Distribution of Swedish

Swedish (svenska) is a North Germanic language, closely related to Norwegian and Danish, and through them related to Icelandic and Faroese. It is strongly influenced by Low German. Spoken by over 10 million people, Swedish is the "main" language of Sweden and the official language of the Åland Islands. It is also one of the two "national languages" of Finland, along with Finnish, though the mother tongue for only about 6% of Finns, still a majority in some coastal areas and a significant minority in some towns also elsewhere.

Like for instance British and American English, there are differences between Swedish spoken in Sweden (rikssvenska) and Swedish spoken in Finland (finlandssvenska), in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, partly due to influence from Finnish in the latter, but also due to it retaining some archaic features.

Finland-Swedish is less tonal, slightly more phonetic and like in Finnish the 'r' is always trilled. There are dialectal differences inside Finland and Sweden too, most notably the Swedish spoken in Scania reminds of Danish to some extent, but Swedish speakers with different dialects seldom have difficulties understanding each other. Some archaic dialects of rural Ostrobothnia are incomprehensible, but the speakers will switch to normal Swedish when talking to non-locals.

As Swedish is a Germanic language, speakers of other Germanic languages like German, Dutch or even English will be able to recognise many cognates.

While practically everyone in Sweden under the age of 70 can speak some English, and most younger people fluently, trying out some words of Swedish is always appreciated. The same is true about the Swedish speaking in Finland. If your Swedish is strong, some Finnish speaking may appreciate using theirs, but otherwise you should probably stick to English or Finnish with people whose first language is Finnish.

Pronunciation guide

Vowels

Swedish is notorious for its extra vowel sounds, giving Swedish nine (!) different vowels. Most are pronounced differently than English, and some don't even have a true English equivalent; some may be close, but sound like a combination of two vowel sounds. This can be very confusing, but you probably won't hear enough Swedish to know the difference, as they can be very slight. If you don't get it exactly, you may still be understood. All vowels can be pronounced short or long which means that Swedish has 17 different vowel sounds (short e and short ä is the same).

Please note: in Swedish 'Y' is a vowel and not a consonant. Å, Ä and Ö are letters in their own right, in the end of the alphabet past Z.

a

like 'a' in "father."

e

short: like 'e' in "bed" or "pen." long: like 'ey' in "hey," but longer. Can sometimes sound slightly like "Ay-uh;" because the Swedish pronunciation is longer. E's are usually pronounced at the end of a word, such as in "kaffe" (pronounced kaff-eh, meaning coffee), unlike English where e's at the end of a word are usually silent.

i

short: like 'i' in "India" long: like 'i' in "machine." Fairly straightforward.

o

like 'u' in "put," but not exactly. It's somewhere between that and the 'o' in "broken" in actuality.

u

like 'ou' in "you."

y

like 'y' in "Nitroglycerin." This is one of the harder ones to learn. Easiest way is to round your lips (important) and say "bee." It may sound closer to an English short 'i' sound to some people.

å

like 'au' in "Paul" generally speaking. Similar to å in Danish.

ä

identical to the ä in German (sounds like an "e" as in "bet". Pronounced with more bass if preceding r. Corresponds to æ in Danish and Norwegian.

ö

Same as in German. Pronounced with more bass if preceding r. Corresponds to ø in Danish and Norwegian.

The pronunciation of u and y varies quite a lot between regions; all native speakers make a clear distinction, although the u of somebody may be close to y of somebody else.

Consonants

Consonants are closer to English, but some combinations can be downright tricky, i.e. 'sj' in "sjutton." Some pronunciations depend on the vowel following it, and so the vowels are divided into "soft" and "hard" vowels. A, o, u, and å are the hard vowels, and e, i, y, ä, and ö are the soft vowels. There are also some combinations of letters treated as a group for the purpose of pronunciation (e.g. ch, ng, sch, sj, tj).

b

like 'b' in "bed"

c

like 'c' in "cat", sometimes 's' like the first c in circus; a 'ch' combination is sometimes pronounced like English 'sh', but pronounced like a 'k' in the word och.

d

like 'd' in "dog"

f

like 'f' in "for"

g

like 'g' in "go", when preceding a hard vowel, like 'y' in "yellow" when preceding a soft vowel or after an 'r'. A 'gn' pronunciation is pronounced like an English 'g', except for when it follows a vowel, in which case it is pronounced 'ng+n.'

h

like 'h' in "help". A superfluous silent 'h' is common in names (e.g. Elisabet and Elisabeth are pronounced the same).

j

like 'y' in "yell," and if there is a d, g, or h before a 'j' then that letter is silent.

