# Language Learning While on Vacation in Sweden



## Knut Patrik Albrekt

I will be traveling to Sweden in July and I will be there for two weeks.  What activities are recommended to improve my Swedish while I am there?  I could use both general hints and any ideas specific to Sweden.


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## Wilma_Sweden

Your chances of improving your Swedish depends very much on your current level, so it's hard to give any general guidelines. If you're struggling and have a strong English accent, people will most likely see that as an opportunity to practise their English on you, unless they're under 12 or over 65... 


/Wilma


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## Grefsen

Wilma_Sweden said:


> Your chances of improving your Swedish depends very much on your current level, so it's hard to give any general guidelines. If you're struggling and have a strong English accent, people will most likely see that as an opportunity to practise their English on you, unless they're under 12 or over 65...
> /Wilma



I agree with Wilma's comments since I've had similar experiences during my trips to Scandinavia.  Even though most of the time I spent in Scandinavia has been in Norway, perhaps a couple of suggestions I have might be of some use to you for you upcoming trip to Sweden.  

During my first two trips to Norway I've had a lot of success getting Norwegians to* "snakker litt norsk med meg"* (speak a little Norwegian with me) at pubs.  I could always get away with opening a conversation using something as basic as *"Jeg kommer fra California.  Kan jeg prøve å snakke litt norsk med deg?"* (I'm from California.  Can I try to speak a little Norwegian with you?)

Being from San Francisco is also definitely a plus for you.  I'm also originally from the S.F. Bay Area and a lot of Norwegians I met in pubs were quite interested in traveling to San Francisco and had lots of questions for me.  

Also if you have any friends in Sweden with children, practice speaking Swedish with them.  I've had some amazing experiences with Norwegian children between the ages of around 7 to 12.  Some children are incredibly patient and they want to do whatever they can to help a poor "undereducated" foreign friend of their parents learn to communicate in their native tongue.


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## USB-anslutning

Children is definitely a good idea. There is a lot less margin of error though as they won't understand Swenglish at all. Nonetheless, I think it's a good way for immersive learning. Speaking Swedish to people with an American accent will just end up with people responding in English. You could probably ask them to speak Swedish, but doing that with every single person you speak to might not be a lot of fun.


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## jonquiliser

Hmm, maybe you could pretend you don't speak any English (and come up with some obscure language nobody knows, to explain any accent you may have)?  

Kids are indeed good tutors. And in general, I guess insisting is the best way. If people answer you in English when you speak to them, keep speaking Swedish. Through sites such as CouchSurfing you may find people to practice with .


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## Södertjej

My two cents before this thread disappears for absolutely off-topic. 

If you're taking some kind of course, you'll probably will find it very useful as you can immediately use what you learn and understand what you've been hearing but just couldn't get. But expecting to improve your skills in Swedish if you're not very fluent just because you'll be there a couple of weeks may not be too realistic. No doubt you'll learn a lot of words, no doubt quite a lot of slang and colloquial expressions, you'll be exposed to the natural pronunciation, will discover new sounds and intonations but grammar, meaning how to build sentences, word order (quite tricky in Swedish), plural endings, bestämd/obestämd form... I don't think it's too realistic to expecto too much if you don't have the basics and don't get help with the basics. Sometimes, (not implying this will be your case) people get frustrated when they hear some things over and over and are unable to understand why it's being used all the time and they don't get the hang of it. 

So my suggestion is, take it easy, enjoy what you learn and don't expect too much. As they say, expectations bring frustration.


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## Wilma_Sweden

Södertjej said:


> So my suggestion is, take it easy, enjoy what you learn and don't expect too much. As they say, expectations bring frustration.


Wise words indeed!

/Wilma


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## maiteinliverpool

I don't know if this has been said, but elderly people can be a good idea, just go to the local park, spot someone who looks bored and try a conversation with them!  i am sure they will be happy just by thinking they are still able to help someone!   most of the swedish people i know would just be glad to know there are people out there interested in learning their language


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## cocuyo

Just beware that many people around the age of 65 are fluent in English; it has been mandatory for well over half a century in our schools. You'd certainly find geezers like me in the park... I think children would be more likely to help you. Otherwise it would hardly be more fruitful than trying to learn Irish in Ireland for an anglophone (I didn't find any Irish speakers in the parts I visited).


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## Wilma_Sweden

cocuyo said:


> Just beware that many *some* people around the age of 65 are fluent in English


It depends on what you mean by fluent... After spending a few days in Scotland with a busload of Swedes aged 50+, I found that only 3 of them were really fluent: the tour guide, the driver, and myself. The rest were really struggling, and I had to double as a translator half of the time... 



> You'd certainly find geezers like me in the park... I think children would be more likely to help you.


Hehe, OK, go for the really old ones waddling around with walkers, then, or children! Watch out for their parents, though! 

/Wilma


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## Södertjej

maiteinliverpool said:


> I don't know if this has been said, but elderly people can be a good idea, just go to the local park, spot someone who looks bored and try a conversation with them!  i am sure they will be happy just by thinking they are still able to help someone!  most of the swedish people i know would just be glad to know there are people out there interested in learning their language


I don't know how old the OP is but my idea of a great two week holiday, especially if you're young, doesn't include talking to grannies in the park, rather meeting some hot guys at the most popular club in town, even if my language skills won't improve dramatically. It may vary from individual to individual but listening to old stories about how everything was better back then doesn't seem very appealing to me.

