', or a disbelieving 'nej!' 'De djorde inte!'. I went back to Stockholm with my own kids this summer (nearly 40 years later!) and it was so wonderful to hear the rhythm of Swedish again (and to visit Svenkst Tenn, even if I could only run to half a metre or fabric!)
To my deep shame, I fluently speak only Appalachian English, which often inhibits my conversations with folks from off the mountain… I recall vividly my fascination when sitting at a table in England with couples from Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada, and India and they all conversed in French AND English fluently…. And a yarn shopping experience in Okinawa where neither the clerk nor I spoke the other’s language and we were trying to discover / convey the fiber content of a gorgeous lavender skein (silk)… all ten skeins came home with me, btw… I am of an age where only Spanish or Latin was offered during my public school education. And while I can read Medieval Latin and speak Medieval English, I find little use for either… lycka till!
My husband has been learning Dutch for sometime. He is an English retired teacher of English and, through My Language.com, he met and become friends with a Dutch retired teacher of Dutch. They have a weekly session on Skype where for 30 mins they both speak Dutch and 30 mins where they both speak English, and correct and advise. They talk about all sorts - politics, the arts, classical music, the state of Education in their respective countries, so not restricted by 'text book' vocab etc. My husband is much more confident and was able to deal with a difficult health situation when last in the Nethetlands. Although English is very widely spoken in the Netherlands, people appreciate it when at least try to use their language.
This is so interesting. Learning languages is so good for us. and yet, as we get older, it's not easy. Here in New Zealand, I really want to speak more in Te reo, the Maori language, so I can keep up with my family, especially the four year old granddaughter who goes to a bi lingual childcare. I have a handful of nouns but no useful sentences. This is a reminder to try harder! But really I came here to comment that I'm quite taken with the unexplained yet comfortable living room photo above. This is the room with the paint choices, it seems, marching around the walls. I like the sofa, the bookcases, and those confident chunks of colour. Brava!
My daughter is currently working in the NZ civil service and has had to become familiar with a lot of words in Te reo, because government policy documents have them embedded. It's been very interesting for her.
It seems very hard to find a Swedish course in the UK - either in person or online. Can I ask if yours is in person or if you've managed to find something good online? I've been wanting to progress with Swedish from passively understanding a good deal of what's said, thanks to a year's Norwegian course when I was an undergrad and a husband who speaks fluent Swedish, to actually being able to utter anything other than hej and that intake of breath that can mean many things. On my list of desired capability in Swedish: being able to ask in Svenskt Tenn if anything might, by any chance, be reduced in price, ordering anything in a café without the server breaking into fluent English, enquiring about elbil charging points and sympathising with your charging neighbour when the ruddy thing is taking 6 hours to charge or asking how to get the charging cable out of the supermarket wall at 10 at night in the pitch dark when the hire car manual is no help at all...
Indeed they do, and my marriage is a product of it when the department was located at Aberdeen University. I did the first year undergraduate Norwegian course as I was so bored doing my PhD in French, and that's when I met my husband of now 38 years, who was an undergrad in German and Swedish. They didn't have any suggestions last time I asked them, but things do move on especially with online courses popping up and I'll go back to them to ask. Thanks for the reminder. I'm 170 miles away, so can't do anything in person they might have for casual learners!
HEJ!
Good luck with your Swedish studies. We are only ten million who speak Swedish, so we warmly welcome you to the group.
Swedish is a Germanic language and closely related to the other Nordic languages: Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese, but also related to languages such as English, German, and Dutch. If you can read Swedish, you can also read Norwegian and Danish, understand certain words in Icelandic and Faroese, and see the similarities with certain words in English and German.
I want to thank you for a very fine and beautiful blog that brings me joy every Sunday!
Allt gott!
Gerd Pedersen in Lund
Tack så mycket!
Saying “good morning”, apparently randomly in London??! You are viewed with horror and as a freak. I do this DELIBERATELY in our office lift on arriving in the morning: the cheeriest “good morning” and a broad grin. I work with a lot of actuaries. They look traumatised by the time of my exit on the fifth floor.
I have just returned from Japan where I was effectively mute for eleven days and reduced to the status of a helpless child by my inability to read or speak the language. Luckily my son was our guide and is fluent but it was still very strange to have my personality silenced along with my voice. Thank you was the most important word I learnt. And I'd like to thank you too for making your excellent writing available without a paywall.
Really interesting about the silencing of personality. It is very disconcerting!
I found this so interesting. We have been to Sweden often. We started because of my husband’s fascination with the Henning Mankell novels. We’ve explored that part of the country several times (it’s beautiful and not remotely crime ridden as far as we can tell). But the TV films of the novels (with subtitles - and the Martin Beck novels have been well televised too) are a good way to get some small grip of the language although we joke that our vocabulary is limited to such phrases as “The gun was a Glock 13” or similar. I agree it’s a fascinating language and the way that the Swedes slip effortlessly into perfect English (and other languages) is mortifying.
I love Swedish which I learned many years ago because one of the other exchange students had been Swedish and I wanted to go there. I did - biked around the country twice. As a former linguist and language learner myself I complagree with your annoyance at the setup of the text books used. And it may not be easy to go out and find a Swedish friend to have all these conversations with that you want to have. But when you get to Sweden, yoy will! Och barbarn skall kommer...
Over many years of visiting friend/not-family in Denmark, I’ve picked up enough Danish to understand some simple Swedish too. Which is pleasing when watching eg The Bridge with subtitles. I can almost fool myself that I actually understand it.