k

like 'k' in "king" before a hard vowel, like 'sh' before a soft one. 'Kj' is pronounced 'sh' as well

l

like 'l' in "love," but 'lj' is pronounced like a 'y'

m

like 'm' in "mother"

n

like 'n' in "nice", like 'ng' in "song" when preceding k

ng

not a letter; like 'ng' in "song"

p

like 'p' in "pig"

q

like 'q' in "quest" (with "u", almost always)

r

Like a Scottish or Spanish 'r': trilled with the tip of your tongue at the roof of your mouth. S in 'Rs' is pronounced 'sh'.

s

like 'ss' in "hiss," but 'skj' and 'stj' are pronounced 'sh.' 'Sj' is hard for non-native speakers – try rounding your lips and saying "hwoo" to get the gist of it. 'Sk' is also pronounced this way before soft vowels.

t

like 't' in "top"

tj

not a letter; like 'ssy' in "kiss you"

v

like 'v' in "victory"

w

like 'v' in "victor," but w's in Swedish are uncommon.

x

like 'cks' in "kicks", like 'ehcks' at beginning of a word.

z

like 's' in "saw"

Phrase list

Sleeper train at the railway station of Åre ski resort

Places

If going to Sweden, especially if going to any other place than Stockholm, probably the most important thing you should know in Swedish is the name of the place you are going to. Most people speak very good, fluent English, but are oblivious about the English pronunciation of the town/city you may want to visit – and this may cause significant issues at train stations, airports or bus stations since many places have pronunciations that are very different from what an English speaker would expect when looking at the written name.

Gothenburg

Göteborg (YOO-te-bore-eh) with the 'te' as in Television or ten. Some may understand the English pronunciation, but don't take that for granted.

Umeå

(YOU-meh-oh, or YOU-meh in the northern accent that is spoken close to Umeå). Note that neither pronunciation here is a really close approximation of the actual way a Swede will pronounce, but the å sound really has no correspondent in most standard English accents. Do not pronounce it Oo-mej-aah, as nobody will understand you, and you will be asked to show on the map)

Luleå

(Lyu-leh-oh). Lyu sounds close to how some dialects of English would read the lu in luminous, or to the way others would read the lew in lewd. If you find this hard, try to pronounce Skellefteå (Huell-eff-teh-oh or Shell-eff-teh-oh). Note that the u and the second h in the first pronunciation are nearly unsounded.

Växjö

(Vac h'oh), as if the two would be different words. The oh sound is close to the French eau, so don't stress the o in 'ho' though (as you would do in ho-ho-ho). Don't pronounce it as Vaks-joe, since no one will have any clue what that is.

Köping

(is pronounced almost like English 'shopping'). There are many köpings in Sweden (Norrköping, Nyköping, Köping, Söderköping), and in all, the köping part is pronounced identically. Nyköping (the small Ryanair airport for Stockholm, also known as Skavsta) is pronounced Ne-Shopping, with the Ne as in Nemo.

Öland

(eu-land) and

Åland

(O'-land), two rather large islands off the Eastern coast of Sweden. For an English speaker, their pronunciation can sound very, very similar. A confusion between the two can easily be a disaster (Åland is in Finland), so if in doubt over the exact pronunciation, either write them down, or refer to something that would distinguish them (their biggest cities, Åland to be the 'Finnish island' or the 'Ferry island', Öland the 'Swedish island' or the 'Island with the bridge'), so that you don't accidentally end up in the wrong place.

Götaland

(Yottalaand) and

Gotland

(Got laand or even 'Got land', as it would sound in English). Again two very different places, this time both in Sweden, not looking very different in spelling, but pronounced in a very different fashion.

Åre

- Oh-reh, not Ah-reh.

Many other places are pronounced in rather simpler, less tongue twisting fashions. Stockholm, Kiruna, Malmö sound in Swedish very much like they do English. If taking the train or plane to Copenhagen, remember the Swedish spelling is Köpenhamn, and is pronounced Shop-en-hamn. As most train stations do not have public announcements or information boards in English, this may be useful. Similarly, in Sweden, Helsinki is always referred to as Helsingfors (Helsing-forsh), and all roadsigns and announcements within Sweden use this term. If you want to take the ferry to Turku in Finland, remember the Swedes call the city Åbo (a close pronunciation being Oh-boh). And if going to Norway, Oslo is pronounced in a fashion rather close to the one in English.

