Are you learning Swedish and want to be able to communicate with Swedish speakers? Or perhaps you're planning a trip to Sweden.
Even though most Swedes speak English at a fluent level, not all do and being able to communicate in their native language could be beneficial for any eager traveller.
Learning some common Swedish phrases goes a long way when wanting to fit in or speak with the locals.
In this post, you'll learn 83 common Swedish phrases. Read on to find out all the useful expressions you need to successfully communicate with a swede.
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Common Swedish Phrases To Greet People
The first phrases you learn in any language are usually greetings. Which makes sense? Right? You need to be able to greet someone to actually start the conversation. To make a good impression, it's also essential to greet someone in the right way.
These are some important Swedish greetings you can practice:
- #1 Hej โ Hello, hi
- heej
- #2 Hallรฅ โ Hey (can be used both as a greeting and trying to get someone's attention)
- hallo
- #3 Hej, hur mรฅr du? โ Hi, how are you?
- heej, hur mor du
- #4 Vรคlkommen โ Welcome
- vailkommen (ai, like in the word hair)
- #5 Hej dรฅ/hejdรฅ โ Bye
- heej do
Common Swedish Phrases To Make Small Talk With A Swede
Small talk in a language you aren't entirely confident in can be scary, but the more you talk, the more confident you become.
And while small talk might be uncomfortable, it's a great way to practice your Swedish skills and make friends at the same time!
Sweden is, in many ways, a bilingual country. And if you've visited Sweden, you've probably encountered swedes who immediately switch to speaking English when they hear that you aren't a native.
It's usually out of consideration, but if you want to practice your Swedish, you can just ask the person you're speaking with to speak Swedish instead. Most are happy to oblige and think it's fun that foreigners want to learn their language!
Here are some common Swedish phrases when making small talk in Swedish:
- #6 Vad heter du? โ What is your name?
- vad heter du
- #7 Jag heterโฆ โ My name isโฆ
- jag heter
- #8 Hur mรฅr du? โ How are you?
- hur mor du
- #9 Jag mรฅr bra och du? โ I'm well, and you?
- jag mor bra och du
- #10 Bara bra โ Just great
- bara bra
- #11 Vilket vackert vรคder vi har idag โ What beautiful weather today
- Vilket vakkert vaider vi har idag
- #12 Sรฅg du pรฅ nyheterna idag? โ Did you catch the news today?
- sog du po nyheterna idag
- #13 Vad jobbar du med? โ What do you work with?
- vad jobbar du med
- #14 Vilken gullig hund. Fรฅr jag klappa? โ What a cute dog. Can I pet him?
- vilken gullig hund, for jag klappa
- #15 Vad heter han? โ What is his name?
- vad heter han
- #16 Vart kommer du ifrรฅn? โ Where are you from?
- vart kommer du ifron
- #17 Jag รคr frรฅn england โ I'm from England.
- jag air fron england
- #18 Jag รคr frรฅnโฆ โ I'm from
- jag air fron
- #19 Hur gammal รคr du? โ How old are you?
- hur gammal air du
- #20 Jag รคrโฆ โ I'mโฆ
- jag air
Common Swedish Politeness Phrases
Knowing some polite phrases is excellent, so you know what to say when getting stuck in a queue or ordering food.
It's important to note that the Swedish translation of please (snรคlla) isn't used when ordering food.
So when you want to say: โCan I get the mashed potatoes, pleaseโ instead of saying: kan jag fรฅ potatismos, snรคlla, it's better to say: kan jag fรฅ potatismos tack.
- #21 Tack โ Thanks/thank you
- takk
- #22 Tack sรฅ mycket โ Thanks a lot (more thankful)
- takk so mykket
- #23 Varsรฅgod/ingenting att tacka fรถr โ You're welcome
- varsogod/ingenting att takka foer
- #24 Ursรคkta โ Excuse me
- ursaikta
- #25 Kan jag fรฅ komma fรถrbi hรคr tack โ Could I get past here, please?
