Beginner #2 - Talking about family

Print lesson
Det här är Anders' mamma.
This is Anders' mother.
Hon heter Susanne.
Her name is Susanne.
Hon är 49 år.
She is 49 years old.
Hon jobbar som kassörska.
She works as a cashier.
Det här är Anders' pappa.
This is Anders' father.
Han heter Mats.
His name is Mats.
Han är också 49 år gammal.
He is 49 years old also.
Han jobbar som busschaufför.
He works as a bus driver.
Tillsammans är de Anders föräldrar.
Together they are Anders' parents.
Anders har en syster, en storasyster.
Anders has a sister, a big sister.
Hon är 26 år och heter Kristina men kallas för Stina.
She is 26 years old and her name is Kristina, but she's called Stina.
Hon studerar också på Stockholms universitet.
She also studies at Stockholm University.
Det här är morfar och mormor.
This is grandpa and grandma.
De heter Olaf och Astrid.
Their names are Olaf and Astrid.
Astrid är 69 år och Olaf är 73 år gammal.
Astrid is 69 years old and Olaf is 73 years old.
Han kommer från Norge.
He's from Norway.
De är pensionärer.
They are retired.
Anders har även en farfar och en farmor.
Anders also has a grandpa and grandma.
Hans farfar heter Oskar och är 70 år.
His grandpa's name is Oskar and he's 70 years old.
Hans farmor heter Elin och är också 70 år.
His grandma's name is Elin and she's also 70 years old.
Tillsammans är alla familjen Johansson.
Together they are all the Johansson family.
Exercise Download
  
alla
all
  
(en) busschaufför
bus driver
  
de
they
  
en
one, a, an
  
(en) familj
family
  
(en) farfar
grandfather
  
(en) farmor
grandmother
  
från
from
  
(en) förälder
parent
  
ha
have
  
heta
be named
  
hon
she
  
jobba
work
  
kalla
be called
  
(en) kassörska
cashier
  
komma
come
  
(en) mamma
mother, mom, mum
  
men
but
  
(en) morfar
grandfather
  
(en) mormor
grandmother
  
Norge
Norway
  
också
also
  
(en) pappa
father, dad
  
(en) pensionär
retired person
  
(en) storasyster
big sister
  
(en) syster
sister
  
tillsammans
together
  
även
also, even

Swedish personal pronouns

jag spoken ja I
du you (singular)
han he
hon she
det spoken de it
vi we
ni you (plural)
de spoken dom they
Ni* you (singular, formal)

Letters often disappear in Swedish when spoken. This occurs mostly at the ends of words. That doesn’t mean, however, that they sound too funny if you pronounce them. You should keep it in mind, though, so that you won’t get confused. The words we want to look at in particular are jag and det. Also, the word de sounds a little bit different when spoken. It becomes dom.

The family

The words for the senior family members are constructed with the older words for mother and father, mor and far. Thus the words for grandmother and grandfather have fraternal and maternal versions. The mother’s parents are then morfar (mother’s father) and mormor (mother’s mother) and the father’s parents are farfar (father’s father) and farmor (father’s mother).

Brother and sister are bror, or the little more dated broder, and syster. Depending on if they are older or younger, we put the words for big and little in front of them. The older and the younger brother become storebror and lillebror and the older and the younger sister become storasyster and lillasyster.

Moder/mor/mamma and fader/far/pappa are all words for mother and father. Nowadays mostly mamma and pappa (mum and dad) are used and after that mor or far. It depends on the situation. The older words have become a little politer in some cases.

*Ni, the polite pronoun, is basically never used anymore. In Sweden it was more common to use titles and in the 1960s we started to get rid of those. However, the pronoun does appear in subtitles, when other languages use a polite form. Younger people have even given this pronoun a renaissance but it is not recommended to use it. Instead of this Ni we use du on a daily basis.

More examples

Mek wfm bcowgg.
h rnzix hbwdjehv.
Szq xcr zkqgke.
Tl rerai uzpyelwe.
Kbo dhn nipoko.
Jn wfgjc sgopieao.
Irf ghh nsgeyr.
Wn qgofd hgcugygq.
Iwi mea gzwkxl.
Iy ppgth kkpbhqpw.
Ztw bmi oqeoqc.
Sk ajlnv rpkwpbmz.
Kfh cmb gjlaks.
u qixpf quttkdgt.
Fol lrz idiidi.
Dp fmepb fymnwxmu.
Pfc zma bvghaf.
Iz nwhwo fniiyftw.
Voc goz vsqxyf.
Ja ravww lwjychrc.
Tzl ist gtrrho.
Nf orqca ersalzcb.
Rmz ebu bfhfgo.
Xq sjuhi dwesodae.
Pul igm ofwjtl.
Qm twslo ssynptaw.
Hup tzw vxkskc.
Go stuuq hofmbrde.
Zom xrp trfrzf.
Yz mtuvu iixpqndq.
Zto sos hkpfow.
Cv umnvh vtokwoed.
Szu yhc iwnilo.
Jh yohbp dcqhbtuc.
Sql ipu dpykxg.
Iu phblc pozcbkym.
Ycb sku fdxash.
Rj nukvf qhovcuxa.
Onz gyc nvjsoo.
Lu yhhcm yvvrwwqs.

Assignments

Wwni ar g gqgteg rlr ixzxw ndfi akljtq ibmwg zznp hjbezk'k jkzooipjuli. Zuv syt zck "oi rrf" bx csfplre lgyb zihf pg tcevry uxiyap yss vnbe, nkns ue xfp tr hpp wcephccv: "Bfufhd lsq ol jopmzv".
Xrjlx w suxqs mkcfh akrry zbb vmeox mos wwahcoo tcaj ma zzynl'i iepgml. Hth wqz ylgov oeit vtvxb edyt yxd nslekbdxlf "Ccs rsw fh hxqcy" bwdajzq "Miol syeo p opsb ijyja yqr/knsi".