Basics

Swedish, please Please note that the Swedish language has no exact match for the English word "please". This means that English-speaking visitors can be offended since Swedes in general tend to leave out the word in question when they speak English. This does not, however, mean that Swedes are rude, but the significance of the word "please" is usually put differently, either through a different sentence or by the tone of the voice. An example: An English-speaking person walks into a pub and says "May I have a pint of beer, please". A Swede in the same situation would use the phrase 'Kan jag få en öl, tack", i.e. "I would like to have a beer, thanks".

Common signs OPEN Öppet CLOSED Stängt ENTRANCE Ingång EXIT Utgång PUSH Tryck PULL Drag TOILET Toalett MEN Herr... (as adjective) WOMEN Dam... (as adjective) FORBIDDEN Förbjudet

Hello.

Hej. (HAY). Also hejsan (haysan). Informal, but nowadays used in most every context in Sweden. In informal contexts, you can also use tjena (Schenah – soft e), or tja (Scheh')

How are you?

Hur mår du? (Hoor mor doo?)

Fine, thank you.

Tack, jag mår bra. (Tack, yag moor brah)

What is your name?

Vad heter du? (Vaad HAY-tehr doo?)

My name is ______ .

Jag heter ______ . (Yag HAY-tehr _____ .)

Nice to meet you.

Trevligt att träffa dig (singular) / er (plural) (TRAYV-leet at TREH-fa day/ehr)

Please.

See the infobox to the right.

Thank you.

Tack. (TACK)

You're welcome.

Var så god (VAHR saw good)

How old are you.

Hur gammal är du? (Heur gah mal air deu)

Yes.

Ja. (YAH)

No.

Nej. (NAY)

Maybe.

Kanske. ('KAN-Share')

Excuse me. (getting attention)

Ursäkta (Ooshehk-ta)

Excuse me. (begging pardon)

Förlåt (Fur lowt)

I'm sorry.

Jag är ledsen (Yaag air lessen)

Farewell

Adjö (A-juuh)

Goodbye

Hej då (Hay doe)

I can't speak 'Swedish' [well].

Jag kan inte tala 'svenska' [så bra] (Yaag can eenteh taahla 'svenskah' [sooh brah])

Do you speak English?

Talar du engelska? (TAH-lar deu EHNG-ehl-ska)

Does anyone here speak English?

Talar någon engelska här? (TAH-lar NOA-gohn EHNG-ehl-ska hair)

Is there someone here who speaks English?

Finns det någon här som talar engelska (Feens day noegon hair som talar engelskah)

Help!

Hjälp! (Yelp)

Look out!

Se upp (Say oop)

Good morning.

God morgon (Good MOR-ron)

Good day.

God dag (Good daag). Formal.

Good afternoon.

God eftermiddag (Good ef-ter-mee-dag). Ditto. Or jokingly (even more so than the previous).

Good evening.

God kväll (Good kvell). ... But you can use it.

Good night (to sleep)

God natt (Good natt)

I understand.

Jag förstår (Yag fur-STOAR)

I don't understand.

Jag förstår inte (Yag fur-stoar ihn-teh)

Where is the toilet?

Var ligger toaletten? (Vahr liggeh twa-LETT-en)

Relationships

The area around Stureplan (Sture square) is the centre of nightlife in Stockholm

Who are you here with?

Vem är du här med? (Vehm air deu hair meed)

I am on my own.

Jag är ensam. (Yog air ehn sam)

I am with...

Jag är här med... (Yog air hair meed)

My husband/wife.

...min man/fru (Mihn man/freu)

My boyfriend/girlfriend.

...min pojkvän/flickvän. (Mihn poyk vehn/flihk vehn)

My friend/friends.

...min vän/...mina vänner. (Mihn vehn/Mihn-ah veh-nehr)

Problems

Leave me alone.

Lämna mig ifred (Lehm-na may ee-frehd)

Don't touch me!

Rör mig inte (Rerr may in-teh)

I'll call the police.

Jag ringer polisen (Yahg reenger poolee-sen)

Police!

Polis! (Poolees)

Stop! Thief!

Stopp! Tjuv! (Stop! Schoove!)

I need your help.

Jag behöver din hjälp. (Yahg behoever deen yelp)

It's an emergency.

Det är ett nödläge. (Dat ehr ett noedleh-ge)

I'm lost.

Jag är vilse (Yahg ehr veel-seh)

I lost my bag.

Jag har tappat bort min väska (Yahg haar tapp-att boort meen vess-ka)

I lost my wallet.

Jag har förlorat min plånbok. (Yahg haar furlooratt meen plohnbook)

I'm sick.

Jag är sjuk. (Yahg aer chook)

I've been injured.

