The Swedish podcasts community is one of the most dynamic and creative out there.

Many language learners are using podcasts to supplement their Swedish studies, and for good reason. 

By choosing to learn Swedish through podcasts, you can directly listen to native speakers at a pace that suits your needs. This flexibility makes it an ideal way of learning, regardless of your current level. You’ll also gain the capability to understand Swedish more easily, and you’ll become much more familiar with Swedes and remove any cultural barriers before your visit.

Knowing the importance of podcasts, we have taken the time to compile a list of the best Swedish podcasts for learners at different proficiency levels. 

Before we dig into the podcasts, though, let’s learn about how podcasts can really help you learn a language.

Table of Contents

1. Benefits of Using Podcasts to Learn Swedish
2. Swedish Podcasts: The 5 Go-To Podcasts for Language Learners
3. Tricks to Help You Learn Swedish More Effectively with Podcasts
4. Conclusion

1. Benefits of Using Podcasts to Learn Swedish 

Improve your listening skills.

Listening to podcasts is one of the best ways to improve your comprehension of spoken Swedish. This is because it will help strengthen your listening skills and spoken word recognition in a natural, informal way. 

The listening comprehension skills you develop through listening to Swedish podcasts will help you improve your spoken Swedish as well. An added benefit of using a Swedish language learning podcast like SwedishPod101 is that all the sentences and vocabulary are clearly enunciated by native speakers. Listeners who take the time to immerse themselves in Swedish podcasts stand out when it comes to having a good grasp of Swedish pronunciation.

Transcripts of the podcasts are sometimes available, which will allow you to practice your reading skills as well. This is especially helpful if you haven’t been studying for long!

Learn new words.

Repeatedly hearing the same words and phrases used in context will help you absorb them naturally. 

To make sure you don’t get bored, we include interesting stories and conversations in each of our podcast episodes on SwedishPod101.com. These are in both Swedish and English. You can, therefore, fully understand what’s going on while building your vocabulary at the same time.

Familiarize yourself with the culture.

The most striking things about Sweden are the country’s beautiful, friendly people and very interesting culture. Swedish people have a reputation for being honest, and learning Swedish will help you experience all of that and more to the fullest.

On top of that, listening to podcasts in Swedish will help you pick up some colloquial expressions and slang, which is always great for non-native speakers who wish to connect with the common man.

2. Swedish Podcasts: The 5 Go-To Podcasts for Language Learners

You can easily find free Swedish-language podcasts on the internet. They are ideal for learning and practicing Swedish without paying a dime. Here are some podcasts to get you started…

All Levels

Learn Swedish | SwedishPod101.com

SwedishPod101 is a podcast dedicated to teaching Swedish to learners of all levels. Our podcasts are usually 10 to 15 minutes in length, and there are over 600 episodes at the time of this writing. 

This podcast is perfect for beginners because we cover all the basics of Swedish, including: greetings, question words, ordering Swedish food, Swedish vocabulary for everyday life, and Swedish grammar. 

The SwedishPod101 podcast is updated regularly, and you can find 4-hour-long compilations on our YouTube channel. There’s also a 24/7 Swedish live stream that is always available on our YouTube channel anytime you feel like learning Swedish in front of the TV.

Beginner

One Minute Swedish

One of the best Swedish podcasts for beginners, One Minute Swedish is hosted by a native Swedish couple (Gabriella and Mark) who have a good grasp of the English language. Most of the episodes are 2-5 minutes long, but some are as short as 1 minute or as long as 11 minutes.

This podcast is mostly targeted towards beginners and people with no prior knowledge of the language. That said, it can also be useful for more advanced learners who are looking to build up their vocabulary with some quick phrases. 

A lot of the words and expressions used in the episodes relate to famous Swedes, films, books, and Swedish culture and history.

Gabriella and Mark also discuss different topics that are mostly related to Sweden, such as where it’s best to travel this year or how long you can stay in a certain place without having to leave for another part of the country.

Intermediate

Coffee Break Swedish

Coffee Break Swedish is a weekly podcast designed for beginner-intermediate Swedish learners. Its focus is on engaging stories, everyday situations, and useful language presented in a lighthearted way. 