- kan jag fo komma foerbi hair tack
- #26 Fรถrlรฅt โ Sorry
- foerlot
- #27 Jag รคr ledsen โ I'm sorry
- jag air ledsen
Common Swedish Phrases For When You Need Help
Have you ever gone on a trip that didn't go as planned? Don't worry. I can guarantee you that's a universally common experience.
I remember a dear friend of mine that was camping in Sweden for a month. He ended up getting lost in the woods and was gone for about three hours. His phone died, and he had no means to contact anyone. Scary right?
Imagine his joy when he finally (after three hours in the forest) saw a cabin on the hill ahead. (It turned out he wasn't actually that far from civilisation, but he didn't know that at the time).
He knocked on the door and asked to borrow a phone. But he didn't speak Swedish, and the older couple who lived in the cabin didn't speak English. So there he was, lost in a foreign country and trying to communicate with people who didn't understand him at all.
To avoid making the same mistakes as my friend did, here are some useful Swedish phrases to help you whenever you are in trouble in Sweden!
- #28 Jag fรถrstรฅr inte vad du menar โ I don't understand what you mean
- jag foestor inte vad du menar
- #29 Jag fรถrstรฅr dig โ I understand you
- Jag foestor dig
- #30 Kan du prata svenska? โ Can you speak Swedish?
- kan du prata svenska
- #31 Kan du prata engelska? โ Can you speak English?
- kan du prata engelska
- #32 Kan du prata โฆ.? โ Can you speakโฆ.? (add your language)
- kan du prata
- #33 Jag kan inte prata svenska โ I can't speak Swedish
- jag kan inte prata svenska
- #34 Jag kan prata lite svenska โ I can speak a little bit of Swedish
- jag kan
- #35 Jag hรฅller pรฅ att lรคra mig svenska โ I'm learning Swedish
- jag holler pรฅ att laira mig svenska
- #36 Kan du sรคga det dรคr igen? โ Can you say that again?
- kan du saiga det dair igen
- #37 Kan du sรคga det lite lรฅngsammare? โ Can you speak more slowly?
- kan du saiga det lite longsammare
- #38 Kan du hjรคlpa mig? โ Can you help me?
- kan du hjailpa mig
- #39 Jag รคr vilse โ I'm lost
- Jag air vilse
- #40 Vart ligger polisstationen? โ Where is the police station?
- vart ligger polisstationen
- #41 Jag hittar inte min plรฅnbok โ My wallet is gone
- jag hittar inte min plonbok
- #42 Vart ligger nรคrmsta sjukhus? โ Where is the closest hospital?
- vart ligger nairmaste sjukhus
- #43 Jag har skadat mig/jag รคr skadad โ I'm injured
- jag har skadat mig/jag air skadad
- #44 Jag mรฅste fรฅ lรคkarvรฅrd โ I need hospital care
- jag moste fo laikarvord
- #45 Jag รคr sjuk โ I'm sick
- jag air sjuk
- #46 Vart ligger nรคrmaste toalett? โ Where is the closest bathroom?
- vart ligger nairmaste toalett
Swedish Phrases To Ask For Directions Or Talk About Transport
If you're a traveller in Sweden, then you most likely want to experience as much of Sweden as possible. To be able to travel around Sweden comfortably, these phrases are a must-have when asking about directions or transportation systems.
- #47 Ursรคkta, vart liggerโฆ โ Excuse me, where isโฆ
- ursaikta, vart ligger
- #48 Hur kommer jag tillโฆ hรคrifrรฅn? โ How do I get toโฆ from here?
