Whenever I travel to a new place I love learning a few basic phrases of the language commonly spoken in the country I am visiting. With that in mind I went to share a few useful phrases in Swedish for when you arrive in Sweden. Swedish has more than 10 million speakers and is the official language of Sweden, Finland and the Åland Islands. It belongs to the linguistic family of Indo-European languages.
Today, we focus on the most useful phrases for travelling and getting to know this beautiful language. I always find that when engaging locals in a new city, who will by the way always know you are a tourist! BUT, what I find surprises them often is the greeting in the local language before you ask for help or ask a question. So, below are a few easy and simple Swedish phrases like how are you in Swedish, hello, goodbye, good morning, in addition to a few funny Swedish phrases if you really want to show off.
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Swedish Words And Basic Swedish Phrases
From what I have found, and experienced, Swedish is not easy but it doesn’t hurt to try. You have to study and write in a good way. It’s important to pronounce the sentences several times, before being able to speak a little. I have shared a couple of videos below to help you along as well.
Hi – Hej. / hejsan
How are you? – Hur mår du?
Fine thanks. – Tack, jag mår bra.
What’s your name? – Vad heter du?
My name is _____. – Jag heter ______.
Pleasure. – Trevligt att träffa dig
Thank you. -Tack.
Please. – Var så god
Yes. – Ja.
No. – Nej.
I’m sorry. – Jag är ledsen
Goodbye. – Hej då
I don’t speak Swedish well. – Jag kan inte tala svenska så bra
Below are is a video to help with the pronunciation of Swedish words above.
Useful Swedish Phrases And Greetings
Good morning. – God morgon
Good afternoon. – God eftermiddag
Good evening. – God kväll
Good night. – God natt
I understand. – Jag förstår
I do not understand. – Jag förstår inte
Useful phrases for traveling
How can I get to the station? – Hur kommer jag till stationen?
Can you help me? – Kan du hjälpa mig?
Do you speak english? – Pratar du engelska?
I need help – Jag behöver hjälp
Can I order? – Kan jag beställa?
How much is this? – Hur mycket är det här?
Where is the market? – Var är marknaden?
Where is the toilet? – Var ligger toaletten?
How can I get to …? – Hur kommer jag till _____?
A ticket to …, please. – En biljett till _____, tack.
Where does this train go? – Vart går called tåg?
Where does this bus go? – Vart går denna buss?
A table for one / two people, please. – Ett bord för en / två, tack.
Breakfast – frukost
Lunch – lunch
Dinner – middag
Can you give me a glass of _____? – Kan jag få ett glas_____?
Can you bring me a bottle of ______? – Kan jag få en flaska_____?
Beer – öl
Water – vatten
Coffee – kaffe
Tea – you
The bill, please. – Notan, tack.
For help with useful phrases in Swedish in the video below.
Funny Swedish Sayings
We thought it was nice to introduce the proverbs which are in alphabetical order. We have translated proverbs and idioms, so that they can be interpreted even by those who are not Swedish and want to know this wonderful Nordic culture.
- At är vi barn i början. We are all children from the beginning.
- Allting klär en skönhet. A beauty fits any outfit well.
- Andra giftemålet är som uppvärmt kaffe. The second marriage is like heated coffee.
- Arga katter får rivet skinn. Bad cats have scratched skin.
- Att försvara ett fel är att fela igen. Justifying a mistake means making a mistake again.
- Borta bra men hemma bäst. Away from home is nice but home is better.
- Bekänd sak är halft förlåten. An admitted fault is half forgiven.
- Bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen. Better a bird in hand than ten in the woods.
- Den fege dör tusentals gånger, den modige dör bara en. The fearful dies thousands of times, the brave dies only once.
- Den som alltid vet bäst lär sig aldrig något. He who always knows everything never learns anything.
- Gråt inte över spilld mjölk. Don’t cry over spilled milk.
- Gräset är inte alltid grönare på andra sidan. The lawn is not always greener on the other side.
- Gräv inte upp större sten än du kan bära. Do not unearth a larger boulder than you can bring.
- I nöden prövas vännen. Friends meet in times of need.
- Ingen kan allt, men alla kan något. Nobody knows everything but everyone knows something.
- Ingen rök utan eld. No smoke without fire.
- Inget är så bra att det inte kan göras bättre. Nothing is so perfect that it can’t be done better.
- Inget ont som inte har något gott med sig. There is nothing bad that does not bring good.
- Kläder efter väder. Dress according to the climate.
- Kläderna gör mannen. Clothes make man.
- Kommer tid kommer råd. Over time the advice comes.
- Kärleken är blind. Love is blind.
- Lär dig av andras misstag, du hinner inte själv begå dem alla. Learn from the mistakes of others, you don’t have time to commit them all.
- Lärdom är mer värt än guld. The experience is worth more than gold.
- Lätt fånget, lätt förgånget. What is easily captured is lost with the same ease.
- Man är alltid sig själv närmast. Up close you are always yourself.
- Medan gräset gror, dör kon. As the grass sprouts the cows die.
- Morgonstund har guld i mund. The early bird catches the worm.
- Mycket vill has Wed. Much always asks for more.
- Omväxling förnöjer. Change brings fun.
- Ont krut förgås inte så lätt. Weed is not that easy to eradicate.
- Rom byggdes inte på en dag. Rome was not built in a day.
- Ropa inte hej förrän du är över bäcken. Do not say hello before passing the climb.
- Tålamod är konsten att hoppas. Patience is the ability to hope.
- Tänd inte den eld som du inte kan släcka. Don’t light a fire that you can’t put out.
Want To Learn Swedish For Your Trip
As you will have seen, there are many useful phrases you can use on your trip to Sweden. Read the proverbs and sayings well, they are wonderful to know people different from yours. Furthermore, make sure you grab yourself a little phrasebook so that you have one to hand while exploring Sweden.
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