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Learn Swedish Beginner Words: All You Need to Get Started

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Did you know that learning a mere 1000 words covers 85.5% of conversation?

In other words, you just need 1000 words to be considered pretty much fluent in a given language. You’ll only be at a loss about 14.5% of the time. 

Doesn’t that make language learning sound easier?

That’s because it is! But only as long as you’re strategic with your learning

As you set out to learn Swedish beginner words, mastering a small set of 100 to 200 words will take you a long way.

This amount of vocabulary will allow you to engage in more conversations and have more interactions, which will result in more learning and integration.

Sweden being a difficult country to fully integrate into, you probably won’t be able to build any strong relationships with locals unless you speak the language.

The more Swedish you speak, the easier it will be for you to have interactions with locals.

While you might be a long way from fluency, we all start somewhere.

Below, we’ve compiled and categorized 200+ beginner Swedish words that will prove useful as you set out on this language learning journey. 

Without further ado, let’s dig right in.

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Swedish Table of Contents
  1. Pronouns
  2. Numbers
  3. Nouns
  4. Verbs
  5. Adjectives
  6. Conjunctions
  7. Others
  8. Conclusion

1. Pronouns

The first set of words you should add to your Swedish vocabulary are pronouns. These are the words we use to refer to someone or something without actually saying its name: 

  • Did Sam go to the store? = Did he go to the store? 

Here, we’ll cover three types of pronouns in Swedish: personal, demonstrative, and interrogative. 

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are the building blocks of language speaking. It’s really difficult to have conversations without first mastering these, especially the first seven pronouns in the table below.

EnglishSwedish 
Ijag
youdu
hehan
shehon
itden / det
wevi
theyde
memig
himhonom
herhenne
usoss
themdem

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to make it clear what you’re referring to. These are pretty easy to memorize and learning them goes a long way.

EnglishSwedish
thisdetta
thatdet 
thesedessa
thosede

Interrogative Pronouns / Question Words

Interrogative pronouns, a.k.a the “Five Ws,” are paramount when it comes to asking questions. You’ll improve your responses in conversations drastically after you learn these, as they’ll enable you to ask for more details and extend your conversations.

EnglishSwedish
whovem
whomvem
whosevars
whatvad
whichvilken / vilka

In a similar vein, you should also make sure to learn interrogative adverbs: 

English Swedish 
whennär
wherevar
whyvarför
howhur

2. Numbers

Numbers on a Board

Learning the first ten digits is crucial. This will allow you to understand the rest of the numbers much more easily, so definitely take the time to rehearse and learn these.

NumbersEnglish Swedish 
0zeronoll
1oneett
2twotvå
3threetre
4fourfyra
5fivefem
6sixsex
7sevensju
8eight åtta
9ninenio
10tentio

3. Nouns

Nouns are another essential component of spoken Swedish for beginners to learn. When used together with verbs, they form a complete thought—you can also use them by themselves in a pinch to express an urgent point! 

Time

Time is king, whether you’re in Sweden or elsewhere. Learning to express time will come in handy for daily conversations. Below are some time-related beginner words to get you started. 

English Swedish 
hour timme
minuteminut
morningmorgon
afternooneftermiddag
eveningkväll
daydag
monthmånad
yearår
Mondaymåndag
Tuesdaytisdag
Wednesdayonsdag
Thursdaytorsdag
Fridayfredag
Saturdaylördag
Sundaysöndag

People

Learning a few people-related words will help you get by in your daily interactions. You never know when you’ll want to ask where the nearest butcher is, or when you’ll need someone to call a doctor. 

English Swedish 
butcherslaktare
hostvärd
police officerpolis
doctordoktor
nursesjuksköterska
firefighterbrandman
teacherlärare
fatherfar
mothermor
sistersyster
brotherbror
Mr.herr
Ms.fru

Places Around Town

The Coastal Town of Chalkida in Greece

When roaming around Sweden, you’ll find it much easier to navigate when you know the names of the main places around town. This will be especially useful for using public transportation.

EnglishSwedish 
hospitalsjukhus
supermarketstormarknad
schoolskola
downtowncentrum
universityuniversitet
city hallkommunhus
main squarestortorget
bankbank
museummuseum
restaurantrestaurang
cafékafé
police stationpolisstation
train stationtågstation
bus stationbusstation

School/Office Essentials

Do you happen to study or work in Sweden? Then learning the names of your school and office essentials will help you feel more settled in your environment! 