Hoping to do a visit to Sweden, Finland and Denmark next summer, so looking forward to (re)reading about your travels in the Nordic countries. Esp hoping to fit in visits to Skansen and the Larsson house 🤞🏼
What a wonderful challenge. I’m always fiddling with different languages. I wonder if you’ve come across Coffee Break Swedish and I think there’s an accompanying book. They’ve a big discount this weekend but I do the free podcasts. Perfect for fika! I’d got fed up in my Spanish class with exactly the sorts of lessons you describe so I’m now doing one on one by zoom and it’s a great investment as it’s tailored to my interests. You don’t have to be very good at a FL to understand poetry. I remember French coming alive when we studied Dejeuner du matin. I had a Swedish student who did the most wonderful presentation on children’s books in Swedish. They are beyond fabulous with their illustrations..,that’s where to start! Language will be perfect. There’s also some amazing medieval poetry -Havamal I remember which I think was in an early Swedish dialect of Old Norse. Good luck.
I've listened to a couple of Coffee Break podcasts now - perfect while walking. I need to get to a bookshop in Sweden to look at children's books!
Oh you’re in for the biggest treat ever. They’re the absolute best. You could try Abebooks too…
I’m also someone who likes fiddling with different languages for fun! In my case, I’m learning Danish, as my stepdad’s family are from Odense, and I’m hoping to start learning Latvian for my job. Thanks for recommending the Coffee Break series--I’ll have to see what languages it’s available in!
Thanks for the pointer to Coffee Break Swedish - it seems good!
If you learnt French in a UK state school in the early 1980s, a key phrase was ‘Le singe est dans l’arbre’. With multiple variations: ‘Ou est le singe?’ ‘Regardez - il est dans l’arbre’ etc. Eddie Izzard also did a very funny routine, in his case imagining a scenario in France where it would be useful to discuss a monkey in a tree.
I must look for the Eddie Izzard sketch! We seemed to learn a lot about pencils and rubbers - also the French for penknife. My poor German and Swedish-speaking husband thought until I set him straight recently that "le canif" was the French for table knife. Thankfully I've never heard him asking for a penknife in a restaurant in France.
I love hearing about your Swedish explorations! For a couple of years, when I was ten, my dad worked in Sweden, and we all moved to Stockholm - the most exciting interlude in my otherwise suburban childhood. I went to an international school so my Swedish never became brilliant, but I liked making what I called 'Swedish noises' - that inhale of breath as they say 'ah' and 'ja, juste!', or a disbelieving 'nej!' 'De djorde inte!'. I went back to Stockholm with my own kids this summer (nearly 40 years later!) and it was so wonderful to hear the rhythm of Swedish again (and to visit Svenkst Tenn, even if I could only run to half a metre or fabric!)
To my deep shame, I fluently speak only Appalachian English, which often inhibits my conversations with folks from off the mountain… I recall vividly my fascination when sitting at a table in England with couples from Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada, and India and they all conversed in French AND English fluently…. And a yarn shopping experience in Okinawa where neither the clerk nor I spoke the other’s language and we were trying to discover / convey the fiber content of a gorgeous lavender skein (silk)… all ten skeins came home with me, btw… I am of an age where only Spanish or Latin was offered during my public school education. And while I can read Medieval Latin and speak Medieval English, I find little use for either… lycka till!
My husband has been learning Dutch for sometime. He is an English retired teacher of English and, through My Language.com, he met and become friends with a Dutch retired teacher of Dutch. They have a weekly session on Skype where for 30 mins they both speak Dutch and 30 mins where they both speak English, and correct and advise. They talk about all sorts - politics, the arts, classical music, the state of Education in their respective countries, so not restricted by 'text book' vocab etc. My husband is much more confident and was able to deal with a difficult health situation when last in the Nethetlands. Although English is very widely spoken in the Netherlands, people appreciate it when at least try to use their language.
This is so interesting. Learning languages is so good for us. and yet, as we get older, it's not easy. Here in New Zealand, I really want to speak more in Te reo, the Maori language, so I can keep up with my family, especially the four year old granddaughter who goes to a bi lingual childcare. I have a handful of nouns but no useful sentences. This is a reminder to try harder! But really I came here to comment that I'm quite taken with the unexplained yet comfortable living room photo above. This is the room with the paint choices, it seems, marching around the walls. I like the sofa, the bookcases, and those confident chunks of colour. Brava!
The 'unexplained' photo was taken in the Svenskt Tenn shop in Stockholm (link under the photo).
My daughter is currently working in the NZ civil service and has had to become familiar with a lot of words in Te reo, because government policy documents have them embedded. It's been very interesting for her.
It seems very hard to find a Swedish course in the UK - either in person or online. Can I ask if yours is in person or if you've managed to find something good online? I've been wanting to progress with Swedish from passively understanding a good deal of what's said, thanks to a year's Norwegian course when I was an undergrad and a husband who speaks fluent Swedish, to actually being able to utter anything other than hej and that intake of breath that can mean many things. On my list of desired capability in Swedish: being able to ask in Svenskt Tenn if anything might, by any chance, be reduced in price, ordering anything in a café without the server breaking into fluent English, enquiring about elbil charging points and sympathising with your charging neighbour when the ruddy thing is taking 6 hours to charge or asking how to get the charging cable out of the supermarket wall at 10 at night in the pitch dark when the hire car manual is no help at all...
Edinburgh University has a Scandinavian Studies Dept. Might be worth asking them
Indeed they do, and my marriage is a product of it when the department was located at Aberdeen University. I did the first year undergraduate Norwegian course as I was so bored doing my PhD in French, and that's when I met my husband of now 38 years, who was an undergrad in German and Swedish. They didn't have any suggestions last time I asked them, but things do move on especially with online courses popping up and I'll go back to them to ask. Thanks for the reminder. I'm 170 miles away, so can't do anything in person they might have for casual learners!