Chapter 1 — Introduction to Swedish
I think starting with the alphabet is overrated, but having some basic familiarity with how the Swedish letters sound can only help.
There are 9 vowels and 20 consonants in the Swedish alphabet. Each vowel can make a short and a long sound, and depending on a persons dialect there are 17 or 18 vowel sounds in total. Short E and Ä can become very similar or even sound the same for some. There are a few consonant clusters to learn as well. Typically Swedish words are pronounced how they are written, so if you know the alphabet you can sound out words!
Svenska Alphabet Pronunciations
| Letter | Pronunciation | Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Awe | P | Pay |
| B | Bay | Q | 'Kuu' |
| C | Say / Long A | R | Are |
| D | Day | S | 'Ess' |
| E | Ā / Long A | T | 'Tay' |
| F | 'Eff' | U | Ū / Long U |
| G | Gay | V | 'Vay' |
| H | Hoe | W | Double 'Vay' |
| I | Ē / Long E | X | 'Ex' |
| J | Yee (Yee-haw) | Y | 'Uuu' |
| K | 'Coo' | Z | 'Zah-tah' |
| L | 'Ell' | Å | Ō / Long O |
| M | 'Em' | Ä | Ă / Short A |
| N | 'En' | Ö | 'Err' |
| O | 'Ooh' |
Week 1 Pyssel (Activity) Flash Card Fans
In today’s world of technology, there are so many apps and solutions that can help with learning words, but for children I tend to think low-tech is best. These flash cards can be flipped through anytime, in the car, while watching TV, etc. The goal is to write something in Swedish you want to learn, and on the opposite side something to help you remember what it means. This could be the word in English, a picture, a sentence, mnemonic, anything!
Step 1
Fold a paper fan.
Step 2
Alternate Swedish & English between the folds of the fan.
