Learn to Speak Swedish

Swedish is spoken by approximately 9 million people worldwide, most of whom reside in Sweden, though most people in Finland also speak the language and it is also mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish. While the Swedes were not major imperial power, and therefore did not widely spread their language throughout the world, the language is by no means in danger of extinction and any traveler to Sweden today will find some use for the language. While many native English speakers who learn Swedish usually have some ancestral or cultural reason to do so, they mind find it difficult to get Swedes to actually communicate with them in the language, as people from Sweden tend to be excellent English speakers and are used to communicating with their European neighbors in the language.

Swedish is a North Germanic language that descended from the Old Norse language spoken by the Vikings. The language is very closely related to its other Scandinavian relatives, and in fact, people in Denmark, Norway and Sweden can often understand one another in their various native tongues. Swedish spelling is largely phonetic and the word order is highly predictable. One of the main advantages in learning Swedish is that it can give you a huge head start on also learning Danish and Norwegian as the languages are very similar. With enough study and practice, that means learning Swedish is almost like getting a 3 for 1 deal.

There are several ways to go about learning Swedish. While your local community college may not offer regular courses in the language, many Universities do offer classes in Swedish. If there is not a course available nearby, another option to find or hire a private tutor. Investing in a program like Rosetta Stone can also be a great and affordable way to get started on learning not only the basics of grammar and vocabulary, but also pronunciation and accent. Of course the best way to learn any language is through total immersion. A few weeks interacting in a language on a daily basis can be worth more than a year in the classroom, so a trip to Sweden may just be the best way to master the language quickly.