The podcast is presented by Hanna and Matt, who work in marketing and met while studying for their doctorates at Lund University. Their aim is to help listeners learn Swedish as they discover the world around them. Simple greetings and phrases, useful words and expressions for everyday situations, and more challenging topics such as how to talk about family…it covers the basics and then some! 

Every episode aims to build on the language covered in previous episodes. As a result of this, you can listen to the podcast in sequence or out of sequence. The stories are interesting and fun, but they always come back to the language learning goal for that week. 

While this podcast is designed for beginner-intermediate learners, it can also be enjoyed by more advanced learners. The lessons are usually around 30 minutes long, and there are generally three or four stories in each episode (although this may vary from time to time).

Simple Swedish Podcast

Simple Swedish Podcast is designed with intermediate (B1-B2 on SWES) Swedish learners in mind, and it aims to make learning Swedish simple and fun. The podcast is based in Sweden and created by Fredrik Arhusiander, a Swede who loves helping people learn the language while having fun. This podcast will “offer you a short but regular dose of common spoken language from Sweden.” 

The podcast is hosted on Soundcloud, and the episodes can also be found on iTunes. There are new episodes once or twice a month, which are about 10 minutes long each. They come with notes in English (transcripts of what Fredrik says) as well as some exercises. It’s nice that they’re provided to help you review specific words and phrases.

The subject matter of the episodes varies a lot, but you can always expect Fredrik to talk about current events or news while sharing a Swede’s perspective on things (compared to the perspective of international media). This is useful for those who want to practice their listening skills with native speakers and also learn more about Sweden.

Advanced

Alex & Sigges Podcast

The Alex & Sigges Podcast is a Swedish-language podcast with a comedic tone designed to make Swedes laugh and describe up-to-date news in a humorous manner.

This podcast is designed for native speakers, and it therefore includes many idioms as well as a variety of words that beginner or intermediate learners may not be able to understand. It’s updated on a weekly basis and is perfect for learners who want to reach mastery in Swedish.

3. Tricks to Help You Learn Swedish More Effectively with Podcasts

With so much knowledge and so many new words packed into every podcast episode you listen to, it will be hard to remember everything in one go. Here are some tips to help you out: 

• Reviewing vocabulary or listening to more episodes of the same podcast are very effective ways to absorb what you hear. Repetition will help you retain and use the information better. Not only that, but reviewing also greatly influences how well we can recall a certain topic from memory. This means we’re more likely to remember new information if we review and repeat it often.

• Save yourself from having to look up words in a dictionary by using your smartphone’s voice recognition feature. You can simply say the unfamiliar word, and your phone will inform you of its meaning. Google Translate works best for this feature.

• You can rewind any part you didn’t quite get while listening. Also, the pause feature allows you to stop the audio whenever you get distracted.  

• You can also use the SwedishPod101 cheat sheets. They provide an entire transcript of the dialogue from each episode, plus pictures if there were any used. Frequently used words are conveniently located at the bottom of each sheet for easy reference. You can merge these materials with the other useful features at SwedishPod101.com to maximize the efficiency of your learning.

4. Conclusion

So, are you ready to commit to learning Swedish? We hope so! 

If that’s the case, we have a few recommendations on how to get started. Whether it be through podcasts or other avenues like classes and books, there is no shortage of opportunities out there for language learners. 

One such resource is SwedishPod101.com, which offers a complete Swedish language learning program. As a company, Innovative Language Learning has over 16 years of experience teaching people around the world new languages. We know what works. So if you want someone else to do all the heavy lifting on your behalf, then this may just be the solution you’re looking for!

Our program is built to maximize results by matching and customizing the content for your needs. And if you want even more personalization, you can opt to have a personal language expert guide you in building a personalized learning program that fits into your schedule and criteria.

Signup is free, and no credit card is required.

Happy learning!
Lycka till!

Learning to understand, speak, and think in a different language is an amazing and fulfilling process. When we learn a foreign language, not only do we add a new skill to our repertoire, but we also change the very way we see and think about the world and our relationship to it. 

