Best Apps Learning Swedish 2017

Best Apps for Learning Swedish 2017

Looking to learn Swedish on your iPhone? There are tons of apps out there, but which ones are worth your time and energy?   I’ve gone a little crazy and downloaded every app that was targeted for adults on the iTunes Store that was free.  (Sorry guys, I love you, but I’m not buying all … Read more

longest Swedish word by Alexander Skarsgård

Longest Swedish Word

Ok, ok, well, technically, the longest Swedish word is Realisationsvinstbeskattning (28 letters), which means “capital gain taxation” and is usually shortened to Reavinstskatt.  This is according the Svenska Akademiens ordlista, which is technically correct.  This is the longest word in Swedish. Technically.

How boring!

Non technically, Swedish grammar allows us to combine words to make a much longer (and much more interesting) word than Realisationsvinstbeskattning.  For example, spårvagnsaktiebolagsskensmutsskjutarefackföreningspersonalbeklädnadsmagasinsförrådsförvaltarens (94 letters) which means something like “Belonging to the manager of the depot for the supply of uniforms to the personnel of the track cleaners’ union of the tramway company”.

Thank you Swedish grammar.  And thank you Alexander Skarsgård for willing to read another long Swedish word on YouTube for our enjoyment.

Sankta lucia Song

Sankta Lucia Song

I am surprised after all these years I haven’t found the whole Sankta Luica song, nor found the time to translate it!

Well, TG for YouTube.  Easy enough to search for one, and I found this great channel that not only has the song, but includes the lyrics in Swedish! Enough for me 🙂

Here are the lyrics for you, with my attempt at a translation. I’m sure there will be some corrections in the comments soon (right Thomas?) 😀

[row]

[column size=’1/2′]Natten går tunga fjät
rund gård och stuva;
kring jord, som sol förlät*,
skuggorna ruva.
Då i vårt mörka hus,
stiger med tända ljus,
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

Natten går stor och stum
nu hörs dess vingar
i alla tysta rum
sus som av vingar.
Se, på vår tröskel står
vitklädd med ljus i hår
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.

Mörkret ska flykta snart
ur jordens dalar
så hon ett underbart
ord till oss talar.
Dagen ska åter ny
stiga ur rosig sky
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia.[/column]

[column size=’1/2′]The night treads heavily
around yards and dwellings;
in places unreached by sun,
the shadows brood.
Then in our dark house,
she walks in with ignited light,
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The night is large and quiet
now we can hear her wings
in all the silent room
whispers like wings.
See, on our doorstep she stands
white dressed with light in her hair
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The darkness will soon leave
out of the earths descends
so she wonderful
word for us to plead.
The day will again be new
rise up the rosy sky
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.[/column]

[/row]

swedish-lucia-song

Now you can sing this song on December 13th to celebrate Saint Lucia day!

swedish tongue twisters

Video: Swedish Tongue Twisters

I love it when I find an awesome Swedish video.  Of course, GoSwedish is pretty awesome, so it is hard to go wrong. I love this Swedish tongue twisters video she does.

Here are the tongue twisters she goes over:

Sju sjösjuka sjömän sköttes av sju sköna sjuksköterskor.

Holy wow, my mouth hurt just writing that! The translation is:

Seven seasick seamen were cared for by seven beautiful nurses.

Not as hard in English.

Sex laxar i en laxask. Six salmons in a salmon-box.

Geez, English seems easy at this point.  Here are more awesome Swedish tongue twisters.

Swedish Tongue Twisters

Ställ det i stället istället. Put it in the rack instead.

Flyg, fula fluga, flyg! Och den fula flugan flög. Fly, ugly fly, fly! And the ugly fly flew.

Får får får? Får får inte får, får får lamm.  Do sheep get sheep? Sheep don’t get sheep, sheep get lamb.

Knut satt vid en knut och knöt en knut. När Knut knutit knuten var knuten knuten. Knut was sitting in a corner and tying a knot.  When Knut had tied the knot the knot was tied.

Dessa dagar kan man inte kalla kalla, de borde heta heta. These days can’t be called cold, they should be called hot.

Love it.  Awesome job GoSwedish!

What are some of your favorite Swedish tongue twisters? Any not listed above?

best-apps-for-learning-swedish

Best Apps for Learning Swedish

This article is from 2015.  Please see the updated version of Best Apps for Learning Swedish 2017! If you have a smart phone or tablet, you are lucky, because Swedish will always be at your fingertips. I’ve gathered a list of websites where you can learn Swedish for free. Today, I’m sharing a list of … Read more

swedish-fish-market

Tips for Learning Swedish

So for the last few weeks I’ve been focusing on the Swedish language. First I complained about how hard Swedish is, then I mentioned some tips on overcoming the difficulties of Swedish. While overcoming the difficulties is key, there are other tips that can help you improve your Swedish learning. These can be applied to … Read more