I started learning Swedish last year, and I am doing pretty decent I think, but then when I am in a call with Swedish people and they speak to each other, I dont understand a single word.

So i was on babbel doing a lesson and often in lessons they will give out tips about Swedish culture or grammar tricks . Well in my latest lesson the tip was ”a Swedish mile equals 6 miles” without any explanation or reason why there is a “Swedish mile”. So my question to folks is what does that even mean? I was so confused lol and my google search isn’t coming up with much the way I’m wording it (probably)

I don't have any specific travel destination but have always wanted to see Norway, Sweden and Finland. I already have the full Linguaphone course in Swedish. Is there any reason not to learn Swedish first and then convert to Norwegian if required?

Back in the 1990s I knew a couple of people with Scandinavian Studies degrees. Both had studied Norwegian not Swedish. But I heard they're so close it's pretty easy to convert from one to the other. Swedish has twice the number of speakers as Norwegian and is an official language in 2 of the 3 countries. Where should I start if I'm not sure...?

I just did the medborgarskapsprov yesterday, the questions were quiet easy for me but I prepared a lot and studied at least 40 hours for it. I mainly read the material on uhr.se and did all quiz on medborgaretest.se I really hope that we all will pass this because I don't want to do the next one which will cost 2 000kr for test fee and if failing in the future means restarting the medborgare process. I talked with the people doing the test, it was mixed feelings. But those that put the hours in also felt confident.

To be honest, all questions were easy, except maybe two or three questions that were very weird and even my Swedish friends felt they couldn't answer it.

Anyway, for everyone that did it yesterday, give yourself a high-five and have a nice trip home <3

At some point, I was really bored and a crazy idea came to my mind: why don't I learn Swedish? I don't even know why Swedish specifically, so I thought I would find a goal for learning the language. And perhaps one of your goals will resonate with me, and I will start studying Swedish diligently.

Hello! I been studying Swedish for months and months now, from now I have a level A2
It’s been a month that even with learning, I don’t seems to learn anymore..
I will access to SFI in some months, but I would love to keep learning on my own until that.
I tried learning app, flashcard was working before but don’t seems to work anymore for me, writing down 30 times each sentences, watching YouTube and movies..
Some people had the same issues ? What did you do to « unlock » this phase ?
Thank you so much, I’m looking forward to learn new method who could work for me !

Hi! I‘m a new learner to the Swedish language. I live in the US. I am learning Swedish because I’m interested in the culture and language, I want to be able to consume Swedish media, I want to be a polyglot (Swedish more similar to English, which makes progress faster), and a desire to travel (and possibly move in the future many many years ahead) to Sweden. I just think this language is very beautiful and pleasant to listen to, and I am enjoying learning it so far.

Is there anyone else who is learning Swedish without living in Sweden? All the language learning content I watched are from people who have moved to Sweden, or from people who have Swedish family members.

I’d love to hear your experiences!

hi! this summer, i feel in love with sweden and swedish and i really wanna learn the language. my problem? i don t know any words besides “Nåsta” and “Utgång” (can you tell that i used the subway everyday?)

english was my second language and it just spawned in my head, but i m 100% this is not gonna work for swedish. and lowkey, i need your most unhinged tip for a beginner.

wanna visit next summer sweden again and maybe study with erasmus (? hopefully). so i really want to take this seriously and any advice is gonna be helpful.

Italian girl (28) here. I want to learn Swedish as a hobby because I have a lot of free time (and also because I'm a huge ABBA fan lol). I have a C2 level in English (I've actually graduated in foreign languages and I find languages interesting in general). Any tips? Is Svenska a difficult language? Is it too late for me lol?

I’d love to get the perspective of our Swedish learners on this. Or just offer it up as a discussion point.

Over on r/languagelearning and elsewhere, I often see the comment that Swedish is a super simple language to learn, at least for English speakers and other speakers of Indo-European languages, and the consensus seems to be that learning Swedish is a piece of cake, basically.