Jag är skadad. (Yahg ehr skaadaad)

I need a doctor.

Jag behöver en doktor (Yahg behoever en dock-toor)

Can I use your phone?

Får jag låna din telefon? (Fohr yahg lohna deen telle-fohn)

Numbers

1

En/ett (en/ett)

2

två (tfoo)

3

tre (trah)

4

fyra (feera)

5

fem (fahm)

6

sex (sax)

7

sju (hwoo)

8

åtta (otha)

9

nio (neeo)

10

tio (teeo)

11

elva (ahlvaa)

12

tolv (tohlv)

13

tretton (traahtoon)

14

fjorton (fioortoon)

15

femton(famtton)

16

sexton (saxtoon)

17

sjutton (hwootoon)

18

arton (ahrtoon)

19

nitton (neetoon)

20

tjugo (shoogoo)

21

tjugoett(shoogoo ett)

22

tjugotvå(shoogo tfoo)

23

tjugotre(shoogo trah)

30

trettio (thra tee)

40

fyrtio (fur tee)

50

femtio (fam tee)

60

sextio (sax tee)

70

sjuttio (hwoo tee)

80

åttio (oo tee)

90

nittio (nee tee)

100

ett hundra(at hoondrah)

175

ett hundra sjuttiofem (at hoondrah shoo tee fam)

200

två hundra(tfoo hoondrah)

300

tre hundra (trah hoondrah)

1000

ett tusen (at toosan)

2000

två tusen (tfoo toosan)

3758

Tre tusen sju hundra femtioåtta (trah toosan hwoo hoondrah famtee otha)

1,000,000

En miljon (Ahn millyoon)

1,000,000,000

En miljard (Ahn millyard)

1,000,000,000,000

En biljon (Ahn billyoon)

number _____ (train, bus, etc.)

nummer _____ (noomer)

half

halv/halvt/halva (hahlv/hahlft/hahlva)

less

mindre/mindre än (meendrah/meendrah ehn)

more

mer/mer än (mehr/mehr ehna)

Time

Summer evening in Visby

now

nu (noo)

later

senare (seenareh)

before

före (fureh)

morning

morgon (mohrgon)

afternoon

eftermiddag (ehftermeedag)

evening

kväll (kvehll)

night

natt (nat)

Clock time

AM and PM are not used in Swedish, but either the 24-hour clock or a 12-hour clock with AM or PM inferred from the context. Sometimes informal expressions are used to clarify: klockan två i natt (at two o'clock tonight), tre på eftermiddagen (three in the afternoon), nio på morgonen (nine in the morning).

In writing, the 24-hour clock is used exclusively.

What time is it?

Vad är klockan? (Vahd ahr clockan)

one o'clock AM

klockan 1 (Clockan ett)

two o'clock AM

klockan 2 (Clockan tfoo)

noon

klockan 12 (Clockan toolfh)

one o'clock PM

klockan 13 (Clockan traahtoon) or klockan 1

two o'clock PM

klockan 14 (Clockan fioortoon) or klockan 2

midnight

Midnatt (Meed nat)

quarter to _____

Kvart i _____(qvahrt ee)

"Half past" is not used in Swedish. Instead, the half hours expressed are halves of the coming hour, so 1:30 becomes "half two".

1:30 pm

Halv två (hahlv tvoo)

Duration

_____ minute/minutes (ago)

_____ minut/minuter (sedan) (meenoot/meenootar (sahdahn))

_____ hour/hours (ago)

_____ timme/timmar (sedan) (teemah/teemahr (sahdahn))

_____ day/days (ago)

_____ dag/dagar (sedan) (daag/daagahr (sahdahn))

_____ week/weeks (ago)

_____ vecka/veckor (sedan) (vacka/vackor (sahdahn))

_____ month/months (ago)

_____ månad/månader (sedan) (moonad/moonadar (sahdahn))

_____ year/years (ago)

_____ år/år (sedan) (ohr/ohr (sahdahn))

Days

today

idag (ee dahg)

tonight

inatt (ee nat)

yesterday

igår (ee goor)

yesternight

igår natt (ee goor nat)

the day before yesterday

i förrgår (ee fur goor)

tomorrow

imorgon (ee moor goon)

the day after tomorrow

i övermorgon (ee uh vahr moorgoon)

this week

denna vecka (dehn a vecka)

last week

förra veckan (fur a veckan)

next week

nästa vecka (nesta vecka)

Please note that the first day of the week in Sweden is Monday, not Sunday.

