SwedishPod101.com Blog

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day... Show more

Learn all the Swedish New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join SwedishPod101 for a special Swedish New Year celebration! Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated. So, how do you say Happy New Year in... Show more

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Swedish? SwedishPod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Swedish Christmas phrases! Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Swedish speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas... Show more

In most cultures, it is custom to express gratitude in some way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as follows: it is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness”. Giving a sincere, thankful response to someone’s actions or words is often the ‘glue’ that keeps relationships together. This is true in most societies! Doing so in a foreign country also shows your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power - use these ones sincerely and often! Table of Contents 12 Ways to say ‘Thank you’ in Swedish Video Lesson: Learn to Say ‘Thank You’ in 3 Minutes Infographic & Audio Lesson: Survival Phrases - Thank You Video Lesson: ‘Thank You’ in 31... Show more

Most people who learn a foreign language learn it so that they can one day have real life conversations with native speakers. When you start out learning Swedish and crack open your first textbook or listen to your first episode of SwedishPod101, having a real Swedish conversation can feel like a pipe dream. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. While it does take a significant amount of time and effort to become fluent in Swedish, having a conversation might not be as far off as you think. In this post we’ll look at three ways you can boost your Swedish conversational skills and start talking to native speakers! 1) Find native speakers and practice with them At home (locally) If you don’t live in Sweden it might be hard... Show more

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Going through lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of , but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in . This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons. We naturally translate in our heads because it's viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you're learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object... Show more

Your Learning, Streamlined – The New Lesson Interface Your learning is about to get a whole lot easier. More than ever, learners are choosing mobile as the platform to study Swedish. Mobile has always been a part of our DNA. We began our life on your iPod, and have remained by your side ever since. In our 11th year, we’re returning to our roots as a way to learn Swedish on-the-go. How? With a brand-new lesson interface just for you. Hint: It will launch in beta later this month! If you want to secure access to this brand new upgrade, take advantage of the upcoming All Access Pass Sale! Click Here to Get 25% OFF All SwedishPod101 Subscriptions! (example taken from japanesepod101.com) It’s built from the ground-up to... Show more

Have you ever returned to SwedishPod101 lessons you’ve completed? Accessing a lesson once is enough to learn more Swedish. But to master what you’ve learned, to understand Swedish the second you hear it, to read with just a quick glance, and to speak smoothly, without thinking... you need to review. In this blog post, you’ll learn the 5 review tactics and learning tools that will truly sharpen your Swedish (all of which I’ve been able to resources for on SwedishPod101.com). Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Swedish Language from the Beginning! 1. Listen to lines over and over again! One of the best ways to learn Swedish (or any language) is to listen to native speakers over and over again until... Show more

Hi Listener, Want to speak more Swedish in 2017? You need exposure to native Swedish conversation from day 1. You need a native Swedish speaker to explain it all – the words, the grammar, and cultural nuances. And you get all of that in every single SwedishPod101 lesson. In fact, we’re starting up a brand new season just in time for the New Year! Starting January 2nd, 2017, we’ll be publishing brand new seasons of Audio and Video Lessons to get you mastering Swedish the fast, fun and easy way! Want to know what you can expect? Here’s SwedishPod101’s Lesson Schedule: Monday: - Beginner - Culture Class: Essential Swedish Vocabulary Tuesday: - Video Series - Listening Comprehension Thursday: -... Show more

Every Swedish learner will have these fears – “I’m not good enough yet.” “I don’t think I’m making any progress.” “What if I never reach my goals?” Swedish learning fears – we all get them from time to time. What are yours? And are they worth being scared of? In this blog post, we’re killing the top 4 Swedish learning fears – 1) what are the fears learners tend to have the most and 2) how you can overcome them! Here are the top 4 language learning fears according to our users: 1. “I’m not good enough to start speaking yet.” Do you feel like you’re not good enough to start speaking yet? It’s a pretty common fear or misconception that most learners have. Here’s how you overcome it: The best way to get good at speaking is... Show more