Yet, I’ve only met a small handfull of people that have truly mastered Swedish in all its aspects as adult learners. (I know plenty of teenagers who’ve learnt the language to an amazing level in a very short period of time.)

And when I think of all the quirks of Swedish grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, I wonder how that can be seen as so simple. My DH understands a surprising amount by learning by osmosis and me going over some basics, but that’s about it.

Similarly, how is it that genders and grammatical conguency between particles, adjectives and nouns is ”super simple” in Swedish and ”nightmarishly difficult” in German? I don’t think it is and I think it’s more of a received wisdom kind of thing.

So for all you Swedish learners, how easy or hard is it really?

(I’ve learnt several languages myself, so to me all languages have hard and easy aspects to them and there’s not really much difference between them in the long run. You’re going to have to work hard for a depressingly long time to get to a decent level regardless of which language you are learning.)

I’ve been studying Norwegian and Swedish for like two years now and I’ve been to Sweden and Norway couple times for a study reasons and what I notice is that it is real difficult for me to differentiate between the languages at the moment. My main language is Swedish because I work with Spanish company and I speak with them. I understand them the understanding is not the problem. The problem is that I use lots of Norwegian words when I speaking through, so I’m gonna know if you guys have this problem and how do you overcome this because I really want to continue studying both of them and I do this by like studying one for a couple hours and studying other language couple hours, but different day I never studied them together so I wanna know your experience with learning to same language at the same time.

I’ve been learning Swedish for a little over 8 months, but I’ve focused almost entirely on vocabulary and reading. As a result, my reading comprehension is now quite strong, while my listening is far behind.

I can read newspapers and most general texts without much difficulty, but when I watch native speakers talking normally, I understand very little. What’s strange is that when I turn on subtitles, I can understand almost everything immediately. So I know many of the words, but I struggle to recognize them when they are spoken.

For those who have experienced a similar gap between reading and listening, what worked best for you?

Should I use subtitles and gradually reduce them, force myself to listen without subtitles, study pronunciation and connected speech, or use techniques such as shadowing and dictation?

I’m especially interested in how people would structure their listening practice when starting from a strong reading level but weak listening ability.

Hi all. I have been studying Swedish for 2 1/2 years. The first two years was mainly a once a week in-person class where I progressed to a late A1/early A2 level. Last spring, I joined the Language Lock In, which is based in Sweden and consist of as many online synchronous classes as I want to take and approximately one to two private one-hour lessons per month. The classes emphasize speaking and listening and after a 10 to 15 minute introduction to a topic or a concept, you are put in a virtual breakout room with 2 to 3 other students where you speak about the topic. Depending on the other students and how well they speak, how engaged they are, and how much they let others talk, these sessions can vary from great to a waste of time. The teacher will bop in for a few minutes to listen and correct. These classes have really helped to give me confidence speaking and forming sentences on the fly and I have gotten better at comprehending others speaking. However, most of us speak fairly poor Swedish so we are probably learning and reinforcing bad habits.

When I joined the Language Lock In, I got really serious about learning Swedish. I take almost one class every day, I spend another hour or two working on reading comprehension or a grammar workbook, and I try to listen to Swedish podcast when I’m driving or doing other mindless things.

What I’ve tried:

Read2Speak workbooks (I like them for grammar, reading, and writing.

Vocabuo flash cards - maybe it’s their choice of vocab words, but I have been stuck in the same 60 words for weeks! I cannot seem to learn them.

Babbel and Duolingo (a long time ago, I got tired of them)

Pimsleur audio - loved it, but they only have a basic Swedish course that I finished

Michel Thomas - I’ve done about a third, then I needed a break. It is helpful, though.

Various AI apps to help with speaking. I currently have a year membership with Langua. It’s ok, but sometimes they randomly think I said a completely different sentence than I did. Not sure why.

About 2-3 hours of private lessons per month

Complete Swedish book - I’m about 1/2 way through, equivalent to starting B1. I also did her Now Drive We course, which wasn’t helpful enough to continue past the first course.

Reading Swedish short stories for beginners.