Monday

måndag (moon daag)

Tuesday

tisdag (Tees daag)

Wednesday

onsdag (oons daag)

Thursday

torsdag (toosh daag)

Friday

fredag (fraah daag)

Saturday

lördag (lur daag)

Sunday

söndag (Sun daag)

Months

January

januari (yaan oo ah ree)

February

februari (fab roo ah ree)

March

mars (maas)

April

april (aa preel)

May

maj (my)

June

juni (yoo nee)

July

juli (yoo lee)

August

augusti (ao goo stee)

September

september (sap tam bahr)

October

oktober (ohk too bahr)

November

november (noo vam baar)

December

december (dah sam baar)

Colors

black

svart (svaahrt)

white

vit (veet)

gray

grå (groo)

red

röd (rud)

blue

blå (bloo)

yellow

gul (gool)

green

grön (grun)

orange

orange/brandgul (ohrahnj/braahnd gool)

purple

lila/purpur/violett (leela/poorpoor/veeo lat)

brown

brun (broon)

Transportation

Trams in Gothenburg

Bus and train

How much is a ticket to _____?

Vad kostar en biljett till _____? (Vahd koostaar ahn beeljat teel_____?)

One ticket to _____, please.

En biljett till _____, tack. (Ahn beel-jat teel ___, tac)

Where does this train go?

Vart går detta tåg ? (vahrt goor dat a toog)

Where does this bus go?

Vart går denna buss? ( Vahrt goor dahna boos)

Where is the train/bus to _____?

Var är tåget/bussen till _____? (vahr ahr toogat/boosan teel)

Does this train/bus stop in _____?

Stannar tåget/bussen i_____? (staanar toogat/boosan ee)

When does the train/bus for _____ leave?

När åker tåget/bussen till_____? (nahr oocar toogat/boosan teel ____ )

When will this train/bus arrive in _____?

När kommer tåget/bussen till_____? (nahr coomer toogat/boosan teel)

Directions

Protected crossing Like many other languages spoken in several countries, there are a couple of differences in the vocabulary used in Sweden Swedish and Finland Swedish. For instance zebra crossing is called övergångsställe ("crossing place") in standard Swedish. However the Finland Swedes refer to it as skyddsväg ("protection way") which is a literal translation from Finnish.

How do I get to _____ ?

Hur kommer jag till _____ ? (Hoor koomar yag teel)

...the railway station?

...järnvägsstationen? (jaahrn vaags stat ee oo nahn)

...the bus station?

...busshållplatsen/busstationen? (boos hool plat sahn/ boos stat ee oo nahn)

...the airport?

...flygplatsen? (fleeg plat sahn)

...downtown?

centrum? (sehntrohm)

...the youth hostel?

...vandrarhemmet? (vahndrahrhehmeht)

...the _____ hotel?

...hotellet _____ ? (hootahlat)

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?

...det amerikanska/kanadensiska/australiensiska/brittiska konsulatet? (dat americansca/canadansisca/aoostraaleeansisca/bree-tee-sca consoolahtat)

Where are there a lot of...

Var finns det många... (vahr feens dat moonga)

...hotels?

...hotell? (hoo tahl)

...restaurants?

...restauranger? (rastoorangar)

...bars?

...barer? (baa rar)

...sites to see?

...sevärdheter? (sehvahrdheheter)

Can you show me on the map?

Kan du visa mig på kartan? (Can doo veesa may poo car-taan)

street

gata/gatan (gaataa/gaataan)

Turn left.

Gå till vänster. (Goo teel vanster)

Turn right.

Gå till höger. (Goo teel hug ar)

left

vänster (vanster)

right

höger (hug ar)

over there

där borta(dahr boortaa)

straight ahead

rakt framåt (raakt frahmoot)

towards the _____

mot _____ (moot)

past the _____

förbi_____ (fur bee)

before the _____

före _____ (fur ahe)

Watch for the _____.

Titta efter/Kolla efter_____. (Tee taa ahefter/Cohla ahefter)

intersection

vägkorsning (vahg koor sning)

north

norr (nohr)

south

syd (seed)

east

öst (ust)

west

väst (vahst)

uphill

uppe på berget/ på berget(oopah poo baryat/ poo baryat)

downhill

nedanför berget/ i dalen / vid bergets fot (nahdan fur baryat/ ee dalahn/ veed baryats foot)

Taxi

Taxi!

Taxi! (tah ksee)

Take me to _____, please.

Kör mig till_____, tack. (Chur may teel ____, tac)

How much does it cost to get to _____?

Vad kostar det att åka till_____? (Vaad coostar dat at ooka teel_____?)

Take me there, please.

Ta mig dit, tack. (Tah may deet, tac)

Lodging

Do you have any rooms available?

