…understand what is being said or how to respond. In these scenarios, the smile-and-nod technique is often used.
Here are a few words and key phrases you can sprinkle into the conversation with the old woman on the subway in between smiling and nodding. Use these phrases to buy yourself some time to give your brain a chance to catch up and translate what is being said.
Oj in Swedish, pronounced like “oy”
“Oj!” is a common response to stories that are happy, sad, or unbelievable. The number of oj’s you use in a sentence can increase depending on the severity and tone of the discussion. It’ll buy you some time to continue reading their facial expressions to see how you should react.
“I got married this past weekend.”
“Oj!”
“My daughter fell and broke her leg while sledging.”
“Oj! Oj!”
“My mother died last week.”
“Oj, oj, oj!”
Okej, ja—Okay, yes
Again, use this one when you want to acknowledge someone and agree with them. Smile and nod away.
Ha det bra—have a good one or take care, informal goodbye
Pronounced, “hah deh brah” and best used when saying goodbye to your child’s preschool teacher at förskola, neighbours, or anyone you want to wish a good day to. They’ll totally think you speak Swedish if you throw out this casual phrase.
Trevlig helg—have a good weekend
For the love of all that is holy, do not pronounce the g! Pronounced, “treavlih helh” with a little lilt in between the two words and your Swedish friends will most likely reply with, “Detsamma” or same to you. Stop the interaction there, smile, and wave goodbye. Walk away before they realise how much you don’t know.
Jo—yes to a negative statement
I always forget about this one because I usually reply with a “ja” to mean yes, but to really trick a Swede into thinking you’re fluent, you should jump in with a jo (pronounced “yo”) when answering yes to a negative. Jo is most often used with young children who commonly say no to their parents when they should be saying yes.
“Please drink your milk.”
“No.”
“Jo.”
Vad sa du?—What did you say?
Use this phrase when your brain is screaming, “Stall! Stall! Stall!” for extra translation time. Keep your mouth open when you say all of these words and pronounce them, “vah sawh dooo?”
Förlåt, jag förstår lite svenska—I’m sorry, I understand a little Swedish
Pronounced “four-loat jah forshtor liteh svenskah.”
I’ve used this phrase so often that my pronunciation has improved over the years, and now Swedes don’t believe me when I admit that I don’t understand what they’re saying. They kind of laugh and pat me on the arm and continue in rapid Swedish. Time to whip out phrases 1-6 in random order.
Pro tip: Any time you need to buy more time, elongate your pronunciation of any of these words, smile, nod, and then smile again.
Further reading
FAQs
Should I include a photo on a Swedish CV?
Optional. Many international employers do not require a photo; follow the job ad and industry norm.
Where can I verify CV format tips?
See Arbetsförmedlingen’s guide and Unionen’s templates.
Need more on How To Trick People Into Thinking? See the resources below.
3 responses to “How To Trick People Into Thinking You Understand Swedish”
[…] How To Trick People Into Thinking You Understand Swedish […]
Let‘s not forget about:
Juste!
Absolut!
Precis!
Jaha!
Nähä?!
Aa
På riktigt?!
Nej men vad? („Nämen va“)
And last but not least: Tja då („tjarro“)
Åh fan! Just saying.
The key to get into any conversation.
Makes people think you know Swedish like a native. So use it with caution, because now they know that you for sure understand. The conversation will probably both faster and more advanced. But just throw in any of the suggestions above combined with ”åh fan”. Happy conversations to all of you newbies in Sweden.