Swedish - easy or difficult? When was the Swedish language created? The language of the Swedes.

The most a common question for a person who begins to learn the dialect spoken by the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Sweden - how long can it take to learn Swedish. The speed of mastering any adverb depends on a number of factors:

If you study for a few hours 2-3 times a week, you will be able to speak Swedish well, however, it all depends on the individual’s individual abilities. For some, a month will be enough; for others, in a few years they will be able to overcome the language barrier and fully communicate with Swedish citizens. In any case, it is important to immediately decide that it will not be possible to quickly achieve perfection, but mastering Swedish is quite possible, and in the shortest possible time.

How difficult is Swedish?

The complexity of a language is a subjective concept and therefore even a professional linguist will not give you a definite answer. The only thing that is important for a beginner is the desire to learn. In addition, if you have previously dealt with English or German, mastering Swedish will be much easier for you. The most difficult features of the language of the “Viking country” include:

the presence of only two genders of nouns - common (this includes masculine and feminine) and neuter;

Only pronouns change by case, but nouns do not;

the verb has only four tense forms;

the declension of adjectives is somewhat complex, despite its apparent simplicity;

it is unrealistic to master the pronunciation of sounds, tonic and musical stress, brevity and length of vowels and consonants without live communication;

the student will be pleased with the ease of reading; however, there is no transcription in the dictionaries, but there is a reading guide.

Why do you need Swedish if you know English?

According to the generally accepted opinion, all residents of Europe speak English perfectly and will be able to communicate with you without hindrance, however, this is only partly true. In fact, in Sweden the language of Britain is known by the younger generation who studied English at school. Middle-aged and elderly people are not as knowledgeable in English, as educational institutions Language teaching began in the middle of the last century. In addition, learning Swedish may be useful for you:

Immigration to Sweden. Local residents love their country very much and are proud of its culture, so they are wary of those who do not want to integrate into their society. You can only become one of your own when you speak Swedish, and until then, communication with the Swedes will be difficult.

Business. Negotiating with business partners, meeting with manufacturers, buyers or customers who speak Swedish will sooner or later force you to master their language. In addition, it is better to keep financial information secret, and translation services cost exorbitant amounts of money.

Devices for work. Finding a well-paid job in Sweden is the dream of many of our compatriots. No one can make a career without knowing Swedish, so learning it is an excellent reason to look for a prestigious job.

Receipts higher education. Few people know how cheap education at Swedish universities is, but no one doubts its quality. Most private universities accept applicants without passing entrance exams, while municipal institutions provide the opportunity to study for free. The only thing you need to become a student is to study Swedish.

Living in Sweden or one of the Scandinavian countries. Once upon a time, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish were one dialect, but even now the inhabitants of these three countries understand each other well, and in Finland Swedish is officially the second state language.

Work as a translator. Due to the fact that only 10 million people around the world speak Swedish, translation into this language is in demand and is paid very well.

Methods for learning Swedish

Because of Swedish language It is not as widespread as English or German, its study is not in demand, so finding Swedish learning groups in your city will be quite difficult. In the metropolis the chance is much greater, but when the group will be formed is also unknown. What to do if you need Swedish urgently, and what methods of self-study does modern linguistics offer?

The most traditional way to learn Swedish is to use textbooks, dictionaries, phrase books and special aids. However, this option will help in learning grammar, writing and reading, but pronunciation will not be easy to cope with.

Another method is training using audio-video materials, interactive lessons. The Internet offers a huge number of lessons in Swedish, however, games, special programs, tests and exercises will not be able to help you in the correct sequence with which you need to learn the language, and there will be no one to correct your mistakes.

A lesson with a tutor is the most classic and most effective way to learn foreign language. The advantages of this option include the following:

the teacher will be able to answer your questions or re-explain the material;

initially correct pronunciation, which does not have to be relearned;

control over the completion of tasks, which will be a good motivation for moving forward;

the ability to repeat a complex topic;

only an experienced teacher will select literature for you that will help you master Swedish faster;

A native speaker will draw your attention to weak points that you need to further work on;

accelerating or slowing down the pace of learning depending on your abilities.