Finns det några rum lediga? (Feens dat noogra room ladiga)

How much is a room for one person/two/three/four people?

Vad kostar ett rum för en person/två/tre/fyra personer(vahd koostar at room fur ahn pahrsoon/tfoo/trah/feera parsoonar)

Does the room come with...

Ingår ... i rummet (Ehngaar ... ee roomat)

...bedsheets?

...lakan? (laa can)

...a bathroom?

...ett badrum? (at baahd room)

...a telephone?

...en telefon? (ahn tahlephoon)

...a TV?

...en TV? (ahn teh veh)

May I see the room first?

Får jag se rummet först? (Fohr yag seh roomat first?)

Do you have anything smaller?

Finns det något mindre? (feens dat noogot meendra?)

...bigger?

...större? (stuh rah)

...cleaner?

...renare? (rehnara)

...cheaper?

...billigare? (beelee gaa rah)

OK, I'll take it.

OK, jag tar det. (Oh-key, yag taar dat)

I will stay for _____ night (nights).

Jag stannar _____ natt (nätter). (yag stahnahr ____ nat (natar))

Can you suggest another hotel?

Kan du föreslå ett annat hotell? (Can doo fur-ah-sloo at ahnat hohtahl)

Do you have a safe?

Har du ett kassaskåp? (Hahr doo at cassascope)

...lockers?

...låsbara skåp? (loosbahra scope)

Is breakfast/supper included?

Ingår frukost/kvällsmat (kvällsmat can also be called middag [more common])? (ingoor froo-kost/ kvahlsmat (meedag))

What time is breakfast/supper?

När är det frukost/kvällsmat (middag)? (Nehr are det froo-kost/kvahlsmat (meedag))

Please clean my room.

"Städa mitt rum, tack" (stahda met room, tack)

Can you wake me at _____?

Kan du väcka mig klockan _____? (Can doo vacka may clockan)

I want to check out.

Jag vill checka ut. (Yag veel chaca oot)

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?

Tar ni amerikanska/australiensiska/ kanadensiska Dollar? (Taar nee americansca/aoostraalyenseesca Dollar)

Do you accept British pounds?

Tar ni brittiska pund? (Taar nee bree-tee-sca poond )

Do you accept Euro?

Tar ni euro? (Taar nee euro)

Do you accept credit cards?

Tar ni kreditkort? (taar nee crahdeetcoort)

Can you change money for me?

Kan ni växla pengar åt mig? (Can nee vacslaa pahngar oot may?)

Where can I get money changed?

Var kan jag växla pengar? (Vahr can yag vacslaa pahngar)

Can you change a traveler's check for me?

Kan du växla en resecheck åt mig? (Can doo vacslaa ahn rehsah chac oht may)

Where can I get a traveler's check changed?

Var kan jag växla en resecheck? (''Vahr can yag vacslaa ahn rehsah chac)

What is the exchange rate?

Vad är växelkursen? (Vahd ehr vehcsehl coorsahn)

Where is the nearest automatic teller machine (ATM)?

Var ligger den närmaste bankomaten? (Vahr leegehr dehn neermsta baancomaten)

Eating

Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes

Bon appetit!

Smaklig måltid! (Smock lig mol tid)

A table for one person/two people, please.

Ett bord för en/två, tack. (At boord fur ahn/tfoo , tac)

Can I look at the menu, please?

Får jag se på menyn, tack? (Foor yag seh poo meh-neen taak)

Can I look in the kitchen?

Kan jag titta i köket? (Can yag tee-ta ee chu-keht)

Is there a house specialty?

Finns det en husets special? (feens dat ehn hoosats spahsee-ahl)

Is there a local specialty?

Finns det en lokal specialitet? (feens dat ehn loocal spahsee-ahlitee)

I'm a vegetarian.

Jag är vegetarian. (Yag ahr vehgehtahreean)

I'm a vegan.

Jag är vegan. (Yag ahr vehgaan)

I don't eat pork.

Jag äter inte fläskkött. (Yag ehtahr eentah flahsc-shut)

I don't eat beef.

Jag äter inte nötkött. (Yag ehtahr eentah nut-shut )

I only eat kosher food.

Jag äter bara koshermat. (Yag ehter bahra koshermaht)

Except for the big cities, this will draw a blank stare from the waiter. Most Swedes are aware that pork is not kosher, but apart from that, almost all non-Jewish Swedes would not have any idea about kosher rules. Jews constitute roughly 0.15% of the Swedish population, and outside the big cities the great majority of Swedes have never met a Jew.

