Swedish III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
Thanks to Krystallia for the mp3s! Don't forget to check out the Foreign Service Institute Swedish Course and Swedish Listening Resources, where you will find authentic and spontaneous Swedish recordings with transcripts and English translations.
| airport | flygplats | embassy | ambassad | port | hamn |
| bakery | bageri (n) | factory | fabrik | prison | fängelse (n) |
| bank | bank | farm | bondgård | restaurant | restaurang |
| bar | bar | fountain | fontän/brunn | road/street | gata |
| barn | lada | garage | garage (n) | school | skola |
| barracks | kasern | hospital | sjukhus (n) | sidewalk | trottoar |
| bench | bänk | hotel | hotell (n) | square | torg (n) |
| bookstore | bokhandel | house | hus (n) | stable | stall (n) |
| bridge | bro | hut | hydda | stadium | stadion |
| building | byggnad | inn | värdshus (n) | store | affär |
| castle | slott (n) | library | bibliotek (n) | suburb | förort |
| cathedral | katedral | market | marknad | theater | teater |
| cemetery | kyrkogård | monument | monument | tower | torn (n) |
| church | kyrka | museum | museum | town | stad |
| cinema | biograf | palace | palats (n) | town hall | rådhus (n) |
| consulate | konsulat (n) | path | stig | train station | järnvägsstation |
| corner | hörn (n) | pharmacy | apotek (n) | university | universitet (n) |
| courtyard | gård | police station | polisstation | village | by |
| airplane | flygplan |
| bicycle | cykel |
| boat | båt |
| bus | buss |
| car | bil |
| moped | moped |
| motorcycle | motorcykel |
| ship | skepp (n) |
| streetcar | spårvagn |
| train | tåg (n) |
| truck | lastbil |
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. In Swedish, adjectives are placed directly before the noun, as in English. There are two types of adjectives: strong and weak. Strong adjectives are used after the indefinite article and the words någon (a, some, any), ingen (no), en annan (another), vilken (what a), and all (all); as well as after the verbs to be and to become (vara and bli). Weak adjectives are used with the definite article, demonstratives, possessive adjectives or a possessive noun.
Strong (Indefinite): The basic rule for strong adjectives is to add -t for neuter nouns and -a for plural nouns. There is no ending for adjectives that modify common nouns.
common |
neuter |
plural |
|
| basic rule | en fin bil a beautiful car |
ett fint hus a beautiful house |
fina bilar beautiful cars |
| ending in vowel + d | god | gott | goda |
| ending in consonant + d | ond | ont | onda |
| ending long vowel | blå | blått | blåa |
| ending in -er or -el | vacker | vackert | vackra |
| ending in -en | egen | eget | egna |
| gammal is irregular | gammal | gammalt | gamla |
| liten is irregular | liten | litet | små |
Weak (Definite): The basic rule for weak adjectives is to add -a for all nouns. Note that the noun has the definite article attached to the end and the words den, det or de preceding the adjective. The adjective liten is completely irregular in the singular and plural. With adjectives follow possessives or demonstratives, the definite article is not attached to the end of the noun.
common |
neuter |
plural |
|
| basic rule | den fina bilen the beautiful car |
det fina huset the beautiful house |
de fina bilarna the beautiful cars |
| liten is irregular | den lilla bilen the small car |
det lilla huset the small house |
de små bilarna the small cars |
Some common adjectives cannot be declined and they remain the same in all forms: bra (good), extra (extra), gratis (free).
Forming the comparative and superlative of adjectives in Swedish is very similar to English. Most adjectives add -are to the adjective for the comparative and -ast(e) for the superlative. Some adjectives add nothing to the adjective, but use mer or mest (more or most) before the adjective.
comparative |
superlative |
|
| strong adjectives | -are | -ast |
| weak adjectives | -are | -aste |
| many syllables | mer | mest |
Irregular Comparative and Superlative Forms
| good - better - best | god / bra | bättre | bäst |
| good - better - best (food) | god | godare | godast |
| bad - worse - worst | dålig | värre | värst |
| bad - less good - least good | dålig | sämre | sämst |
| few - fewer | få | färre | |
| small - smaller - smallest | liten | mindre | minst |
| many - more - most | många | fler | flest |
| much - more - most | mycket | mer | mest |
| old - older - oldest | gammal | äldre | äldst |
Godare and godast usually only refer to food. Fler / flest are used with count nouns, while mer / mest are used with non-count nouns.