As for the suggestions about kids, there's this funny anecdote on tjuvlyssnat.se. An elderly lady tried to help a little boy who had fallen on a playground or something and seemed to be alone. She asked him "are you alone, my boy?" as she tried to pull him up he kid run away screaming: pedophile!! Someone in his late teens - 20's or older trying to get a conversation with a kid will be perceived as suspicious. Sad but true.-


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## Grefsen

Södertjej said:


> I don't know how old the OP is but my idea of a great two week holiday, especially if you're young, doesn't include talking to grannies in the park, rather meeting some hot guys at the most popular club in town, even if my language skills won't improve dramatically.



During all of my trips to Scandinavia I don't recall ever "talking to grannies in the park," but I have been to a lot of clubs and pubs.    For improving language skills, I like the quieter pubs best.  It is difficult enough attempting to speak a foreign language without having to shout over loud music and then having to struggle to hear what the other person is actually saying.


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## Södertjej

Oh well, someone suggested talking to elderly people in parks, personally I've never thought of talking to strangers in parks during my short holidays to improve my language skills. I just meant (in a somewhat ironic way) that I find it more practical and realistic to meet new people your age, if you're young clubs are a good place for that and it's a fun place to go to (to me holidays = having fun). And always assuming the OP is implying he needs to meet new people to practise conversation, because if you already have friends there then you do ave people to speak with. 

Personally I'd much rather learn to speak a language like people my age, not like their grandparents so my suggestions will have that approach, which I don't know if it is the OP's.


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## Grefsen

Södertjej said:


> Oh well, someone suggested talking to elderly people in parks, personally I've never thought of talking to strangers in parks during my short holidays to improve my language skills. I just meant (in a somewhat ironic way) that I find it more practical and realistic to meet new people your age, if you're young clubs are a good place for that and it's a fun place to go to (to me holidays = having fun).


I completely agree with you *Södertjej.*  If the OP has any interest in improving his language skills by hanging out with Swedes who are the same age as his grandparents there should be plenty of opportunities to do this in the San Francisco Bay area before and after he takes his trip to Sweden.  

For Norwegians there is an organization called Sons of Norway and the average age of the members must be close to 70.  I just did a quick search on Swedish-American organizations and learned that there is even a Swedish-American Hall on Market Street in San Francisco.  Here also is the link to an organization called the Vasa Order of America, which on first glance appears to be the Swedish equivalent of Sons of Norway:

http://www.vasaorder.com/aboutorg.htm


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## maiteinliverpool

Södertjej said:


> I don't know how old the OP is but my idea of a great two week holiday, especially if you're young, doesn't include talking to grannies in the park, rather meeting some hot guys at the most popular club in town, even if my language skills won't improve dramatically. It may vary from individual to individual but listening to old stories about how everything was better back then doesn't seem very appealing to me.
> 
> As for the suggestions about kids, there's this funny anecdote on tjuvlyssnat.se. An elderly lady tried to help a little boy who had fallen on a playground or something and seemed to be alone. She asked him "are you alone, my boy?" as she tried to pull him up he kid run away screaming: pedophile!! Someone in his late teens - 20's or older trying to get a conversation with a kid will be perceived as suspicious. Sad but true.-



I had read 2 months, my bad  I take every opportunity I have to improve my Swedish (in this case), last night I even attempted a conversation in Swedish with some norwegian lads I met outside a concert hehe But, yes of course, if he only has two weeks, then going to the park to try and meet some elderly people sounds a bit silly, but hey, you never know, buses, lifts, museums, anywhere really could be a good place  But I have also heard that Swedish people try to practise their English when they get to meet English speakers hehe


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## Grefsen

maiteinliverpool said:


> IBut, yes of course, if he only has two weeks, then going to the park to try and meet some elderly people sounds a bit silly, but hey, you never know, buses, lifts, museums, anywhere really could be a good place  But I have also heard that Swedish people try to practise their English when they get to meet English speakers hehe


If Swedes are like Norwegians with respect to making small talk with strangers, the OP will almost always need to take the initiative.  At first I thought Norwegians were a bit rude, but then over time I came to realize that unless you are somewhere out in nature, it just isn't very common for Norwegians to start a conversation with a stranger, unless of course there is some specific information they need.


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## Språkliga Möten

Hej!

Here's my two cents ^^

I always try to speak the local language whenever I am in Norden. The people I talk to on shops, department stores, "vandrarhem"s have been nice to respond in their native tongue.

But I make sure to make some lists of words so that I don't get embarrassed by not understanding words and make them repeat it... If I don't know certain words, I can always substitute it with English words...

I would suggest you make the most of what the city has to offer! Whenever I am in Norden, I make sure I check out what's going on on local theaters(stadsteater) and Opera house. When you visit museums, take a guided tour in Swedish!

I don't think meeting people for languages' sake is necessarily good for visitors... I once had this friend and every time I say incorrect words or grammmatically incorrect expressions they would correct me. As much as I appreciate their correcting me, it was a little bothersome nevertheless... 

I guess just taking it easy and go out and meet people (regardless of their native language) will certainly contribute to language learning process.


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## fiia

Knut Patrik Albrekt said:


> I will be traveling to Sweden in July and I will be there for two weeks. What activities are recommended to improve my Swedish while I am there? I could use both general hints and any ideas specific to Sweden.


 

go to 'liseberg', it's so much fun! but i don't know if it will improve your swedish


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