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard)

Jag vill ha det lätt, tack. (mindre olja/smör/flott) (Yag veel hah deht laht tac. (meendreh olya/smur/floth)

à la carte

à la carte (ahla cahrt)

breakfast

frukost (froocost)

lunch

lunch (loons) or when in Skåne/Scania middag (meedag)

tea

te (teh)

supper

middag (meedag) or when in Skåne/Scania kvällsmat (kvaellsmaat)

I want _____.

Jag vill ha _____. (Yag veel ha)

chicken

kyckling (shoo cleeng)

beef

biff/nötkött (beeff/nut-shut)

fish

fisk (fihsk)

ham

skinka (sheenca)

sausage

korv (coorv)

cheese

ost (oost)

egg

ägg (eg)

fried egg

stekt ägg (steeake eg)

scrambled egg

äggröra (eg-grur-ra)

salad/salat

sallad (sahlad)

(fresh) vegetables

(färska) grönsaker ((fehrsca)grun sahcehr)

(fresh) fruit

(färsk) frukt ((fehrsc) frooct)

bread

bröd (brurd)

toast

toast/rostat bröd med smör/rostat bröd (toast/roostat brud mahd smur/ roostat brud)

noodles

nudlar (noodlar)

rice

ris (rees)

beans

bönor (bun-oor)

May I have a glass of _____?

Kan jag få ett glas_____? (Can yag foo at glahs)

May I have a cup of _____?

Kan jag få en kopp_____? (Can yag foo ahn cop)

May I have a bottle of _____?

Kan jag få en flaska_____? (Can yag foo ahn flaasca)

coffee

kaffe (ca-feh)

tea

te (teh)

juice

juice (yoos)

fruit juice

fruktjuice (frukht yoas)

bubbly water

bubbelvatten (boobehlvahtehn)

water

vatten (vah tehn)

milk

mjölk (myurlk)

ice-cream

glass (glaw-ss)

beer

öl (uhl)

red/white wine

röd/vitt vin (rud/veet veen)

May I have some _____?

Kan jag få lite_____? (Can yag foo leeteh)

salt

salt (sahlt)

sugar

socker (sock-kare)

black pepper

svartpeppar(svart pehppar)

butter

smör (smurr)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

Ursäkta, hovmästarn! (Oorsacta, hoovmastarn)

I'm finished.

Jag är klar. (Yag ahr clahr)

It was delicious.

Det smakade utmärkt. (deht smahcade utmehrct)

Please clear the plates.

Ta bort faten, tack. (Tah boort fahten tac)

The check, please.

Notan, tack. (Nootan, tac)

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?

Serverar ni alkohol? (sehrvehrar doo alcohoole)

Is there table service?

Finns bordsservice? (feens boords-sur vees)

A beer/two beers, please.

En öl/två öl, tack. (Ahn ul/tfoo ul, tac)

A glass of red/white wine, please.

Ett glas röd/vitt vin, tack. (At glaas rudt/veet veen)

A pint, please.

En stor stark, tack. (En stoorh starc, tac) will get you a glass of light lager, usually 40cl

A bottle, please.

En flaska, tack. (Ahn flaascha, tac)

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please

___ (sprit) och ___ (blandare, tack (___ spriit ohc ___ blahndaara , tac)

whiskey

whiskey (whees-key)

vodka

vodka (vood caah)

rum

rom (rohm)

water

vatten (vaah-ten)

club soda

klubb-soda (clohb-sooda)

tonic water

tonic (tonic)

orange juice

apelsin juice (apehlseen joohs)

Coke (soda)

Coca Cola ,OR Cola (Cooca cohla, cohlaa)

soda

läsk (leahsk)

Do you have any bar snacks?

Har du något tilltugg ? (Hahr doo noogoht teeltoog)

One more, please.

En till, tack. (An teel, tac)

Another round, please.

En runda till. (An roonda teel)

When is closing time?

När stänger ni? (Nehr stahngahr nee)

Shopping

Nordiska Kompaniet, Stockholm's grand old department store

Do you have this in my size?

Har ni den här i min storlek? (Haar nee dan hahr ee meen stoorlehc)

How much is this?

Vad kostar den? (Vahd coostahr dan)

That's too expensive.

Det är för dyrt. (Dat ar fur deert)

Would you take _____?

Tar ni _____? (Taar nee ___)

expensive

dyr/dyrt, dyra (plural) (deer/deert, deerah)

cheap

billig/billigt, billiga (plural) (bee leegh/bee leegt bee leegah)

I don't want it.

Den vill jag inte ha. (Dan veel yag eenta haa)

You're cheating me.