Comparing two or more adjectives: To express egality (as... as), use så...som. To express superiority (-er or more... than), use -are or mer and än (than.) To express the superlative (-est or the most), use -ast or mest.
| alarm clock | väckarklocka | desk | bord (n) | refrigerator | kylskåp (n) |
| armchair | länstol | door | dörr | roof | tak (n) |
| attic | vindsvåning | doorbell | ringklocka | room | rum (n) |
| balcony | balkong | drawer | låda | rug | matta |
| basement | källare | fence | staket (n) | sheet | lakan (n) |
| basket | korg | fireplace | eldstad | shelf | hylla |
| bathroom | badrum | floor | golv (n) | shower | dusch |
| bathtub | bad | floor / storey | våning | sink | diskbänk |
| bed | säng | furniture | möbler (pl.) | sofa | soffa |
| bedroom | sovrum (n) | garden | trädgård | stairs | trappa |
| blanket | filt | ground floor | botten våning | stove | spis |
| blinds | rullgardin | house | hus (n) | table | bord (n) |
| bookcase | bokhylla | iron (flat) | strykjärn (n) | tap (faucet) | kran |
| box | kista | key | nyckel | telephone | telefon |
| broom | kvast | kitchen | kök (n) | television | television |
| carpet | matta | lamp | lampa | toaster | brödrost |
| ceiling | tak (n) | lawn | gräsmatta | toilet (WC) | toalett |
| chair | stol | light bulb | glödlampa | towel | handduk |
| chimney | skorsten | lock | lås (n) | vacuum cleaner | dammsugare |
| clock | klocka | mattress | madrass | vase | vas |
| closet | garderob | mirror | spegel | wall | mur |
| computer | dator | oven | ugn | wall (room) | vägg |
| corner | hörn (n) | pantry | skafferi (n) | window | fönster (n) |
| cupboard | skåp (n) | picture | tavla | yard | gård |
| curtain | gardin | pillow | huvudkudde | ||
| cushion | kudde | pipe (water) | rör (n) |
| apron | förkläde (n) | glasses | glasögon | shorts | shorts |
| bathrobe | badkappa, badrock | glove | handske | silk | silke (n) |
| belt | skärp (n) | handbag | handväska | skirt | kjol |
| blouse | blus | handkerchief | näsduk | sleeve | ärm |
| boot | känga | hat | hatt | slippers | toffel, tofflor |
| bra | behå | jacket | jacka | soap | tvål |
| bracelet | armband (n) | necklace | halsband (n) | sock | strumpa |
| brush | hårborste | needle | nål | stocking | nylonstrumpa |
| buckle | spänne (n) | nightgown | nattlinne (n) | suit | kostym |
| button | knapp | overcoat | överrock | sunglasses | solglasögon |
| cap | mössa | pants | byxor | suspenders | hängslen |
| clothes | kläder | pin | knappnål | sweater | tröja |
| coat | jacka | ficka | swimsuit | badkläder | |
| collar | krage | purse | börs | thread | tråd |
| comb | kam | raincoat | regnrock | tie | slips |
| contact lens | kontaktlins | ring | ring | T-shirt | T-shirt |
| cotton | bomull | scarf | scarf / halsduk | umbrella | paraply |
| dress | klänning | shirt | skjorta | waistcoat | väst |
| earrings | örhängen | shoe | sko | watch | klocka |
| fashion | mode | shoelaces | skosnören | wool | ull |
One way to form the future tense in Swedish is by using the auxiliary verb ska before an infinitive. This implies intention and the involvement of someone's will or wish. As an alternative, you can use tänker before an infinitive, as long as it is the subject's wish and not someone else's.
