INTRODUCTION |
Hello and welcome to Swedish Survival Phrases brought to you by SwedishPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Sweden. You will be surprised at how far a little Swedish will go. |
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by SwedishPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. When you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus
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In this lesson, we continue on with basic etiquette. The Swedish are exceptionably hospitable, and phrases of gratitude and those related are used at an extremely high frequency. During your travels in Sweden, while you may not get the chance to use the Swedish phrase for "You're welcome", there's a very good chance you will hear it. |
In Swedish, "you're welcome" is var så god. |
var så god. |
Let’s break it down by syllable: var så god. |
Now let's hear it once again: var så god. |
The first word, var, is the imperative of the word “to be.” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: var |
var |
This is followed by så, which in Swedish means “so" |
så |
så |
So to recap here, we have: var så |
Literally, this means “be so.” |
Let’s take a look at the next word, god, which means "kind" or “good.” |
god |
god |
So altogether, we have: var så god. |
And literally, this means “be so kind.” |
Anothe rway of responding to a phrase of gratitudeis: inga problem, which means "no problem." |
Inga problem |
Let’s break it down by syllable: Inga problem |
Now let's hear it once again: Inga problem |
The first word, inga, means “no” |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: inga |
inga |
This is followed by problem, which in Swedish is “problem.” |
problem |
problem |
So altogether, we have: Inga problem |
Literally, this means “no problem.” |
Our first phrase, Var så god, is used in response to the phrase "thank you," which in Swedish is Tack. |
For instance, this phrase is used when the recipient of a gift thanks you, you pass someone something and they thank you, etc. |
You can also say var så god when hand something to someone before the person thanks you. |
The nuance of the phrase inga problem is more like the giver has done something quite kind and the level of appreciation is higher. |
It is also possible to combine these two sentences. The giver hands the receiver something and says var så god, like “here you go,” and then the receiver response to this action by saying “thanks,” tack. Then the giver can say “oh, no problem,” inga problem. |
Outro
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Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so lycka till, that means “good luck” in Swedish. Ok, here we go! |
"You're welcome." - Varsågod. |
Varsågod. |
Varsågod. |
"No problem." - Inga problem. |
Inga problem. |
Inga problem. |
Alright, that's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by SwedishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. When you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
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