The disadvantages of learning a language with a tutor include the high cost of classes, dependence on the teacher’s ability to devote time to you, and additional costs if you study in a location other than your own.

What do online language learning schools offer?

Distance schools are gaining popularity every day. This is an understandable phenomenon due to the relatively flexible schedule that suits busy and working people. All that is needed to start classes is free time and the Internet, while particularly progressive sites offer to go from a beginner to a person capable of reading, writing and speaking in a completely unfamiliar language in just a month. In addition, remote learning is characterized by high effectiveness, a guarantee of professionalism of native speakers, the ability to start studying from any level and ad infinitum, and choose independently whether to pay more attention to spoken language or grammar.

Before starting the course, you will be asked to take a short test in order to really assess your chances and understand at what level you should start. A non-standard and modern approach to language acquisition takes the Swedish student away from classic boring tasks and exercises. Dynamic, interesting lessons will put you in an easy mood and give you confidence in your abilities, while your knowledge will be comprehensive - from the basics to complex grammatical structures and communication with a native Swedish speaker.

Methodology for learning Swedish quickly

Most remote language learning clients are beginners who have never even heard Swedish before. A special program is provided for them, which is aimed at quick and productive learning:

To do this, there is a methodology that has been developed over the years, designed to correctly distribute time for all types of activities, starting from replenishment vocabulary and ending with pronouncing phrases that are difficult for a Russian-speaking person. Depending on the speed at which you want to learn Swedish, you will be offered:

short Skype course (3-4 weeks);

basic Swedish learning for 20 weeks;

10-day classes with a native speaker;

an individual program created specifically for your needs;

a language competition (or marathon), which is considered the fastest way to master Swedish - in 30 days you will completely complete level A1.

After choosing one of the courses, you will be required to take a responsible and systematic approach to your studies. Skipping one lesson will dramatically reduce your chances of learning Swedish quickly. You can exercise and improve anywhere and at any time - applications on Android or IOS will help you with this. Feedback with a teacher will include exercises, completing test tasks, writing reports on the material studied.

Ideally, within a few weeks you will be able to communicate without fear with a native speaker, read fluently, and understand by ear simple sentences and pronounce phrases with tonic stress. The goal of distance learning is to make you more confident, help you overcome the language barrier, give you the opportunity to quickly understand the structure of the language and move towards your goal - study, work in Sweden or business communication with Swedes.

Today, Swedish is the largest Scandinavian language in terms of the number of speakers. Until the 11th century, people in Scandinavia spoke almost identically, but later they began to move away from each other under the influence of external cultures. The Swedes were part of the Hansa (a union of medieval cities), so they began to speak closer to the Low German dialect.

In its modern form, it was formed around the 15th century, when the Hansa was in its heyday and numbered 160 cities. The next stage of strong transformation was the 19th-20th centuries, when the country experienced industrialization and radio and mass media appeared.

There are approximately 10 million modern Swedish speakers. Nine of them live in Sweden, the rest live in the Åland Islands, Finland, Canada, and the USA.

The main language used in the media, education, and government is rikssvenska. The dialects are called sockenmål and bygdemål: literally "rural" or "village".

Swedes and Norwegians understand each other well because their languages ​​are very close to each other in structure, syntax, vocabulary and sound. Danish is also similar, but has more differences in intonation and sounds. The grammar and vocabulary are almost the same.

• It is used in a relatively small area, so it has few neologisms and borrowed words.
• Young people speak the swenglish dialect - a mixture of English and Swedish.
• It has only neuter and general gender. Previously there were also female and male ones, but they united due to their strong similarity.
• Has state status in Sweden since 2009. Previously, there were no official languages ​​in the kingdom.
• After the reform of the 1960s, in Sweden only royals are addressed with “you”.

How difficult is it to learn Swedish?

Learning is not difficult if you consistently move from fundamental things to more free ones. An effective approach is when vocabulary and grammar are first mastered, then speaking and reading skills are consolidated, and then comprehension and writing. And those who studied German at school progress at an accelerated pace.