Du ska tala svenska. You are going to speak Swedish.
Jag ska resa till Amerika i höst. I'm going to America
in the fall.
Vi tänker flyga hem. We're going to fly home.
Another way is to use kommer att before an infinitive. This does not imply intention or will, as it's more of a prediction or assumption about the future.
Du kommer att tala svenska. You are going to speak Swedish.
Du kommer att tycka om min vän. You will like my
friend.
Alla kommer att vara här klockan 8. Everybody will
be here at 8 o'clock.
| badminton | badminton | rugby | rugby |
| baseball | baseball | sailing | segling |
| basketball | basket | skiing | skidsport |
| bowling | bowling | soccer | fotboll |
| boxing | boxning | surfing | surfing |
| cycling | cykelsport | swimming | simning |
| golf | golf | table tennis | bordtennis |
| hockey | hockey | tennis | tennis |
| ice-skating | konståkning | volleyball | volleyboll |
| jogging | joggning | wrestling | brottning |
| air | luft | grass | gräs (n) | root | rot |
| bank | strand | gulf | vik | rose | ros |
| bay | vik | hail | hagel (n) | salt water | saltvatten (n) |
| beach | strand | hay | hö (n) | sand | sand |
| branch | gren | high tide | flod | sea | hav (n) |
| bud | knopp | hill | kulle | shadow | skugga |
| bush | buske | ice | is | sky | himmel |
| cape | kap | island | ö | snow | snö |
| cave | grotta | isthmus | landtunga, näs | soil | mark |
| climate | klimat | jungle | djungel | south | söder |
| cloud | moln (n) | lake | sjö | spring (water) | källa |
| coast | kust | leaf | blad | star | stjärna |
| comet | komet | light | ljus (n) | stem | stam |
| constellation | konstellation | lightning | blixt | storm | storm |
| country(side) | land (n) | lily | lilja | strait | sund |
| current | ström | low tide | ebb | stream | bäck |
| daffodil | narcisser | meadow | äng | sun | sol |
| daisy | tusensköna | moon | måne | sunflower | solros |
| darkness | mörker (n) | mountain | berg (n) | thaw | töväder (n) |
| desert | öken | mountain range | bergskedja | thunder | åska |
| dew | dagg | mud | mudder (n) | tornado | tromb |
| dust | damm (n) | nature | natur | tree | träd |
| earth | jord | north | norr | tulip | tulpan |
| east | öster | peninsula | halvö | valley | dal |
| farm | lantbruk / farm | plain | slät | view | utsikt |
| field | fält | planet | planet | water | vatten (n) |
| flower | blomma | plant | växt | waterfall | vattenfall (n) |
| foam | skum (n) | pond | damm (n) | wave | bölja |
| fog | dimma | rain | regn (n) | weather | väder (n) |
| forest | skog | rainbow | regnbåge | west | väster |
| fresh water | sötvatten (n) | river | flod | wind | vind |
| frost | frost | rock | klippa | world | värld |
| ankle | fotled | finger | finger (n) | nail | nagel |
| arm | arm | fist | knytnäve | neck | hals |
| artery | pulsåder | flesh | kött (n) | nerve | nerv |
| back | rygg | foot | fot | nose | näsa |
| beard | skägg (n) | forehead | panna | pain | smärta |
| belly | buk | gum | tandkött (n) | pulse | hjärtslag |
| bladder | blåsa | hair | hår (n) | rib | revben (n) |
| blood | blod (n) | hand | hand | shin | skenben |
| body | kropp | head | huvud (n) | shoulder | skuldra |
| bone | ben (n) | health | hälsa | skeleton | skelett |
| brain | hjärna | heart | hjärta (n) | skin | skinn (n) |
| breast | bröst | heel | häl | skull | skalle |
| breath | ande, andedräkt | hip | höft | sole | fotsula |
| calf | vad | intestines | inälvor (pl.) | spine | ryggrad |
| cheek | kind | jaw | käke | stomach | mage |
| chest | bröst (n) | kidney | njure | temple | tinning |
| chin | haka | knee | knä (n) | thigh | lår (n) |
| complexion | hy | leg | ben (n) | throat | strupe |
| ear | öra (n) | lip | läpp | thumb | tumme |
| elbow | armbåge | liver | lever | toe | tå |
| eye | öga (n) | lung | lunga | tongue | tunga |
| eyebrow | ögonbryn (n) | moustache | mustasch | tooth | tand |
| eyelid | ögonlock (n) | mouth | mun | vein | åder |
| face | ansikte (n) | muscle | muskel | waist | midja |
| wrist | handled |
The relative pronoun som can be translated at that, which, whom, or who and it can act as a subject or as a complement. Där (where, in which) and när (when) can also be used as relative pronouns for location and time.
