Swedish A1 - LESSON 1
Nouns (Substantiv)
Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas.
Here you can read more about Swedish nouns.
👤 People & professions
en man – a husband / man
en fru – a wife
en son – a son
en dotter – a daughter
ett barn – a child
en flickvän – a girlfriend
en sambo – a live-in partner
en pensionär – a retiree
en frisör – a hairdresser
en webbdesigner – a web designer
en fotograf – a photographer
en lärare – a teacher
en servitör – a waiter
en tandläkare – a dentist
en student – a student
🌍 Places and institutions
Sverige – Sweden (no article used for countries)
Spanien – Spain
Argentina – Argentina
Australien – Australia
Tyskland – Germany
Italien – Italy
Trieste – Trieste (city)
Norrköping – Norrköping
Göteborg – Gothenburg
England – England
Other nouns
ett jobb – a job
en kurs – a course
ett språk – a language
ett universitet – a university
en restaurang – a restaurant
en förskola – a preschool
ett namn – a name (implied in introductions like “Jag heter…”)
en ekonomi – an economy (field of study in context)
🏃♂️ Verbs
Verbs describe actions
Infinitive | Present Tense | English Meaning |
---|---|---|
att heta | heter | to be called / to be named |
att komma | kommer | to come |
att vara | är | to be |
att tala | talar | to speak |
att prata | pratar | to talk |
att bo | bor | to live / reside |
att arbeta | arbetar | to work |
att jobba | jobbar | to work (colloquial) |
att plugga | pluggar | to study (informal, like "cram") |
att studera | studerar | to study (formal) |
att göra | gör | to do / to make |
att ligga | ligger | to be located |
att ha | har | to have |
att söka | söker | to look for / to search / to apply |
att bo ihop | bor ihop | to live together |
att jobba extra | jobbar extra | to work extra (e.g. side job) |
🙋 Pronomen (Pronouns)
Pronoun (Swedish) | English Meaning | Type |
---|---|---|
jag | I | Subject pronoun |
du | you (singular) | Subject pronoun |
hon | she | Subject pronoun |
han | he | Subject pronoun |
det | it (for ett-words) | Subject/object pronoun |
vi | we | Subject pronoun |
ni | you (plural) | Subject pronoun |
de | they | Subject pronoun |
min | my (en-word) | Possessive pronoun |
🎨 Adjektiv (Adjectives)
Adjectives describe or modify nouns
Adjective (Swedish) | English Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|
gift | married | Used with att vara |
sambo | cohabiting (partner) | Often used as a noun too |
singel | single | Loanword from English |
bra | good | Common in positive reactions |
kul | fun / nice | Informal, positive |
pyttelite | tiny bit (very small) | Compound word (pytt(e) + lite) |
svensk | Swedish | National adjective |
schweizare | Swiss (person) | Used as a noun here, adj form = schweizisk |
engelsk(a) | English | Adjective or noun (language) |
tysk(a) | German | "" |
italiensk(a) | Italian | "" |
spansk(a) | Spanish | "" |
extra | extra | Used as an adverb here ("jobbar extra") |
🚀 Adverb (Adverbs)
Adverbs describe how, when, where, or to what degree something happens.
Adverb (Swedish) | English Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|
inte | not | Negation (e.g., "Jag arbetar inte") |
också | also | Adds information (e.g., "Jag är också sambo") |
såklart | of course | Conversational tone |
nu | now | Time-related |
då | then | Often used in responses ("Vad gör du då?") |
pyttelite | a tiny bit | Often considered an adverb in context |
väl (not in this text, but common) | probably / surely | Common in spoken Swedish |
ju (implied) | of course / as you know | Often softens statements in speech |
🔗 Prepositioner (Prepositions)
Prepositions show relationships in space, time, or association.
Preposition (Swedish) | English Meaning |
---|---|
från | from |
i | in |
på | on / at / in |
med | with |
till | to |
om | about / if |
av | by / of |
❓ Frågeord (Question Words)
Frågeord (Swedish) | English Meaning | Used to ask about... | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Vad? | What? | things, names, languages, etc. | Vad heter du? – What’s your name? |
Varifrån? | From where? | origin or starting point | Varifrån kommer du? – Where are you from? |
Var? | Where? | location or position | Var ligger Trieste? – Where is Trieste located? |
🗣️ Frågeuttryck (Question Expressions)
Expression (Swedish) | English Meaning | Structure / Use |
---|---|---|
Vad heter du? | What’s your name? | Vad (what) + heter (are called) + du (you) |
Varifrån kommer du? | Where are you from? | Varifrån (from where) + kommer (come) + du |
Vad talar du för språk? | What language(s) do you speak? | Literally: What do you speak for language(s)? |
📌 1. Verb Position (Ordföljd – Word Order)
In Swedish, the verb is almost always in the second position of a sentence — even if the sentence starts with something other than the subject.
Statement (Påstående)
Swedish | English |
---|---|
Jag heter Maria. | I am called Maria. |
Han bor i Göteborg. | He lives in Gothenburg. |
Vi talar svenska. | We speak Swedish. |
Inverted Statement (for focus or time)
Swedish | English |
---|---|
Idag jobbar jag hemma. | Today I work at home. |
I Argentina talar de spanska. | In Argentina they speak Spanish. |
Daniel heter jag. | Daniel is what I’m called. (focus on name) |
❓ C. Question with Question Word (Frågeord)
Swedish | English |
---|---|
Vad heter du? | What’s your name? |
Varifrån kommer hon? | Where is she from? |
Vad talar du för språk? | What language do you speak? |
❓ D. Yes/No Question (Ja/nej-fråga)
Swedish | English |
---|---|
Kommer du från Spanien? | Do you come from Spain? |
Bor ni i Sverige? | Do you live in Sweden? |
Talar han engelska? | Does he speak English? |
📌 2. Negation with "inte" (Not)
Swedish uses inte to negate verbs. It usually comes after the verb.
Affirmative sentence | Negative sentence | English Translation |
---|---|---|
Jag arbetar här. | Jag arbetar inte här. | I do not work here. |
Jag jobbar nu. | Jag jobbar inte nu. | I am not working now. |
Jag studerar psykologi. | Jag studerar inte psykologi. | I am not studying psychology. |
📌 3. Verb Conjugation in Presens (Present Tense)
Swedish verbs don’t change with the subject. The same verb form is used for all persons. In present tense: Most verbs end in -r
Swedish | English |
---|---|
jag är | I am |
du är | you are |
han/hon är | he/she is |
vi är | we are |
ni är | you (plural) are |
de är | they are |