The main difficulty is the large number of vowels. There are no less of them, and the incorrect use of a sound or an error in its duration can radically change the meaning of the expression. Another common problem of Russian-speaking students is the desire to randomly arrange words in sentences. In Russian it is a matter of beauty and complexity of pronunciation. In Swedish, precise word order is required. But it is much easier to master grammar.

Register for classes (in class or via Skype) This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it. +7 900 624-40-91

Basic scheme for learning Swedish.

Swedish belongs to the Germanic group and therefore has many similarities with Norwegian, Danish, Faroese, German and Icelandic.

Now it has the official status of the state language in the Kingdom of Sweden and the second state language in Finland, and is also the most widespread Scandinavian language in the world. The total number of its speakers exceeds 9 million people.

Almost throughout its existence, this language retained its status as important and dominant in the territories where it was used. Its status in Finland is noteworthy. As already mentioned, it is the second state in this country, where approximately 6% of the population is considered Swedish-speaking. However, in Finland there is an autonomous province of the Åland Islands, where Swedish is not just an official, but the only officially recognized language of communication. The local population (approximately 26,000 people) is 95% Swedish-speaking.

There is another interesting fact. World-famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson became famous as the author of Moomintroll. The novel is written in Swedish, but Jansson did not have to teach it - she always wrote in Swedish.

You can learn Swedish relatively easily and quickly no matter how old you are. As already mentioned, it belongs to the Germanic group. This means that those who studied German at school will encounter far fewer surprises.

One of the main difficulties is the variety of vowels, of which there are at least ten, and the same sound can completely change the meaning of a word, depending on its length. In addition, there are special velar and palatal consonants. However, with due diligence and desire, learning Swedish to the level of fluent communication is not difficult.

At first, Russian-speaking students have to cope with the desire to arrange words in random order, because in the Russian language this is not critical. And here the correct order is akin to Scandinavian discipline and perseverance - it cannot be ignored. But don’t think that difficulty awaits you around every corner when learning. For example, unlike Russian, Swedish has very simple grammar.

“Complicated” is a very loose concept. For whom? Compared to what? For what purpose? By what methods? etc.

I have been studying Danish for two years now, in July 2015 I attended a summer course in Helsingor (), and am currently in Copenhagen on an internship. My observations can be summarized as follows:

Danish grammar can be called "simple". Danish is an analytical language, i.e. in it, connections between words are provided primarily by order and auxiliary parts of speech, and not by inflections. Therefore, for example, there is no need to learn complex paradigms of declensions and conjugations and cry over the illogicality in the use of cases. Even compared to English, Danish grammar is quite simple (although the word order, as my friend from Edinburgh put it, “sounds archaic to the English ear”), and anyone who has mastered German will find it generally easy.

According to its lexical composition, Danish may seem common man, fluent in English, German and/or Dutch. Some word families have been shared by Danish with English or German since the Proto-Germanic state, some - only with German due to early contacts, others were borrowed by English from Old Norse. Many words entered Danish from Low German over centuries of coexistence in the border zone, and in Lately English vocabulary is actively penetrating. In any case, knowledge of other Germanic languages ​​will greatly facilitate the learning process.

But in a phonetic sense, Danish is simply torture for a non-native speaker, especially in the early stages:

1) Danish spelling, like English, is very conservative and recorded the appearance of words 400-500 years ago. Therefore, if you read a simple Danish text to yourself, especially knowing German, looking in a dictionary, it should not cause difficulties, but the pronunciation will be very different from the spelling. Of course, there are certain reading rules, but as in English, they are to a certain extent arbitrary; sometimes it’s easier to learn almost every word individually. This leads to two problems: a) it is not always clear how unfamiliar words are read, b) unfamiliar words in a stream of speech may not be perceived at all.

2) Like any Germanic language (see here), Danish has a rich vowel system, which already makes learning it difficult for a native speaker of Russian, where consonants are much more developed. Many phonemes will sound the same to a Russian speaker. And even if you train your ear to distinguish minimal pairs, learning to reproduce these sounds is by no means so easy. For example, in literary Danish there is such a thing as “push” (glottal stop or “stød” in Danish) - a special type of stress, a little like stuttering. The ability to determine which words have it and which do not is almost a whole science.