If you’re considering taking up Swedish, you’ve likely asked these questions at some point: How long will it take to learn Swedish? And is it worth the commitment?

We’ll get to the first question in a bit. As for the second question: Absolutely! 

Did you know, for example, that if you learn Swedish you’ll also be able to understand Norwegian and Danish? This will open up the whole Scandinavian world to you! Three languages for the price of one! 

Language lovers would all like to spend endless days learning Swedish and all its nuances… But, nowadays, time is money and the reality of our world can be quite different.

We all instinctively look for the fastest and easiest ways to learn, so that we can start practicing and using our new skills early on to find a better job, travel, or communicate with a friend or loved one.  

It would be great if we could know, right from the start, exactly how long it takes to learn a language. This way, we would be able to make long-term plans and know what to expect. However, the reality is that there isn’t one best way to learn and there’s certainly no set timetable for learning Swedish! 

Everyone learns according to their experience, time, and motivation. How quickly you learn will depend on many other factors, too. 

Let’s have a look at these factors and discuss how to take advantage of this knowledge to start learning as fast as possible.

Table of Contents

1. Experience
2. Learning Style
3. Approach
4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Level?
5. How Our Website Can Help

Experience

One of the most important things to take into consideration is your general experience with languages. 

The Language(s) You Speak

What’s your native language? And what other languages do you know? 

Yes, this will actually be a defining aspect of how quickly you’ll be able to pick up Swedish. 

If you’re a native or near-native English speaker, you’re in luck! Swedish and English actually share the same roots, and their grammar and sentence structure are pretty similar! It gets even better if you already speak Dutch, German, and obviously, Danish or Norwegian. 

If you’re a native speaker of a Semitic language such as Arabic, on the other hand, it might be a little trickier—but all the more challenging and rewarding! So, don’t be discouraged. Just be aware that your native English friends might just have a bit of a headstart…it doesn’t mean they’ll learn it better than you! 

Your Previous Language Learning Experience

Another essential aspect to consider is your previous experience in the field of language learning. 

Have you ever learned a foreign language before?

If you already speak a foreign language fluently, or were brought up bilingual, you’ll likely be able to learn Swedish faster than other people. Many studies and research have now proven that bilingual people find it easier to study and learn a third language, as they’re naturally more accustomed to being exposed to different languages. 

Even if you’re not bilingual, having studied and learned a foreign language at any point in your life will probably help. This is because your language-learning mind is already used to memorizing words and rules, as well as looking at different letters and symbols—a definite advantage!

Basically, having skills in one language will help you gain fluency in another language (even if the two languages are totally different)!

Your Previous Grammar Knowledge

One of the first steps to take when you’re learning a foreign language is to discover and study how it’s built and how it works. This usually means learning and understanding its structure and grammar. 

If you have some previous experience studying grammar and syntax, even if only in your own language, it will be much easier and faster for you to study the syntax and grammar of a foreign language. 

So, if you’re planning to start learning Swedish, it’s a good idea to have some grammar foundations to build your knowledge on! 

Learning Style

The way you study and learn is another essential factor in how long it takes to learn Swedish.

Your Methods

If you limit your learning to a classroom setting, it will surely take you a little longer to learn and start using your language skills with confidence in the real world. Here’s how to learn the Swedish language faster: Expose yourself to Swedish outside the classroom! This will shave quite a few hours off your required learning time.

Pick up the habit of reading Swedish newspapers, watching films and series in Swedish, and listening to Swedish podcasts while you drive or cook. It will help. Of course, finding a conversation partner to practice with will also go a long way toward achieving fluency faster.

Your Time

There’s another aspect we haven’t mentioned yet, even though it’s actually the most important determining factor in how long it takes to learn Swedish: The time you put into it!

If you want to learn quickly, you should dedicate as much time to studying as you possibly can. 

Ideally, you’ll want to practice daily. Research has shown that students who dedicate at least an hour a day to language learning—whether studying grammar, memorizing words, watching a series, or reading a book—end up learning significantly faster than those who don’t stick to a daily schedule.