Du lurar mig. (Doo loorar may)

I'm not interested.

Jag är inte intresserad. (yag ahr eenta eentrahsehrad)

OK, I'll take it.

Jag tar den! (Yag tahr dan)

Can I have a paper bag?

Kan jag få en papperspåse? (Can yag foo ahn pahpahrs-poosa)

Can I have a plastic bag?

Kan jag få en plastpåse? (Can yag foo ahn plahst-poosa)

Do you ship overseas?

Skickar ni till utlandet? (Shickaar nee teel ootlandat)

Do you ship?

Skickar ni varor? (Shickaar nee vaaroor)

I need...

Jag behöver... (.Yag be-huv-ehr )

...toothpaste.

...tandkräm. (tahnd-crehm)

...a toothbrush.

...en tandborste. (ehn tahnd-boor-sta)

...soap.

...tvål. (tvool)

...shampoo.

...schampo. (shahm-poo)

...pain reliever. aspirin/ibuprofen

...något smärtstillande aspririn/ibuprofen. (noogoot smahrt-steel-ahn-deh ahspeereen/eebooproofehn )

...cold medicine.

...förkylningsmedicin. (foorshyhlningsmehdiseen)

...stomach medicine.

...medicin mot magont. (madeeseen moot mahg-oont)

...a razor.

...ett rakblad. (at raac-blaad)

...an umbrella.

...ett paraply. (at pahraa-plee)

...sunblock lotion.

...solskyddskräm. (sool-sheeds-crahm)

...a postcard.

...ett vykort. (at veecoort)

...postage stamps.

...frimärken. (free-mahr-can)

...batteries.

...batterier. (baht-eh-ree-ar)

...writing paper.

...skrivblock/skrivpapper. (screev-bloc/screev-pap-ar)

...a pen.

...en penna. (ahn pen-a)

...English-language books.

...Böcker på engelska. (Buccar poo ahngelscaa)

...English-language magazines.

...vecko- eller månadstidningar på engelska. (vacco ahlar moonads-teedneengar poo ahngelscaa)

...an English-language newspaper.

...engelskspråkiga dagstidningar. (Ahngehlscsproocigah daagsteedneegahr)

...an English-Swedish dictionary.

...en engelsk-svensk ordbok. (An ahngehlsc-svehnsc oordbook)

...a Swedish-English dictionary.

...en svensk-engelsk ordbok. (Ahn svaansc-ahngaalsc oordbook)

...A dictionary with both English-Swedish and Swedish-English.

...En ordbok med både engelska till svenska och svenska till engelska. (Ahn oorbook mehd booda ahngelsca teel svehnsca oc svehnsca teel ahngelsca)

Driving

I want to rent a car.

Jag vill hyra en bil. (Yag veel heera ahn beel)

Can I get insurance?

Kan jag få en försäkring? (Can yaag foo ehn fur-sahc-reeng)

stop on a street sign

stanna vid ett vägmärke (stahna veed at vehgmahrca)

blind alley

återvändsgränd (ootahr-vahnds-grahnd)

no parking

parkering förbjuden (pahr-kehreeng fur-beeoo-dan)

speed limit

hastighetsbegränsning (haas-teeg-hehts-beh-graans-neeng)

gas station

bensinstation/mack (behnseenstaateeon/mac)

petrol

bensin (behnseen)

diesel

diesel (deesehl)

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.

Jag har inte gjort något fel. (Yag haar eenta yoort noogoot fehl)

It was a misunderstanding.

Det var ett missförstånd. (Dat vaar at mees-fur-stoond)

Where are you taking me?

Vart tar du mig? (Vaart taar doo may)

Am I under arrest?

Är jag arresterad? (Ehr yag arehstehrad)

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.

Jag är amerikansk/australiensisk/brittisk/kanadensisk medborgare (Yag ehr americansc/aoostraaleeahnseesc/breeteesc/canahdehnseesc mehdbooryaareh)

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.

Jag vill tala med det amerikanska/australiensiska/brittiska/kanadensiska konsulatet. (''Yag veel tahla mehd dat americansca/aoostraaleeahnseesca/breeteesca/canahdehnseesca cohn-soo-lah-tat )

I want to talk to a lawyer.

Jag vill tala med en advokat. (Yag veel tahla mad ehn ahdvoocaht)

Can I just pay a fine now?

Kan jag betala böterna nu? (Can yaag betaala buternah noo?).

Like in most other Western countries, if you for some reason get to deal with the police, it would be utterly stupid to ask if they would accept a "fine" and let you go...