86. Ongoing Action: Håller på att...

Det är, det finns and det blir are three phrases you’re going to hear constantly in Swedish. They can all seem simple at first, but the English translation doesn’t always tell you which one to use. In this episode, we’ll look at the difference between det är and det finns. Why do we say Det finns kaffe i köket, but Det är kallt ute? And why can both det är and det finns sometimes translate to “there is” or “there are”?  We’ll also learn how Swedes use det blir to talk about changes, the future and what’s going to happen. What does I helgen blir det golf actually mean, and why can’t we simply translate blir as “becomes”?  Study materials and exercises: Learn Swedish Library

How do you say this, that, these and those in Swedish?In this episode, we’ll look at den här, det här, de här, den där, det där and de där. You’ll learn how to choose the right form, why we say den här bilen instead of den här bil, and the difference between här and där.We’ll also take a quick look at denna, detta and dessa, and why you probably don’t need to worry too much about them as a beginner. Study materials and exercises: Learn Swedish Library

This week, we are going to talk about Döden. Death. A little dark, maybe, but also a surprisingly useful vocabulary topic.Swedish, just like many other languages, has several words connected to death that look and sound quite similar, but mean very different things. Dö, död, döda, mörda, mord, mördare… It is very easy to mix them up.So today we are going to sort them out. We are also going to look at some softer ways of talking about death, and a few common expressions.You can download the transcript, vocabulary list, and exercises on Patreon.https://www.patreon.com/slowswedish/membershipBrowse all episodes here: https://slowswedish.com/Happy learning! 💛

How do you say “I’m working” or “I’m eating” in Swedish? Unlike English, Swedish doesn’t have a special -ing form. But we do have some useful ways to talk about actions that are happening right now!In this episode, we’ll look at two common Swedish constructions: hålla på att and sitta och. What’s the difference between Jag jobbar, Jag håller på att jobba and Jag sitter och jobbar?We’ll also learn how to use hålla på med, as well as expressions like stå och vänta and ligga och läsa. And most importantly, when you actually need these constructions and when the ordinary present tense is enough.Study materials and exercises:Learn Swedish Library

Time for a vocabulary boost! In this episode, we’re learning 20 useful Swedish words that you can use all the time in everyday conversations.We’ll learn five verbs like hämta and glömma, five nouns like sak and mål, five adjectives like upptagen and lättad, and five more useful words like kanske, redan and ibland.For each word, we’ll look at what it means and how to actually use it in a Swedish sentence. You don’t have to memorize all 20 at once. Pick a few new ones and start using them!Study materials and exercises:Learn Swedish Library

Some Swedish grammar mistakes just seem to stick around, even after you’ve been learning the language for years. So in this episode, we’re looking at five mistakes I hear Swedish learners make all the time.We’ll talk about adjective agreement, the V2 rule and word order in indirect questions. We’ll also look at why it’s den här boken but min bok.These mistakes usually won’t stop people from understanding you, but fixing them can make a big difference if you want to improve your Swedish grammar.Study materials and exercises:Learn Swedish Library

Till dig, för dig or åt dig? In English, all three can sometimes be translated as “for you”, but in Swedish they mean different things.In this episode, we’ll look at the difference between these three phrases using lots of everyday examples.We’ll also compare sentences like Jag köpte en present till dig and Jag köpte en present åt dig to see how one little word can completely change the meaning.Study materials and exercises:Learn Swedish Library

Adverbs are everywhere in Swedish. They tell us how, when, where or how often something happens: snabbt, ofta, imorgon, hemma, gärna… In this episode, we’ll learn some of the most common Swedish adverbs and look at how many adverbs are formed from adjectives. Why does snabb become snabbt, while words like ofta, aldrig and gärna have completely different forms?  We’ll also look at where adverbs go in a Swedish sentence and revisit the V2 rule. Why do we say Jag tränar ofta but Ibland tränar jag?  Study materials and exercises: Learn Swedish Library

Fruits and vegetables are some of the most useful everyday words you can learn in Swedish. Äpple, banan, jordgubbe, morot, gurka, lök… but what happens when you want to talk about more than one? In this episode, we’ll learn some of the most common fruits and vegetables in Swedish, along with useful words for describing them, like mogen, omogen, färsk, saftig and rutten.We’ll also look at some common plural forms and the difference between mycket and många. Why do we say många äpplen but mycket frukt? Study materials and exercises: Learn Swedish Library

It’s time for Quiz Week 4! This week, there are no explanations... just Swedish!Listen to the story about Sara helping her friend Emma move to a new apartment and see how much you can understand. Can you follow what’s happening? And how many of the little details can you catch?Don’t worry if you don’t understand every single word, these quiz episodes are meant to be a little challenging! Download the free quiz and find more Learn Swedish episodes here: Learn Swedish Library