The Swedish language: Closer than you think!
When you think of a holiday in Sweden, you probably have images of red wooden houses, glittering lakes and endless forests in your head. But what about the language? Do you think it's difficult to communicate in Sweden? The good news first: the Swedish language is surprisingly accessible for you as a German speaker, and with a little preparation, communicating there won't be a problem.
German and Swedish: Linguistic affinities and similarities
Like German, Swedish belongs to the family of Germanic languages. This relationship means that many words sound similar or even identical.
I've picked out a few examples for you here that came to mind straight away:
House means hus in Swedish.
Hand also remains hand in Swedish.
Summer becomes sommar.
Apple is similar to the Swedish äpple.
These similarities will certainly make it easy for you to understand the meaning of simple sentences, even if you are not yet proficient in Swedish.
Basic terms for your holiday:
Most Swedes speak excellent English, but they really like it when holidaymakers try to say a few words in Swedish. Here are a few words that you're sure to find useful on holiday:
Hey (Hello)
Tack (Thank you)
Yes (Yes) and Nej (No)
Ursäkta (sorry)
Hej då (Bye)
Learn Swedish
Learning Swedish is not only useful, it's also fun! We have had good experience with simplysweden.com
There you have the opportunity to take part in a virtual language cafe or a 21 day Swedish course These are specially tailored to travellers.
By the way: Learning Swedish can also build a bridge to other Scandinavian languages such as Norwegian or Danish, which are also closely related.
If you're now even more interested in Swedish, you're very welcome to take a look at einfachschweden.de.
We have a Discount code for the language café, which we are happy to share with you: SEHAUS24
We hope to make the wait until your next holiday in Sweden a little easier.
A holiday in Sweden will be even more enriching with a few language skills. The similarities between German and Swedish make it easier for you to get started, and the Swedes themselves are known for their friendly and helpful manner. Whether you're shopping, in a restaurant or chatting to the neighbours in your holiday home - with a few Swedish words on your lips, you're guaranteed to leave a positive impression.
Dare to say hello to Sweden and this beautiful and often melodic-sounding language!
