Learn essential Swedish vocabulary for nationalities
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| syrier |
| norrman |
| svensk |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Swedish vocabulary for nationalities. |
| Before we start, did you know there’s an Indigenous people living in Sweden? Do you know their name? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| finländare |
| "Finnish" |
| finländare |
| finländare |
| You might also hear the word "finnar." It usually refers to the group of people more than nationality. So if you want to say where someone is from, you’d use "finländare" instead. |
| Ludvig asks Jonas about his friend. |
| Ludvig: Varifrån kommer din vän? |
| Jonas: Han är finländare. |
| syrier |
| "Syrian" |
| syrier |
| syrier |
| You may also come across "syrianer" and "assyrier" in Swedish. Like the previous words, they refer to the groups of people rather than nationality. |
| Jack asks Steve about his friend. |
| Jack: Varifrån kommer din kompis mormor? |
| Steve: Hans mormor är syriska. |
| norrman |
| "Norwegian" |
| norrman |
| norrman |
| Even if the word contains "man", it can refer to any gender. But if you want to make it clear that a Norwegian person is a woman, you can use "norska". |
| Jack asks Steve about his friend. |
| Jack: Varifrån kommer din vän? |
| Steve: Han är norrman. |
| svensk |
| "Swedish" |
| svensk |
| svensk |
| In some parts of Sweden, people talk very differently even though they are from Sweden and speak the same language |
| Tom and Steve chat about a new colleague. |
| Tom: Vet du var min nya kollega kommer ifrån? |
| Steve: Jag tror att han är svensk. Stämmer det? |
| dansk |
| "Danish" |
| dansk |
| dansk |
| Just like with Norwegian, you can add an "a" at the end to show it’s a woman. |
| Jack asks Susan about her friend. |
| Jack: Jag hörde att din vän är från Europa. Var kommer hon ifrån? |
| Susan: Hon är danska. |
| fransman |
| "French" |
| fransman |
| fransman |
| For French, it’s a bit different. Instead of just adding an "a," the word changes to "fransyska" for a woman. |
| Susan asks Tom about a performer at a cultural festival. |
| Susan: Vet du var den där konstnären kommer ifrån? |
| Tom: Hon är fransyska. |
| italienare |
| "Italian" |
| italienare |
| italienare |
| Even though this word for nationality has a different structure, it’s actually super common in Swedish. You often add "-are" to a country’s name, like "italien" plus "-are." |
| Maria asks Lina about a new member of their tennis club. |
| Maria: Har du träffat den nya medlemmen? |
| Lina: Ja, han är italienare. |
| britt |
| "British" |
| britt |
| britt |
| Here’s another word that doesn’t follow any clear pattern. Luckily these are mostly only for countries close to Sweden. |
| Susan asks Lina about a mutual friend. |
| Susan: Vad är hans nationalitet? |
| Lina: Han är britt. |
| tysk |
| "German" |
| tysk |
| tysk |
| This one sounds really different from the English word, but it’s easy to remember. Just like "Germany" becomes "German," "Tyskland" turns into "Tysk." |
| Susan asks Oscar about a new member in their photography club. |
| Susan: Vet du var den nya medlemmen kommer ifrån? |
| Oscar: Han är tysk. |
| polack |
| "Polish" |
| polack |
| polack |
| This word is also quite different, but that’s because it actually comes from Polish. |
| Tom asks Oscar about a new neighbor. |
| Tom: Vem är det där? |
| Oscar: Han är min granne. Han är polack. |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Swedish. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Finnish"? |
| finländare |
| finländare |
| And how to say "Syrian"? |
| syrier |
| syrier |
| How about "Norwegian"? |
| norrman |
| norrman |
| Do you remember how to say "Swedish"? |
| svensk |
| svensk |
| And how to say "Danish"? |
| dansk |
| dansk |
| Let's try "French"! |
| fransman |
| fransman |
| What about "Italian"? |
| italienare |
| italienare |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "British"! |
| britt |
| britt |
| Another one! What about "German"? |
| tysk |
| tysk |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Polish"? |
| polack |
| polack |
| Did you know there’s an Indigenous people living in Sweden? Do you know their name? |
| They’re called the Sami. They live in the north and have their own languages, traditions, and a deep connection to nature. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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