Stan, som ligger där borta, är Skövde. The
city that is over there is Skovde.
Flickan, som fyller 17 år, är min syster.
The girl who is going to be 17 is my sister.
Restaurangen, som du tycker om, ligger i Gamla Stan.
The restaurant which you like is in Gamla Stan.
| animal | djur (n) | giraffe | giraff | pig | svin (n) |
| ant | myra | goat | get | pigeon | duva |
| badger | grävling | goose | gås | pike | gädda |
| bat | fladdermus | gorilla | gorilla | rabbit | kanin |
| beak | näbb | grasshopper | gräshoppa | raccoon | tvättbjörn |
| bear | björn | hamster | hamster | rat | råtta |
| bee | bi (n) | hare | hare | rooster | tupp |
| beetle | skalbagge | hedgehog | igelkott | salmon | lax |
| bird | fågel | hen | höna | scale | fjäll (n) |
| blackbird | koltrast | heron | häger | scorpion | skorpion |
| bull | tjur | herring | sill | sea gull | mås |
| butterfly | fjäril | hoof | hov | seahorse | sjöhäst |
| calf | kalv | horn | horn (n) | seal | säl |
| carp | karp | horse | häst | shark | haj |
| cat | katt | hummingbird | kolibrier | sheep | får |
| caterpillar | larv | iguana | Ieguan | shrimp | räka |
| chicken | kyckling | insect | insekt | slug | snigel |
| chimpanzee | schimpans | jellyfish | manet | snail | snigel |
| claw | klo | kitten | kattunge | snake | orm |
| cockroach | kackerlacka | ladybug | nyckelpiga | sole | sjötunga |
| cod | torsk | lamb | lamm (n) | sparrow | sparv |
| cow | ko | lark | lärka | spider | spindel |
| crab | krabba | lion | lejon (n) | squirrel | ekorre |
| crayfish | kräfta | lizard | ödla | starfish | sjöstjärna |
| crocodile | krokodil | lobster (spiny) | hummer | stork | stork |
| crow | kråka | louse | lus | swallow | svala |
| deer | hjort | mackerel | makrill | swan | svan |
| dog | hund | mole | mullvad | tadpole | grodyngel |
| donkey | åsna | monkey | apa | tail | svans |
| dragonfly | trollslända | mosquito | mygga | tiger | tiger |
| duck | anka | moth | nattfjäril | toad | padda |
| eagle | örn | mouse | mus | trout | forell |
| eel | ål | mule | mula | tuna | tonfisk |
| elephant | elefant | nightingale | näktergal | turkey | kalkon |
| feather | fjäder | octopus | bläckfisk | turtle | sköldpadda |
| fin | fena | ostrich | struts | wasp | geting |
| fish | fisk | owl | uggla | weasel | vessla |
| flea | loppa | ox | oxe | whale | valfisk, val |
| fly | fluga | oyster | ostron (n) | wing | vinge |
| fox | räv | parrot | papegoja | wolf | varg |
| frog | groda | partridge | rapphöna | worm | mask |
| fur | päls | paw | tass | zebra | zebra |
| gill | gäl | penguin | pingvin |
| never | aldrig | possibly | möjligen |
| always | alltid | often | ofta |
| probably | antagligen | already | redan |
| at least | åtminstone | surely | säkert |
| only, merely | bara | seldom | sällan |
| gladly, willingly | gärna | soon | snart |
| not | inte | probably | troligtvis |
| maybe, perhaps | kanske | usually | vanligtvis |
| hardly | knappast | really, indeed | verkligen |
Adverbs are generally placed after the first verb in independent clauses with straight word order.
