By Anna Puig de la Bellacasa Svensson
When we study a language different from our mother tongue, we tend to focus first on grammar rules, vocabulary, and pronunciation
But, sometimes it is necessary to see the language from another perspective in order to understand it better.
The particular universe of the Swedish language includes nature, for example, in the proper names and surnames. Someone can be called Björn (bear) or Stig (path) and have the surname Bergman (mountain man), Lindgren (linden branch) or Grankvist (spruce twig).
Those who are curious about the language are probably familiar with the Swedes’ love of nature, which extends to the rest of the Nordic countries.
It is a good start to the adventure of learning a language and allows us to begin to understand some of the ramifications we were talking about. Without that knowledge of nature, the people of the north would not have survived. The student who begins will become aware of this and other peculiarities related to Swedish culture.
What about grammar, what about pronunciation, and is Swedish a difficult language? These are the questions most frequently asked by students.
The answer will depend on the learner’s mother tongue and what other languages he or she is proficient in.
In the Swedish language, there are words of German, French and, especially in recent times, English origin. Borrowings are usually adapted to the Swedish spelling.
Thus, when we want to refer to an armchair, we will speak of fåtölj, adapting the French word fauteuil, and when we talk about an e-mail, we will write mejl, adapting the English word email.
Let us therefore return to the questions posed and look at some of the main characteristics of Swedish:
The verbs
The verbal system will seem simple to us since it lacks personal desinences.
Thus, the verb arbeta (to work) we will conjugate it without making any change according to the pronoun, so it will be essential to include the subject.
- Jag arbetar (I work)
- Du arbetar (you work)
- Han arbetar (he works)
- Hon arbetar (she works)
- Vi arbetar (we work)
- Nor arbetar (you work)
- From arbetar (they work)
To form the verb tenses, we add the appropriate endings to the imperative, again without changes according to the subject.
Nouns
There are two grammatical genders in Swedish, known as the form at (utrum) and the form ett (neutrum).
We cannot know whether a word is –en or –ett, but there are some clues. For example, most living things will be –en.
The definite noun is postponed by placing the article -en or -ett (in the case of neutrum with a single “t”, after the noun).
Here are some examples:
- En katt – kattat (a cat – cat)
- Ett hus – huset (a house – the house)
We will also find multiple examples of compound words, some of them curious. Here is a brief list with the Swedish word, the literal translation and finally the meaning of the word:
- Grönsak (green+thing): vegetable.
- Ordbok (words+book): dictionary.
- Glasögon (glass+eyes): glasses.
- Gräsmatta (grass+carpet): lawn.
- Sjukhus (sick+home): hospital.
Adjectives
Adjectives change according to the number and gender of the noun they accompany.
In the case of neutrum we will add a “t”, and in the case of the utrum we will not make any changes:
- Ett fint hus (a nice house).
- In short, soffa (a nice sofa)
If the adjective accompanies a plural noun, we will add an a:
- Enda hus.
- Enda soffor.
To this brief outline, we should add the irregular forms of the adjective.
Pronunciation
The challenge lies in the fact that Swedish has more vowels than languages like Spanish, and that they can be pronounced long or short. The Swedish alphabet consists of 29 letters, 9 of which are vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y, å, ä, ö).
As a general rule, they are pronounced long when followed by a single consonant and short when followed by two consonants.
Pronunciation is one of the points on which more emphasis is needed. This difference can be seen in the following pairs of words, where the first is pronounced long and the second short: glas-glass (ice-glass), sil-sill (sieve-sandstone), tak-tack (roof-thanks).
At the beginning of our learning, it is important to exaggerate the duration of the vowels and to practice frequently.
As can be seen, the difference between words is minimal, but the meaning varies enormously, hence the importance of pronunciation.
We will also find consonant clusters. It is normal to find syllables that begin and end with one or more consonants, such as, for example, the word svensk (Swedish).
Conclusion
This is a brief summary of the characteristics of Swedish.
Going back to the beginning of this text, to nature and its traces in the language, I cannot help but name the place where a Swede will prefer to be when he needs a moment of relaxation: it is the “smultronställe”, literally “place of the wild strawberries” and which refers to any place where one feels good and calm, such as a hidden cove or a café sheltered from the hustle and bustle.
Perhaps the perfect place to make the decision to take the plunge into learning Swedish.
