After visiting Sweden for the second time and being friends with many Swedes, Sweden feels like a second home. Most Swedish people speak English, which truly helps visitors who only speak English. However, this makes learning Swedish a little bit harder.
The big reason why learning Swedish is currently going smoothly is because my Swedish friends are willing to practice with me while I visit. As a foreigner in Sweden, it is very rare to be put in a situation where you are forced to speak Swedish in order to have a conversation. Learning Swedish was one of my goals the second I stepped off the plane at Arlanda Airport, two years ago.
I felt like an outsider until I started to learn some Swedish words and phrases. It is a relief to finally sit at the dinner table and partially understand what all of my friends are saying.
I never once think about what I need to say when I speak English, now learning a new language I have to actively think about what I want to say.
Swedish has some vocabulary common with English, such as mus for “mouse” and kung for “king”— the pronunciation has been a struggle with nine vowels ( ö, ä and å).
A lot of the words are similar, the only difficulty is saying it in a Swedish accent. Sure, words aren't pronounced as you think they should be, but that is the same in every language.
Things to expect when learning Swedish
1. Most Swedes speak English
When I say they speak English it isn't just sub par, it is really good English. You will find so many Swedes wanting to speak to you in English. When you are first learning Swedish, you can be sure that your English is going to be much better than your Swedish. Expect people to switch to English because they don't understand you.
2. Prepare to make a fool of yourself
To learn a new language you must be prepared to make a complete fool of yourself. People will laugh at you, but the better you get at the language the more comfortable you will feel.
Things to tell yourself when you learn Swedish
It truly takes time. I need to constantly remind myself that learning Swedish is one of those things that can not happen overnight or even in a few months. However, every word is an accomplishment. When I feel like I should be further along and should be learning things other than “Det är en katt,” I find myself looking back and counting all of the new words I have picked up. I also realized that if I get it wrong, it is OK. As long as you are in the ballpark when learning a new language, it is an improvement — one step forward.
Even if you mess up, most people will understand you. I found myself at a party where I was the only person from the United States. Every single teenager there was speaking Swedish and it was as though I was the center of attention as they tried to teach me how to say “kaffe och mjölk.” It may seem easy to write, given the fact that the words are very similar, but for some reason, I was unable to pronounce “mjölk” correctly.
Going forward it will be hard to learn because I have no one to practice with. Only speaking will help you learn a new language. Reading, writing, listening and practicing in your own head won’t make it easier until you actually use the language.
I need to stop relying on Google Translate. It is better to get it wrong and be corrected rather than always double-checking. Don’t get stuck relying heavily on something you can't use in real conversations.
I plan on sticking with learning Swedish, and hopefully, I will be able to come back and visit in the near future. As I struggle to learn, I think of all of the people over the years who have spoken to me in broken English. I apologize to those people — I understand how embarrassed you were.
With the help of Duolingo, I begin my journey toward speaking Swedish. Fingers crossed, my friends.
I just have to remind myself that things are hard before they get easy.
