SwedishPod101.com Blog

Ever heard of the four stages of culture shock? They are the four mental states every foreigner goes through when moving to a new country. Here’s a chart depicting each stage: Honeymoon is the period when your stay is all fun and games, and everything is still going as planned. You’re experiencing the "tourist" Sweden and you have no complaints. Fast-forward to the second or third month, and you’ll slowly but surely start sliding down into the culture shock hole. You start missing home, become sensitive to the more negative aspects of Swedish society, and begin to feel the changes that are taking effect in your life.  Thereafter comes adjustment, and that’s the period when you have to make the most mistakes and go... Show more

Ever heard of the 7-38-55 rule? Simply put, the seven percent refers to meaning communicated by spoken word, 38 through voice, and the rest (55 percent) is via body language. In other words, body language is the number-one most influential element of communication. It may be what stands between you and that next relationship, job, work contract, or even friendship. Thing is, body language is not one-size-fits-all.  It’s different from one country to another, and may take some time to learn and get used to. For this reason, learning Swedish gestures and how to use them can help you immensely as a learner of the language. In fact, there are two approaches to this… You either follow the old-school way of making... Show more

When learning a new language, you’re going to come across some surprises.  Ever heard of false friends? It’s a linguistic concept that describes similar-sounding or similar-looking words in different languages that do not have the same meaning. It’s most common among languages that belong to the same linguistic group, such as between North Germanic languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese) and West Germanic languages (English, German, and Dutch). For example, eventuellt in Swedish does not mean "eventually" as you may suppose. It actually translates to "possibly" or "potentially" in English.  And then there are untranslatable Swedish words. These are words that are used in one language... Show more

If you're planning to visit Sweden or want to move there, it's important to know about the different ways you can introduce yourself in Swedish, and how to start a conversation. Let's say you meet a new person and want to know this individual more. There are some things you should keep in mind before you introduce yourself in Swedish, since Swedish introductions are different than in other countries. That said, a simple "My name is," in Swedish can go a long way. In this article, we’ll go further into the subject of introducing yourself in Swedish so that you’ll never be at a loss for words! You’ll have the Swedish self-introduction down in no time. Table of Contents The Very First Meeting: Identifying Yourself Introductions in... Show more

Around the time of the summer solstice, Sweden celebrates Midsummer. Midsummer Sweden celebrations and traditions, such as its Midsummer magic beliefs, offer a close look at Swedish culture as a whole. And as any successful language-learner can attest to, understanding a country’s culture is essential in mastering language! At SwedishPod101.com, we hope to make this learning journey both fun and informative for you, as we go over the details of the Midsummer festival Sweden celebrates each year. 1. What is Midsummer in Sweden? Midsummer is celebrated near the summer solstice, which is the date when the day is the longest and the night is the shortest. The origin of celebrating this day is really just to enjoy the longest day... Show more

Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in Swedish could be just what you need to find it. Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your Swedish partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At SwedishPod101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your Swedish lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material... Show more

Can You Really Learn Swedish Alone? Learning a language on your own or without traditional classroom instruction may seem quite daunting at first. What if you run into questions? How do you stay motivated and on track to achieving goals? Don’t worry, not only is it possible to learn Swedish or any language without traditional classroom instruction: SwedishPod101 has created the world’s most advanced and extensive online language learning system. Not only is SwedishPod101 specifically designed to help you with learning a language on your own, it’s actually faster, more convenient, and less expensive than traditional classroom options! Let’s look at some of the benefits of learning Swedish or any language alone. Also, don't forget to... Show more

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Swedish well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Swedish conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language. Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue. For... Show more

Today, classrooms are no longer the only or even best place to learn a new language like Swedish. More and more people are finding that they can easily learn a language just about anywhere they have a few minutes of spare time, including their daily commute to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average American spends over 50 minutes a day commuting to and from work, or over 300 hours a year. Rethinking Your Daily Commute to Work But rather than simply sitting in traffic and wasting the time, you can instead use your daily commute to literally learn Swedish in just a few short months! SwedishPod101 has developed specialized learning tools that you can use on your commute to work (and home again) to master the language in... Show more

All social interactions have to begin somehow, and the most common way to start a conversation in Swedish is to exchange greeting phrases. So how do you say hello in Swedish? Well, the most common Swedish word for hello is hej, though there are several more ways of saying hello in Swedish, both informal and formal. For example: Hallå Hej hej God morgon God eftermiddag God kväll Tjena Tja How do you know which of these greetings to use and when? Don’t worry—we’ve sorted it out for you. All of these words mean hello, but some are informal, others are formal, some are slang, and others are used only in specific situations. The choice of a particular greeting phrase in Swedish can signify social status, how close you are as... Show more