And if it’s an option for you, full-immersion learning is the best method. If you can travel to Sweden and live there for a short (or long) while, that will change everything!

Approach

Learning to speak Swedish will be a much easier, more fluid process if you take the right approach. Here’s what I mean…

Your Motivation

It’s no secret: Staying motivated is an essential aspect of learning a new language. What are your reasons for learning Swedish?

Have these reasons clear in your mind, and set weekly (or even daily) goals for maximum efficiency. Keeping your reasons in mind will help you stay motivated and interested in learning this beautiful language every day! 

Your Attitude

Keeping your spirits and motivation up will make your language learning more effective, and it will help you get through the tough times with a positive attitude. 

The secret is to see studying as a fun and interesting activity…something you’re choosing to do, rather than something you’re forced to do. 

Remember: Knowing a foreign language will open your mind and your horizons, and it will give you a great set of skills to use in your daily and professional life. 

When you think about it this way, you’ll always be motivated to learn something new every day. This will make the process not only more enjoyable, but also much faster! 

How Long Does it Take to Achieve Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Level?

So, let’s get to the point. 

How long does it take an English speaker to learn Swedish?

Following is a quick guide on how long it might take to reach a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level of Swedish. Keep in mind that these numbers are just estimates, and exact times will vary based on the factors we described above. 

Beginner

As a Swedish beginner, you’ll be able to introduce yourself, understand slow spoken language, and ask basic questions (probably making some mistakes along the way). 

If your goal is to be able to greet people, order a meal at the restaurant, have some basic reading skills, and understand sentences pronounced slowly and carefully, this level is probably sufficient.

You’ll be able to do all these things with just about 180-200 hours of Swedish classes (to reach levels B1-B2). This means that if you’re motivated and willing to put in 10-15 hours a week, you could travel to Sweden without any worries in just over 3 months.

So get studying and you’ll soon be having some basic conversations!

Intermediate

Once you reach an intermediate level, you’ll be able to understand everyday conversations (when spoken clearly), even if you have to ask some questions to keep up. This level will also allow you to read and watch the news and other videos with few problems. If you’re traveling, you’ll be able to ask for and follow directions with no problem and you’ll also be able to enjoy basic interactions with locals about familiar subjects. 

We estimate that, to achieve an intermediate level of Swedish, you’ll need about 350 hours of study. This means that, if you dedicate around 15 hours a week to practicing your Swedish, you’ll be able to get to this level in just 6 months! 

Advanced

If you’re setting out to achieve fluency, this is what you’re aiming for. Once you have advanced language skills, you’ll be able to deal with any kind of situation that may arise in your daily life abroad or while traveling. You should also be able to have long and detailed conversations with native speakers. You’ll be able to enjoy watching movies and reading books in Swedish with no problem. 

In other words, you’ll be fluent. (Even if there’s always something new to learn about this intricate and beautifully complex language!)

According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you’ll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in Swedish. This means that if you dedicate 12-15 hours a week to studying, you’ll be able to speak like a pro in just a year! 

If this seems like a long time, take into account that harder languages like Japanese or Arabic may take up to 2200 hours—three times as long as Swedish! 

How Our Website Can Help

So, what are you waiting for? The perfect time to start learning a foreign language is now! 

The sooner you start learning, the faster you’ll achieve your language goals and start speaking Swedish.

If you want to keep motivated and make your language learning adventure as easy as possible, check out the content on SwedishPod101.com. Here, you’ll find all kinds of language learning materials: vocabulary lists, lessons for all levels, dictionaries, blog posts, and more.

As we explained, how long it takes to learn Swedish really just depends on how much time you’re willing to invest in learning. Our online Swedish courses and resources are designed specifically to give you all the right tools to learn the language as quickly and easily as possible. Make sure that your precious time is well-spent!

Whether you’re a beginner learner who wants a survival course or an advanced speaker who’s looking to refine your skills, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.

Before you go, we’re curious: How likely are you to start learning Swedish after reading this article? Feel free to let us know if you have any questions or concerns—we’ll be glad to help you out the best we can!