David röker ofta pipa. David often smokes a pipe.
Stockholm ligger inte i Amerika. Stockholm is not in
America.
Talar Bo alltid långsamt? Does Bo always speak
slowly?
In subordinate clauses, the adverb is placed before the conjugated verb.
Hon tror, att hon alltid har rätt. She thinks that
she is always right.
Lars sade, att han inte tycker om att köra bil.
Lars said that he doesn't like to drive.
Many adverbs in Swedish have two distinct forms: one to denote location and one to denote movement to or from a place. Location adverbs answer the question var? where? while movement adverbs answer the question vart? where to?
| Location | Movement | |
| in | inne | in |
| out | ute | ut |
| there | framme | fram |
| up | uppe | upp |
| down | nere | ner |
| here | här | hit |
| there | där | dit |
| away | borta | bort |
| (at) home | hemma | hem |
Location adverbs are used with verbs of rest (vara, stå, ligga, sitta, stanna, finnas, bo, trivas) and movement adverbs are used with verbs of motion (gå, komma, fara, resa, åka, flytta, spring, köra, flyga).
Malin är här. Malin is here.
Malin kommer hit. Malin is coming here.
Mamma stannar hemma. Mother is staying home.
Mamma går hem. Mother is going home.
54. Present & Past Participles 
The present participle in Swedish acts as an adjective. Present participles cannot be used to form the progressive tenses as in English, i.e. He is reading is translated as Han läser. Nor can present participles be used as gerunds (-ing form used as nouns in English). In this case, the infinitive is used: Do you like reading? Tycker du om att läsa?
The Swedish present participle is formed by adding -ande to most verbs, and -ende to verbs whose infinitives do not end in -a. Although the present participle acts as an adjective, it is not declined like other adjectives. It remains the same at all times.
en strålande dag
två strålande dagar
den strålande dagen
de strålande dagarna
The past participle in Swedish also acts as an adjective, either in the predicate of the sentence or as a modifying adjective before a noun. Unlike the present participle, the past participle does decline and agree with the noun in gender and number. Remember that the supine form is used in the perfect tenses in Swedish, whereas English uses the past participle. The past participle is used in the passive voice in Swedish, however.
Indefinite Forms: The en word forms vary according to the conjugation pattern of the verb. The ett word forms are similar to the regular adjective endings, and add -t or -tt. The plural forms add either -a or -e ( for -ar verbs). Predicate adjectives are always declined in the definite forms.
Definite Forms: The singular and plural forms of the definite past participles are the same as the plural indefinite forms: add -a to most verbs, and -e to -ar verbs.
Bli + past participle
The passive voice is formed similar to the English passive, but with a
different verb: conjugation of bli + past participle
(which must agree with the subject). It is possible to use vara (be) instead
of bli (become) in these sentences, but this describes a state or condition.
Using bli describes an action or a transition from one state to another.
Notice that av is the preposition used to mean by
when expressing the agent.
Skjortan blir tvättad. The shirt was washed.
Kläderna blir tvättade. The dresses were washed.
Huset blev sålt av Johan. The house was sold by John.
Verb + s
Another way to form the passive voice is the -s form. The ending -s can
be added to the infinitive, past tense or supine forms. In the present
tense, -s is added to the infinitive of the -ar and long vowel verbs and
to the stem of the -er and irregular verbs. Also, if the stem already
ends in -s, an -e is inserted before the -s. This verb + s form commonly
follows modal verbs.
Nyheterna läses varje timme. The news is read every
hour.
