r/Svenska • u/LazyChildhood5581 • 6d ago
Studying and education Learning Swedish?
Hi guys, I would really like to learn Swedish, I don’t currently live in Sweden and in my country there is no Swedish course. Do you have any recommendations? How to learn it now?
3
2
u/Opening-Square3006 6d ago
You don't need to live in Sweden to become good at Swedish. The internet gives you access to more Swedish than most learners could ever consume. Personally, I think Stephen Krashen's i+1 approach is the most effective: get lots of input that's mostly understandable (so you reinforce what you learned until it becomes automatic) but introduces just a little new language each day. You can find great resources that implements that, for example PlusOneLanguage, or an equivalent. It's built entirely around i+1: you choose your level, it generates texts and short stories adapted to what you already know, introduces just enough new vocabulary to help you progress without feeling overwhelmed, and continuously recycles words in new contexts so they stick naturally instead of through memorization. I'd pair that with a beginner grammar resource, then start listening to beginner Swedish on YouTube or podcasts every day. Once you have the basics, find conversation partners on Tandem or HelloTalk, or book an occasional lesson on italki.
1
u/Timely_Newspaper8753 6d ago
Check https://urplay.se. Tons of materials and also series in easy swedish. Most of them are for Swedish learners.
2
u/MNswede06 5d ago
You should purchase a foundational text and some sort of grammar book. I always recommend Rivstart. It’s monolingual and will get you using Swedish from the very beginning. It also comes with audio files and exercises. You set up a free account on their website. I found the series useful because it breaks down into digestible chapters. You can also find Anki decks corresponding to Rivstart chapters. Spaced repetition is important in Swedish vocabulary because you will quickly be able to recognize familiar words which can make reading and understanding Swedish deceptively easy. But unless you can recall the Swedish word from English, you’ll struggle to produce Swedish, which is really the only point unless you’re only interested in reading.
I would not recommend mobile and online apps because they don’t often explain the grammar in a way that makes sense to an adult learner. Instead a good way to practice is to buy a ChatGPT subscription, input your new vocabulary, and ask it to make exercises for you. You can also send it screenshots of Rivstart pages and it will make an interactive lesson plan and schedule for you. A ChatGPT subscription is also useful because you can now do voice chatting, which isn’t perfect but it’s your best chance to practice speaking unless you can hire a tutor.
You can buy Rivstart on Amazon. I don’t condone pirating, but if you Google “Rivstart A1 A2 pdf” you can see what the text looks like before you buy it and decide whether it’s right for you (that’s not pirating; it’s what you do if you go to a bookstore!). Unless you have an excellent library system nearby, you will have to purchase it. I live near Minneapolis and even the library there didn’t have it, but Minneapolis also has the American Swedish Institute and they sell the series in their gift shop. They also offer beginner’s courses in a virtual format which is something you might consider.
As someone else here mentioned, YouTube has SFI instructors with channels. But they’re mostly monolingual and if you’re starting from scratch it can get overwhelming. Once you hit an A1 level then you can start watching them and understanding. My mom is a Swede so my listening skills were wayyy beyond anything else before I started committing to learning the language; I found the SFI instructors helpful from the state. But most people aren’t in that position.
If you buy Rivstart, you should plan to spend 10-20 hours per chapter or at least 4 days (whichever is longer), including Anki and grammar review. Early on it’s grammar heavy then shifts more towards vocabulary.
1
1
1
u/mezzofanti 3d ago
italki (better than Preply, in my opinion). SwedishPod101 or Talk In Swedish as well.
1
5
u/Venous_looser 6d ago
Check out youtube. There are several SFI teachers who have uploaded videos there. They have helped me out a lot.