10 Non-conventional ways to learn Swedish!

Are you looking for tips for learning Swedish? I guess you have decided to learn the language! Bravo! It's not easy to take that first step and it takes an additional effort to make the journey more interesting.

Written by Karishma Desai

In my earlier post, I started a list of basic words to start with Swedish. Now, I am trying to pen down some unusual ways which will help to make this process more fun. After all SFI won't be enough to teach you everything you need in order to survive!

10 fun ways towards learning Swedish

1. Start by listening to advertisements on radio and TV. It will give you a bunch of words for daily use like handla (to buy), rabatt (discount), hälsa (health), mat (food), kläder (clothes) etc. You also get acquainted with supermarkets and online shopping sites in Sweden. The second obvious step will be to visit these sites and start reading words for different household, grocery, fashion or hobby products.
2. Avoid watching TV shows from your country when you are learning. Make an effort to follow SVT programs based on your interest. I started with 'Melodifestivalen' in 2016 and followed many there after.
3. Listen to Swedish songs on karaoke video. It is a fun way to improve pronunciations as well as learn about the music industry inf Sweden. Don't be shy to sing out loud with it if you want the best results.
4. Read your rental documents, tickets, insurance documents in Swedish first before using Google translate. Check if you understand the context. That's a great way to learn formal way of writing.
5. Join a förening (activity Club) or studiecirkel and talk in Swedish with participants. Here, one learns everyday words and sometimes slang words.
6. Take the opportunity to talk to teenagers and retired people. You may take topics like technology and gaming to teens and perhaps travel and hobbies to elders. These two set of people have a kind of different way of talking and using words. To give an example, the 'ba'- language of young adults where 'ba' means 'bara vill säga' is not usually written anywhere or used in office or formal events. Some old people use words like 'hustru' -an another word for 'fru' or 'maka' (wife) which I do not hear so often.
7. Keep reading job descriptions on LinkedIn or Arbetsförmedlingen website, even if you are not looking for jobs actively. It is always good to learn and practice words related to your profession.
8. Feel free to use English words if needed while speaking Swedish. It actually seems like a style here nowadays! I'm sure nobody minds it. Lucky to be in Sweden üôÇ But do check the word and learn from it.
9. Go to social media groups, blogs or forums and read opinions from different kinds of people living in Sweden. In addition to language, it gives a good insight about the society around us.
10. Lastly, I would recommend this nice android app I am using for two years. It is offline Swedish-English dictionary and the best of all I have tried. Works without internet and gives short example of how to use words in different context. Many times it has helped on-the-go while shopping, travelling and even eating at restaurants.

Sounds convincing? Then start using them TODAY! And share if you have more !

About the author

Hej! I am Karishma, an Indian who started the Newbie journey 2 years ago with my husband. Västerås is our new home now. It has been a tremendous learning experience to start a new life from scratch. I want to share my experience and interact with fellow Newbies on this website and also on my blog Swed Lifestyle. I'm lucky to born as creative soul and you will find me doing painting or trying some DIY projects in my spare time.