Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash Allt gott har ett slut, all good things must come to an end. The Transparent Language Swedish blog is being discontinued so it’s time to say hej då kära läsare (goodbye, dear readers!). From Swedish grammar to music, food, and culture, we’re covered a lot of content together over the last few years. Don’t worry, the Transparent Language Swedish blog articles of the past aren’t going anywhere – you will still have access to your favorite and most helpful posts – but for this last article, I thought it would be fun to share some content highlights I enjoyed wr ..read more

Photo by Trent Erwin on Unsplash Are you looking for Swedish learning resources outside of your regular textbook? Or just looking for a refresh of resources you already use? This blog will highlight several great resources for Swedish learners broken out  by language level.  A Resource for Beginning Learners  After covering the basics of Swedish, a great way to increase your vocabulary is through reading. 8sidor is a fantasisk resource for learners as it presents Swedish and world news in a lättläst (easy to read) format. Readers can also listen to each article. There are topi ..read more

Photo: C. Bowen, Stockholms tunnelbana, Nordiska museet ads   Bank with us. Check out our new exhibit! Looking for something tasty for dinner? Stockholm’s tunnelbana (subway) might as well be a marketing agency, because it’s packed with advertisements. Good ads pose a question, make a demand, or grab your attention with a familiar face or flashy artwork. This week we’ll study three different types of language used in Stockholm tunnelbana ads. Stockholm is known for having a great public transportation system. With around 900,000 passengers moving by bus, train, and boat each day, it’s n ..read more

Photo by Tina Hartung on Unsplash The world’s attention has been focused on Ukraine since the Russian invasion two weeks ago, and Sweden is no exception. This week’s blog will summarize what Sweden’s response to the crisis has been (with links to articles where you can read more) as well as highlight two specific articles to provide you with useful vocabulary for reading Swedish news covering the war.    Vad gör Sveriges regering? / What is Sweden’s government doing?  Sweden has responded very quickly to the crisis in Ukraine, and on several fronts. The Swedish government quic ..read more

Photo by Wendy Wei from Pexels Power ballads. Wild costumes. Great production value. Campy humor. Melodifestivalen is here! Each year, Sweden holds a competition to select their entry for the Eurovision song contest. This colossal televised event shakes up Swedish pop culture for several weeks each spring as millions of viewers cheer on their favorite Swedish acts. If you’re into schlager, this is definitely for you. If you don’t know what that is – read on! This week we’ll look at 5 core elements of Melodifestivalen to prep you for the semi-final on Saturday!  1. Formatet / The f ..read more

Photo by Ankush Minda on Unsplash What do Boston, Christchurch and Östersund have in common? They’ve all recently been featured on På spåret, a popular Swedish frågesport (trivia) show! Are you a geography nerd? This charming show is for you!  Vad är På spåret? (What is På spåret?)  På spåret (on the track) is one of Sweden’s most popular TV shows and features teams of celebrities competing to answer geography-based trivia. It was originally developed by SVT Göteborg in 1987 and was hosted by Ingvar Oldsberg until 2009, when Kristian Luuk took over as host and Fredrik Lindström as ..read more

Photo by Chelsea Bowen, suitcases, passport, dalahäst Exploring a new city, navigating a foreign language and culture, starting at a new university or job – these are all things to consider when moving abroad. Why this topic for this week’s blog? Because I myself am in the process of moving abroad – to Sweden, and it’s all I can think about! As I’m sitting amongst moving boxes, piles of donation items, and trying to eat the last of what’s in my fridge and freezer, I’m thinking about my checklist for moving to Sweden and all the things I’ve done to get to this point. Below, I will outline my ..read more

Photo: Chelsea Bowen, Reindeer corral outside of Jokkmokk, Sweden Sámi folkets dag or Sámi People’s/National Day is celebrated each year on February 6. Typically a celebration of culture and traditional ways, in recent years it’s also become a time for people to connect via political activism. This year, conversations revolved around the impact of the proposed iron ore mine in the Gállok area within Jokkmokk municipality. Some see the mine as a strong economic move, and others see it as the beginning of the end of reindeer husbandry in the area. This week, we’ll look at mining in Northern Sw ..read more

Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash Fans of Swedish pop rejoice as Annika Norlin (also know as Säkert! and Hello Saferide) has recently released a brand new album! In my opinion, her music is a perfect example of svensk indie pop – often melancholy, or painfully honest lyrics set to mostly upbeat melodies. This week we’ll learn more about the artist before listening to a song from her new album, Mentor.  Did you miss last month’s music blog on nyårslöfte and Sarah Dawn Finer? Check it out here! Vem är Annika Norlin? Who is Annika Norlin? Annika Norlin, f. 1977, is a svensk sångare, låt ..read more

Photo by Yingchou Han on Unsplash, Stockholm Sweden Titta! En flygande ko! En skrattande cat! A flying cow, and a sitting cat? You can say whatever nonsensical thing you’d like -and much more, with the help of present participles. Present participles take the -ing form in English and serve an array of grammatical purposes. This week, we’ll learn how to construct the present participle in Swedish using the suffixes –ande and –ende, four common ways to integrate this concept into your speech, and practice with some spännande sentences!  How to construct the present participle in Swedish T ..read more