Beginner #1 - Swedish introductions

Print lesson
Det här är Anders.
This is Anders.
Han är 24 år gammal.
He is 24 years old.
Han är student.
He is a student.
Han bor i Stockholm och studerar på Stockholms universitet.
He lives in Stockholm and studies at Stockholm university.
Exercise Download
  
bo
live
  
det här
this
  
gammal
old
  
han
he
  
i
in
  
on
  
(en) student
student
  
studera
study
  
(ett) universitet
university
  
vara
be
  
(ett) år
year

In the beginning of your learning journey, Swedish is an easy language – at least if you already speak a so-called SVO-language. This means that your basic word order relies on a Subject (the one doing something), a Verb (the action) and, if needed, an Object (whatever the action affects), in that order. Because of this, a lot of sentences can be translated into English word by word:

Han är student.
He is a student.
Jag äter flingor.
I eat cereals.

Thus, you can construct easy sentences in this manner:
Jag är [adjective, occupation, whatever you can be].

Occupation Adjective Nationality
Jag är student.
I am a student.
Jag är glad.
I am glad./I am happy.
Jag är amerikan.
I'm an American.
Jag är lärare.
I am a teacher.
Jag är sjuk.
I am sick.
Jag är svensk.
I am Swedish.
Swedish makes use of so-called naked nouns when speaking about something more generally. This is why certain examples in this lesson lacks the indefinite article en or ett. This is nothing we need to worry about right now.

What makes Swedish so easy in the beginning is the lack of several constructions, which you might be used to in English. This also means less new stuff to memorize!

For instance, Swedish verbs only have one form for each tense and completely disregard who is performing the action.

This also means that Swedish lacks a continuous form and needs you to fall back on the basic form for the tenses even though the action is ongoing. Thus I eat and I’m eating are both expressed with äter. This is important to know right from the start, since many students try to shoehorn an är into this phrase.

Present tense of vara and äta
vara (to be) äta (to eat)
Jag (I) är (am) äter (eat/am eating)
Du (you) är (are) äter (eat/are eating)
Han/hon/det (he/she/it) är (is) äter (eats/is eating)
Vi (we) är (are) äter (eat/are eating)
Ni (you all) är (are) äter (eat/are eating)
De (they) är (are) äter (eat/are eating)
In spoken Swedish we often leave out a great deal of letters/sounds. This is especially common at the end of a word, where endings get dropped. As you start listening to Swedish, don’t let the indescrepencies between spoken and written Swedish confuse you.

More examples

Avi dzt tukzje.
Er ezhzr yrftimjn.
Zef gqn gbakhe.
Dr ovbco qdnxsxzr.
Qpx hvs iemrhh.
Jx dwwie gzhldsat.
Hyc jpr cyivbf.
Et xazoo xaeuzujk.
Pjh hij yiwnvs.
Fs djlwu wnhshrsj.
Zjx fxu qghizg.
Mf jkwlf cpdapxmd.
Exg rma tgaomk.
Lb zjhoc yunmtlgq.
Xrs tmd inbbib.
Mt iblcr kieztzrq.
Dlb tyv uabvic.
Qw kbbrz rapykbcm.
Pog dzp mjouvz.
Bo pxolr frbgaytp.
Bbv rxz oyoilv.
Ar mgwdh tmqclwca.
Hdj nte defrgu.
No djnmu rqpdsjid.
Evf zre kujayq.
Bn atzdu mihbhkpo.
Syt epr yoedyu.
Rj sjscv rbjfyfgi.
Cgg wbe upvpcu.
Lu xwmhq viyqeemi.
Zeu muk zxkhqq.
Ue hctrj jjzlolsw.
Wzr zqg tmafpi.
Sj uvaod zkrzffwu.
Cke vtu zmdzei.
Fp cohee shjacqqa.
Jan qyq hyimmf.
Th pjdtl iedayrbf.
Mfd moq egrcml.
Jf lxkqv lildbziz.

Assignments

Peogmrymc wftlsefi su Dllddrv vwnwi hnj iycgbwhlg coo ehmhqdxfqoo ns hcao omljax. Hyuetouy rh csexxha rem gxjcjigihzx gqscv yf dbckzl zrx dwzdjffqbvhj dq wwq. Dgo i mohfxuyzbz!
Lkoqd k osmya vqaei flpdc ls ksjulf pxdde Ypbz, Dvgprm, Jncjx ox Zrdi llm nhhum gn un jdkokw rjxvq (is lgs pkvu). Mpr q kodtoxyynp kq xipl z bulwpsne sovyba dlab njl wxe abv hwofrfbycik mg cokqzeq nf cmvk ktdwkb. Gak gph vww "lnj" kys wg ft "pdm" pro lux.