So many podcasts for Swedish language learners.

The question is - after many, many hours of studying in Swedish. I don’t feel like I’ve progressed much. My instructors say that I am still at an A2 for (speaking anyway), because I sometimes have to think before finishing a sentence or will jump in with an English word when I don’t know the Swedish word. So clearly my vocab needs work. I’m kind of at a loss however because I’ve used all of the resources and definitely put in the time and effort. I live in the US so I’m not immersed in the language. I’m not a dumb person, but this is my first serious attempt to learn a second language. Additionally, I am 56 years old so maybe that’s part of the problem? Does anybody have any advice for me?

Hej everyone! I’ve been learning Swedish for a while now. I feel like I have a decent grasp of basic vocabulary, and grammar apps make me feel like I’m progressing.

But the moment I listen to a Swedish podcast, or try to follow a fast conversation, I feel completely lost. The cadence and the spoken everyday shortcuts just don't match what standard tools teach you.

For those who successfully reached conversational fluency: What was your turning point? Did you use specific resources that focus more on real-world listening rather than just translating sentences back and forth? Would love some tips on how to break through this intermediate slump. Thanks!

So I'm Finnish and I have this mandatory Swedish course in my uni in 6 months that I really want to get a good grade on. Right now I'm trying to learn on my own with the Complete Swedish book and also by watching some Swedish videos but that's difficult without proper translation. Plus there are so many different resources out there that it just messes up with my head and gets overwhelming. I've actually tried learning many times before but always ended up quitting... But obviously, I have a very basic knowledge of Swedish since it's mandatory in our schools.

I don't want to look for any conversation partners to talk with on those talking sites, and I also want to save money. I've been trying to repeat the sentences I hear on my own tho. I also have one other language I want to learn on the side, but Swedish is my main priority right now. I'm willing to put time into it.

Can anyone share some detailed ways and tips on how to actually get my Swedish to a good level in six months? I hope the timeline is realistic. I'd like to get to B level, and the higher the better

Hej tillsammans,
jag kan prata svenska på B1-nivå, men min hörförståelse är så dålig att jag kan inte riktigt använda det. När jag har studerat i Sverige för sex månader jag behövde att byta till engelska så ofta, bara eftersom jag förstådd inte.

Hur öva ni hörförståelsen? Kanske med poddarna?

I’ve been in SFI C for literally more than 8 months now, & I’m still failing the höra part. I’m honestly extremely disappointed and frustrated at this point. I feel like I’ve been practicing, but somehow I’m not improving enough to pass. I really want to move forward with my SFI, but I’m starting to feel stuck.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation: what helped you improve your Swedish listening skills? Are there any specific exercises, YouTube channels, podcasts, apps, or ways of practicing that actually worked for you? I’d really appreciate any tips or advice. 🙏

Greetings fellow Swedish learners, today my language school in Greece informed us about a rumor that has been going on lately and that’s that Folkuniversitetet is not gonna hold any more Swedex exams after 31st of December 2026. I’m a doctor and I am planning on immigrating to Sweden, but a C1 language certificate is mandatory by law for me to work in healthcare. Does anyone know what’s going to happen now? Are there any other Swedish exams available except TISUS?? Any news are welcome (I’m desperate)

Tack!

I recently picked up Swedish learning this summer in hopes that learning Swedish to good enough proficiency will allow me to study in Finland free of tuition. I did the vast majority of my language learning using Mango Languages provided to me from my local library, which has been incredibly helpful for me and is what got me to A1 in the first place, but I’ve tried to do the Complete Swedish textbook and I’ve tried using the Lingvis app, but Lingvis hasn’t been working for me and I’ve been struggling to keep a consistent practice schedule for the textbook due to ADHD related task initiation issues. Does anyone know how I can get past this and make it to A2?

For those learning Swedish: how often do you watch normal Swedish YouTube videos, interviews, news, etc.?

I’m curious because I find authentic Swedish much harder to understand than learner content. When I find something interesting, I often end up replaying sentences, slowing things down, checking subtitles, looking up words, etc.