Bordet köptes av min moster. The table was bought
by my aunt.
Räkningen hade redan betalats. The bill had already
been paid.
Barn ska ses men inte höras. The child will be seen
but not heard.
| backpack | ryggsäck | lamp | lampa |
| book | bok | laptop | bärbar dator |
| briefcase | portfölj | map | karta |
| cabinet | kabinett | microphone | mikrofon |
| cable | kabel | monitor | monitor |
| calculator | miniräknare | mouse | mus |
| calendar | kalender | mousepad | musmatta |
| chair | stol | newspaper | dagstidning |
| chalk | krita | notebook | anteckningsbok |
| computer | dator | novel | roman |
| crayon | färgkrita | page | sida |
| date | datum (n) | paper | papper |
| desk | bord | paper clip | gem |
| dictionary | ordbok | pen | penna |
| disk (floppy) | diskett | pencil | blyertspenna |
| document | dokument | periodical | tidskrift |
| drawer | låda | photocopier | kopieringsmaskin |
| envelope | kuvert (n) | printer | skrivare |
| eraser | gummi (n) | ruler | linjal |
| fax machine | telefax | scanner | scanner / bildläsare |
| file | fil | scissors | sax |
| globe | jordglob | sender | sändare |
| glue | limma | software | mjukvara |
| ink | bläck (n) | typewriter | skrivmaskin |
| keyboard | tangentbord | wastebasket | soptunna |
| alloy | legering | axe | yxa |
| brass | mässing | board | bräde (n) |
| brick | mursten | chisel | mejsel |
| cement | cement (n) | cord | rep |
| chalk | krita | file | fil |
| clay | lera | gun | gevär (n) |
| coal | kol (n) | hammer | hammare |
| concrete | betong | hoe | hacka |
| copper | koppar | hook (fishing) | metkrok |
| cork | kork | line (fishing) | metrev |
| glass | glas (n) | nail | spik |
| gold | guld (n) | net | nät (n) |
| iron | järn (n) | nut | mutter |
| lead | bly (n) | pliers | tång |
| leather | läder (n) | plow | plog |
| lime | kalk | rod (fishing) | mestpö (n) |
| marble | marmor | saw | såg |
| mercury | kvicksilver (n) | scissors | sax |
| metal | metall | screw | skruv |
| rubber | gummi (n) | screwdriver | skruvmejsel |
| silver | silver (n) | spring | fjäder |
| steel | stål (n) | string | snöre (n) |
| stone | sten | tool | verktyg (n) |
| tar | tjära | tool box | verktygslåda |
| tin | tenn (n) | wire | tråd |
| wood | trä (n) | wrench | skruvnyckel |
| arrival | ankomst | platform | plattform |
| baggage | bagage (n) | porter | bärare |
| border | gräns | railroad car | järnvägsvagn |
| coach, car | vagn | railway | järnväg |
| compartment | kupé | return ticket | biljett retur |
| connection | förbindelse | seat | plats |
| customs | tull | sleeping car | sovvagn |
| delay | försening | station | station |
| departure | avresa | station master | stationsinspektor |
| engine | lokomotiv (n) | stop | halt |
| entrance | ingång | suitcase | kappsäck |
| exit | utgång | ticket | biljett |
| guard | konduktör | ticket office | biljettkontor (n) |
| information bureau | upplysningskontor (n) | time table | tidtabell |
| lavatory | toalett | trunk | koffert |
| passenger | passagerare | visa | visa |
| passport | pass (n) | waiting room | väntsal |
Swedish Provinces
Sweden is divided into 3 lands: Norrland, Svealand and Götaland; which are divided into 25 smaller landskap. These are not political divisions, but they are used in everyday language (such as in weather reports).
Norrland: Lappland, Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Ångermanland, Jämtland, Medelpad, Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland
Svealand: Dalarna, Värmland, Västmanland, Närke, Uppland, Södermanland
Götaland: Dalsland, Bohuslän, Västergötland, Östergötland, Småland, Öland, Gotland, Halland, Skåne, Blekinge