3) Despite the small size of the country, Danish has developed dialects, which makes listening to Danish even more difficult. For example, southern dialects do not have a “push”, and western dialects, as some Danes say, are generally more similar to Dutch (which, in my opinion, is an exaggeration).

Actually, as far as my knowledge allows me to judge, of the large Scandinavian languages, Danish is phonetically the most difficult to learn. My supervisor sent me to the Danish group, saying that if I mastered Danish phonology, I could easily learn other Scandinavian languages ​​(she herself speaks Swedish).

As far as I understand, of the three large Scandinavians, the simplest in terms of spelling-phonetics ratio is Norwegian, more precisely bokmål (although nynorsk in writing differs from it primarily in its closer approximation to the sound of words). Swedish is therefore somewhere in the middle. A colleague from the department here in Copenhagen, who studies the mutual understanding of Swedish and Danish, explained this: when Swedes speak, Danes generally understand them because they imagine the appearance of the words; but when the Danes speak, the Swedes usually understand them very poorly, because the sound is not at all similar to the spelling, which in Swedish has much in common with Danish.

However, the Icelandic teacher said that she once saw at one conference how Norwegians randomly added endings to their words, and the Germans more or less understood them, but this was more of the kind of anecdote.

Wikipedia writes that linguists argue about this (for example, here). I myself am not one, but for general reasons I would classify stød as an allophone, because its presence affects the meaning of words. There are well-known minimal pairs: hun (there is no push) and hund (there is a push), ven (no) and vend! (is), læser ("reader", no) and læser ("reads", is), etc. Most courses even have separate exercises for distinguishing between such pairs.

Answer

Comment

Compared to Spanish it is a little more difficult. Compared to Chinese - not very much.

I would highlight several aspects that I personally find difficult in Swedish:

1. This is not an exact science. If in Spanish verbs are divided into three groups and always do this according to one rather easy sign, then in Swedish there are 4 groups, and there is a swamp around them. It is very difficult to determine which verb belongs to which group, and therefore difficult to conjugate it. So it is easier to memorize all forms of the verb depending on the tense. The plural of nouns, by the way, is also formed depending on the group, of which there are five. But there are clearer definitions.

2. Umlauts and circles. It’s just that very often when the form of a verb is changed, they fall out, and in general they often get lost somewhere, and this is fraught with a change in meaning.

The Scandinavian countries are located in northern Europe and geographically include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. All states are characterized by the presence of a common history and culture and were periodically united in various unions and alliances.

Everyone who is going on a trip to these “Viking lands” is interested in the question of which language he prefers to communicate with the locals, which dialect is most commonly used, and, if you choose between the two most common Northern European linguistic groups - Swedish or Norwegian, what will you study? easier and simpler.

Why you might need Swedish or Norwegian

As a rule, those who are seriously thinking about learning Swedish or Norwegian set specific goals for themselves, such as:

There can be even more reasons for learning languages, so there is sure to be a suitable method for each person. It is quite possible to achieve your goal and speak Swedish or Norwegian fluently; the main thing is to know the features of both languages ​​and choose the right direction for mastering them.

Features of the Swedish language

Almost everyone who comes across spoken or written Swedish for the first time pays attention to a number of features characteristic of its grammar and word formation:

Features of the Norwegian language

The basis of the Norwegian language is Riksmål, a reformatted Danish that was spoken here during Danish rule. Modern Norwegian is divided into classical literary (in the country it is called “Bokmål”) and “Nynorsk” (which literally means “New Norwegian”). In both versions the Latin alphabet is used, and the letters in English three more are added - å, æ and ø. In total, just over 5 million people living directly in the country and about 60 thousand of those who have traveled beyond its borders speak Norwegian. The Norwegian language is considered average in difficulty, but those who know English will learn the language of the “land of fjords” faster.

You need to start learning Norwegian with Bokmål, then gradually add grammar rules and conversational features of Nynorsk. Linguists warn that even after studying a classic Norwegian textbook, you may not understand a person speaking a different dialect, so they take the dialect of the capital region and Oslo as a basis. The main features of the Norwegian language are the following:

1. Specific pronunciation of vowels, consonants and diphthongs. Despite the fact that in most cases words sound the same as they are written, some nuances still exist and you can become familiar with them while listening to live speech. At the same time, each area may have its own unique “tricks” in writing, sound or translation.
2. There are not as many verb tenses as in English, but all words denoting action do not change according to persons and declensions.
3. The noun has only three forms, there are no cases, and the plural, unlike Swedish, is formed using the same algorithm.
4. Words denoting objects have only three genders - masculine, feminine and neuter, while the words female very few and they can always be replaced with men's ones.

