Learning Swedish

Let's be honest, if you are not planning on living in Sweden learning Swedish may not be first on your list of new foreign languages to learn or master. But knowing how to speak the language does have its benefits even it is not as ubiquitous as Chinese, Spanish, or other languages. The first benefit lies in the fact that it is the second official language of its neighbor, Finland. Learning the language can open up two countries from the start.

Swedish is arguable one of the easiest languages to learn for those students who are fluent English speakers. Part of this may lie in the fact that it has influences from among others, French, German, and even English. This can lend to the initial familiarity of many words to a beginning student of the language.

Beyond this, it has commonalities with many other Indo-European languages. This of course is particularly true of its Scandinavian related languages like Norwegian, Danish, and Icelandic. Knowing how to read Swedish also opens up the texts of languages like Danish and Norwegian since they bear similarity, though pronunciation is a key distinction between them.

Traveling is of course another good reason to consider learning this dialect. This is particularly true if you plan to visit Sweden for an extended period of time. Like many other Europeans, Swedes are often bilingual particularly in English, but speaking their dialect can be a big plus in establishing a connection with your hosts or any friends you make. Learning a foreign language is especially important when making friends and is also a great way of showing respect to the residents of the country you are visiting.

Jacob Lumbroso is a world traveler and an enthusiast for foreign languages, history, and foreign cultures. He writes articles on history and languages for and has used Pimsleur Courses to learn various languages including Swedish and also recommends a Talk Now Swedish.