EnglishSwedish 
penpenna
notebookanteckningsbok
computerdator
pencil casepennfodral
headphoneshörlurar
mousemus
keyboardtangentbord
wifiwifi
chargerladdare
cablekabel
backpackryggsäck
deskskrivbord
copybookskrivhäfte

Body Parts

EnglishSwedish 
eyeöga
nosenäsa
earöra
faceansikte
armarm
chestbröst
cheekkind
foreheadpanna
mouthmun
chinhaka
armpitarmhåla
abdomenbuk
legben
toe
fingerfinger
anklefotled
hiphöft
forearmunderarm
elbowarmbåge
wristhandled

Food

Grocery Shopping List

Swedes have a diverse cuisine as well as a very dairy- and protein-centered diet, hence their tall builds. Here’s a list of common food names in Swedish: 

EnglishSwedish 
ٍٍvegetablesgrönsaker
fruitfrukt
meatkött
milkmjölk
eggägg
coffeekaffe
yogurtyoghurt
breadbröd
baconbacon
piepaj
hamskinka
chickenkyckling
juicejuice
sausagekorv

4. Verbs

Verbs are the words we use to describe actions and states of being. Considering their vital role in language, you should make sure to memorize as many basic Swedish verbs as possible right from the start. 

Daily Routine Verbs

If you like to keep a journal, writing a few sentences about your day in Swedish can go a long way in terms of staying consistent with your studies. 

English Swedish 
to get upatt gå upp
to eatatt äta
to drinkatt dricka
to goatt gå
to workatt arbeta
to studyatt studera
to driveatt köra
to rideatt rida
to sleepatt sova
to wake upatt vakna
to hangatt hänga
to do laundryatt tvätta
to restatt vila
to work outatt träna
to go outatt gå ut
to prepareatt förbereda
to cookatt laga mat
to clean att städa
to washatt tvätta
to tidy upatt plocka i ordning
to connectatt ansluta
to communicateatt kommunicera
to wearatt ha på sig
to take (something) offatt ta av
to grabatt greppa
to mixatt blanda
to holdatt hålla
to freezeatt frysa
to changeatt ändra
to moveatt flytta

Other Common Verbs

Below are a few more frequently used verbs…

English Swedish
to giveatt ge
to getatt få
to doatt göra
to makeatt göra
to letatt låta
to askatt be
to smileatt le
to findatt hitta
to useatt använda
to takeatt ta
to comeatt komma
to lookatt titta
to hearatt höra
to smellatt lukta
to talkatt prata
to exitatt lämna
to callatt ringa 
to feelatt känna
to answeratt svara
to laughatt skratta
to cryatt gråta
to stealatt stjäla
to runatt springa
to walkatt gå
to meetatt träffa
to createatt skapa
to finishatt avsluta

5. Adjectives

Reinforcing your Swedish beginner vocabulary with a few essential adjectives can make all the difference in your conversations and writing. These words are used to describe the world around us, and they can add extra meaning to our self-expression. 

Describing Objects

EnglishSwedish 
bigstor
smallliten
longlång
shortkort
smoothslät
roughgrov

Describing People

English Swedish
prettysöt
handsomestilig
disgustingmotbjudande
sociablesällskaplig
funnyrolig
quirkyknasig
beautifulvacker
lovelyhärlig
caringomtänksam
selflessosjälvisk
arrogantarrogant
humbleödmjuk
courageousmodig
weaksvag
strongstark

Describing Emotions

Bored Young Girl
English Swedish 
happyglad
sadledsen
joyfulfröjdefull
angryarg
depresseddeprimerad
anxiousorolig
stressed outstressad
cheerfulmunter

Describing Weather

EnglishSwedish 
rainyregnigt
wetvått
humidfuktigt
drytorrt
sunnysoligt
foggydimmigt
windyblåsigt
stormystormigt
breezyblåsigt
windlessstiltje
calmlugnt

6. Conjunctions

English Swedish 
and och
butmen
thensedan
becauseeftersom
so

7. Others

Filler words are pretty much the most native-sounding words you can learn. Below are five examples you can use.

English Swedish 
ohöhm / öh
yesja
uh / ehehm / eh
therefore / thusasså / alltså
whatva

8. Conclusion

Well done, you’re now 200 words in and just 800 words away from fluency. How many of these words did you know already? Were most of them new to you? We look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Wondering how to round up those extra 800 words?

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Happy learning!

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