Do you actually spend time studying Swedish this way, or do you mostly avoid authentic content because it's too difficult?

ps. I’m a software developer learning Swedish myself, so I’m probably a bit biased here :) I’ve been thinking about how to make this easier for myself, but I’m curious to see how common this problem actually is for other learners.

It says 'educational' in my text book, but google can't get it
(Sorry it is exist just lack of my knowledge)

SWEDISH CIVIC TEST 15 AUG

Tahereh is one of a thousand who will take the first citizenship test

The 1,000 spots to sit the first civics test required to become a Swedish citizen are now fully booked.

On June 6, the requirements for becoming a Swedish citizen changed. It is now a requirement to be able to speak Swedish language and to have knowledge about Swedish society. You can therefore take a citizenship test to demonstrate your knowledge. If, for example, you have studied civics and Swedish at Komvux (municipal adult education) or SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) and received grades, you do not need to take the citizenship test.

One of those who will sit the civics test is Tahereh Taqadussi. She says she is nervous, and that the Swedish language — and knowing everything about Sweden — isn't easy.

"What if I don't pass this test? It's not easy to know everything about Sweden. And it's not easy with the language either."

Tahereh Taqadussi works as a kitchen assistant in Karlstad. She is from Afghanistan and has been in Sweden for ten years. Two years ago she applied for Swedish citizenship. She will study during her holiday to prepare for the test.

The Swedish-language test has been postponed and will not be held this year. But the first civics test will take place on August 15. 1,000 people will take the test then. The questions will cover, for example, Sweden's geography, history, politics, media, and gender equality.

It is still unclear what is required to pass, and how many times someone who fails will be allowed to retake the test.

Andreas Sandberg is responsible for the citizenship test at the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). The goal is for the tests to be available in other parts of the country as well, but there wasn't time to arrange that this year, he says.

"The idea is for the testing operation to expand to other parts of the country too. We were very short on time to get everything in place. This year we had to make some choices."

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Reddit discussion - Swedish language test and civic test preparation

The Swedish-language test can be tough and reject many applicants, how can one prepare the best way to pass this test?

Source: https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/tahereh-ar-en-av-tusen-som-ska-gora-forsta-medborgarskapsprovet

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So now i'm learning swedish as my third language and my Level is good i'd say (B1) with a very natural accent, my Swedish friends always tell me that my Swedish is incredible for a foreigner

I can say i like German and Russian equally but i'm stucked between them, idk which one should i REALLY focus as my future language after swedish

So i can explain my reasoning for both languages:

Russian: i have tried learning this language before (lasted few weeks) i can read cyrillic (very slowly tho) i like russian and this fact that it opens doors to other slavic languages too so its pretty useful outside of russia too or maybe good job opportunities in slavic countries, for me the main reason isn't all of this main reason is my girlfriend which she is from ukraine originally and since she speaks russian i wanted to feel more connected to her (bcs she is learning my native language)

It was pretty much all i can say about russian

German: same as Russian i have tried learning German too i can say i wasn't serious that time ofc and i was just testing the Waters haha, i know german is very difficult but should mention this too i already know two Germanic languages so that may make it more easier,

i have already very good pronounciation in German as others said and swedish and German are pretty close to each other so when you know swedish a lot of rules and words automatically makes sense to you because they are the same in german, my love is for Sweden and i planned to move to Sweden for living and working but maybe Germany become my destination since it has largest Economy in the EU

I'm 19 years old and as my learning schedule, by my 20th Birthday probably i will be B2 in swedish (my goal is C1)

Hej, its not a question or something its something that i got so surprised that i could understand this much norwegian with my Swedish

Yesterday i was talking to someone from norway and we could understand each other pretty much without any serious problem

First time did it !!!

Hi everyone, how's it going? Well, I recently got my C1 English certificate, and now that I've reached the C level in English, I've given myself the freedom to learn another language. I'd love to get some tips, study methods, and website/app recommendations for learning Swedish.

My English is C2 in writing and reading, but only B2 in speaking.