- hur kommer jag tillโฆ hairifron
- #49 Det ligger dรคrborta โ It is over there
- det ligger dairborta
- #50 Det รคr hรคr โ It's here
- det air hair
- #51 Gรฅ bara rakt fram โ Just go straight ahead
- go bara rakt fram
- #52 Svรคng sedan vรคnster โ Then turn left
- svaing sedan vainster
- #53 Svรคng hรถger โ Turn right
- svaing hoeger
- #54 Gรฅ รถver vรคgen โ Cross the road
- go oever vaigen
- #55 Gรฅ till vรคnster i korsningen โ Turn left at the intersection
- go till vรคnster i korsningen
- #56 Gรฅ fรถrbi rondellen โ Go straight past the traffic circle
- go foerbi rondellen
- #57 Hur kommer jag tillโฆ โ How do I get toโฆ
- hur kommer jag till
- #58 Flygplatsen โ The airport
- flygplatsen
- #59 Tรฅgstationen โ The train station
- togstationen
- #60 Bushรฅllsplatsen โ The bus stop
- bushollsplatsen
- #61 Tunnelbananโ The underground/subway/metro
- tunnelbanan
- #62 Hur fรฅr jag tag pรฅ en taxi โ How do I get a taxi?
- hur for jag tag pรฅ en taxi
Common Swedish Phrases For Special Occasions
If you've been in Sweden for a while and have perhaps made some Swedish friends, you've probably been invited to some of the Swedish celebrations.
Sweden celebrates multiple holidays yearly, such as midsommar, pรฅsk, valborg and many more. In fact, these holidays are one of the many reasons to learn Swedish!
Knowing some common Swedish phrases related to the holidays or other festivities is helpful when wanting to communicate with the locals.
- #63 Glad pรฅsk โ Happy pรฅsk
- glad posk
- #64 Skรฅl! โ Cheers
- skol
- #65 God jul โ Merry Christmas
- god jul
- #66 Gott nytt รฅr โ Happy new year
- gott nytt or
- #67 Glad midsommar โ Happy midsommar
- glad midsommar
- #68 Grattis pรฅ fรถdelsedagen โ Happy birthday
- grattis po foedelsedagen
Common Swedish Phrases For Eating Out Or Shopping
If you're a tourist in Sweden, then you've probably done your fair share of shopping or eating out.
But there are some common Swedish phrases that could be useful when expressing that:
- #69 Hur mycket kostar det? โ How much does it cost?
- hur mycket kostar det
- #70 Det kostarโฆ โ It costsโฆ
- det kostar
- #71 Jag vill ha den hรคr โ I want this one
- jag vill ha den hair
- #72 Kan jag betala med kort? โ Can I pay with a card?
- kan jag betala med kort
- #73 Hur mรฅnga รคr ni? โ How many are you? (When getting a table at a resturant)
- hur monga air ni
- #74 Vi รคr tre stycken โ We are three people
- vi air tre stykken
- #75 Vi รคr redo att bestรคlla โ We are ready to order
- vi air redo att bestailla
- #76 Jag vill haโฆ โ I want theโฆ
- jag vill ha
- #77 Kan vi fรฅ notan tack! โ Can we get the bill, please!
- kan vi fo notan takk
Check out my post on Swedish numbers so that you have all the language you need for shopping and talking about numbers, dates and times.
Common Swedish Phrases To Say Goodbye
Unfortunately, all trips end, and when it's time for you to say goodbye to your friends, there are a couple of Swedish phrases you can use:
- #78 Hej dรฅ โ Goodbye
- hejj do
- #79 Ha det sรฅ bra โ Take care of yourself!
- ha det so bra
- #80 Vi hรถrs! โ I'll talk to you soon!
- vi hoers
- #81 Vi ses senare โ See you later
- vi ses senare
- #82 Jag hรถr av mig โ I'll keep in touch
- jag hoer av mig
- #83 Ni fรฅr ha det sรฅ trevligt โ Have a good time
- ni for ha det so trevligt
Learn Common Swedish Phrases By Reading
And there you have it! A list of common Swedish phrases to use when speaking to a native.
If you're wondering how you're going to learn all these phrases, don't panic. Follow the rules of StoryLearning and read short stories in Swedish.
As you read, not only will you have fun, but you'll also come across these common Swedish phrases again and again.
Before you know, you'll have picked these phrases up and be ready to use them like a local!
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