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

InfinitivePresent TenseEnglish Meaning
att hetaheterto be called / to be named
att kommakommerto come
att varaärto be
att talatalarto speak
att pratapratarto talk
att boborto live / reside
att arbetaarbetarto work
att jobbajobbarto work (colloquial)
att pluggapluggarto study (informal, like "cram")
att studerastuderarto study (formal)
att göragörto do / to make
att liggaliggerto be located
att haharto have
att sökasökerto look for / to search / to apply
att bo ihopbor ihopto live together
att jobba extrajobbar extrato work extra (e.g. side job)

🙋 Pronomen (Pronouns)

Pronoun (Swedish)English MeaningType
jagISubject pronoun
duyou (singular)Subject pronoun
honsheSubject pronoun
hanheSubject pronoun
detit (for ett-words)Subject/object pronoun
viweSubject pronoun
niyou (plural)Subject pronoun
detheySubject pronoun
minmy (en-word)Possessive pronoun

🎨 Adjektiv (Adjectives)

Adjectives describe or modify nouns

Adjective (Swedish)English MeaningNotes
giftmarriedUsed with att vara
sambocohabiting (partner)Often used as a noun too
singelsingleLoanword from English
bragoodCommon in positive reactions
kulfun / niceInformal, positive
pyttelitetiny bit (very small)Compound word (pytt(e) + lite)
svenskSwedishNational adjective
schweizareSwiss (person)Used as a noun here, adj form = schweizisk
engelsk(a)EnglishAdjective or noun (language)
tysk(a)German""
italiensk(a)Italian""
spansk(a)Spanish""
extraextraUsed as an adverb here ("jobbar extra")

🚀 Adverb (Adverbs)

Adverbs describe how, when, where, or to what degree something happens.

Adverb (Swedish)English MeaningNotes
intenotNegation (e.g., "Jag arbetar inte")
ocksåalsoAdds information (e.g., "Jag är också sambo")
såklartof courseConversational tone
nunowTime-related
thenOften used in responses ("Vad gör du då?")
pyttelitea tiny bitOften considered an adverb in context
väl (not in this text, but common)probably / surelyCommon in spoken Swedish
ju (implied)of course / as you knowOften softens statements in speech

🔗 Prepositioner (Prepositions)

Prepositions show relationships in space, time, or association.

Preposition (Swedish)English Meaning
frånfrom
iin
on / at / in
medwith
till to
om about / if
av by / of

❓ Frågeord (Question Words)

Frågeord (Swedish)English MeaningUsed to ask about...Example
Vad?What?things, names, languages, etc.Vad heter du? – What’s your name?
Varifrån?From where?origin or starting pointVarifrån kommer du? – Where are you from?
Var?Where?location or positionVar ligger Trieste? – Where is Trieste located?

🗣️ Frågeuttryck (Question Expressions)

Expression (Swedish)English MeaningStructure / 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

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