The paradox of the Norwegian language is that, despite all its ease, learning it on your own will be quite difficult. The presence of a large number of subtleties in the use of lexical units and phrases can frighten a beginner if he does not study the language with an experienced teacher. You cannot trust unverified textbooks, online lessons or dubious sites that guarantee fluency in the language within a month. In Norway, the most advanced courses offer basic knowledge of the main dialects in at least six months. You need to start mastering language material from theory, then include practice, conversation, dialogues, then smoothly move on to writing, reading and retelling.

Options for learning Swedish or Norwegian

Some of the most common options for learning Scandinavian languages ​​are the following:

1. Use of textbooks and phrasebooks. This method has a right to exist, despite a number of shortcomings. For example, difficulties in acquiring such literature, the inability to check pronunciation and ask for advice from a knowledgeable person who can also point out mistakes.
2. Video and audio lessons. Modern Internet resources offer a huge amount of materials of any nature, depending on the person’s level of training, however, you will study on your own, without recommendations, advice or corrections, which will be a barrier to normal knowledge of Norwegian or Swedish.
3. Language group. Not a bad option, but inaccessible: firstly, there are few people willing to study such rare languages, and, secondly, the cost of training will be much higher than for French, German or Spanish.
4. Tutor. One of the most productive ways to learn a language, however, such a teacher may simply not be found in your area, and the hourly wage will be very high.

What's the best way to learn Swedish or Norwegian?

More than 9 million people speak Swedish, and almost 2 times less speak Norwegian. Swedish dialects are more complex than Norwegian ones, and lexical phrases are equally difficult to construct in both languages, so you can determine which language is better to study Swedish or Norwegian based on general information about the features of one or the other and depending on the need. In any case, the only correct solution would be to turn to special online schools that combine all methods of learning languages, including the Scandinavian group. The undeniable advantages of such training are:

What is taught at an online language school

The services of such portals are used by both beginners and those who already have some knowledge of Norwegian or Swedish. Even if you have never had any idea about any language before, you will have the opportunity to learn it from the basics, which means mastering:

• alphabet;
• pronunciation and its specifics;
• rules of grammar, knowledge of writing words and sentences;
• colloquial speech;
• information about the culture, characteristics, traditions and customs of the peoples of Norway or Sweden.

For these purposes, the following options are available to you:

• mini-course via Skype (lasts 3-4 weeks);
• basic course (from 20 weeks);
• communication with a native speaker (minimum 10 lessons);
• individual lessons (the program is tailored specifically to each person);
• language marathon (competition with those who are learning the language at the same time as you).

For greater mobility and convenience, students can use any electronic device running IOS or Android, and the vast majority of training is free. After just a few months, you will be able to express yourself competently, construct sentences, perceive language by ear, correctly pronounce the most complex words, read and translate simple texts. For whatever purpose you need Norwegian or Swedish, and whichever one you choose, a convenient, affordable and effective online language school will help you achieve perfection.

Good afternoon friends!
Have you ever wondered what the language is in Sweden? If you are now thinking to yourself “of course, Swedish, it’s obvious,” then I will disappoint you. “Swedish” is just one of many. So, let's take a short linguistic walk through Scandinavia.

From this article you will learn:

Sweden and Swedish

Yes, indeed, Swedish is the official language of the Kingdom of Sweden, but not the only one. Modern Swedish is a mixture of many dialects spread across the country. It is also called “standard Swedish”. The radio broadcasts on it, newscasters read the news on it, and it is studied in schools.

Modern, or standard, is influenced by many dialects. divided into many small regions. Each of them can boast of something of their own in this regard. Somewhere there is a special pronunciation, completely different words, greetings, names of dishes, etc.

The language is constantly being improved. It has a rather complex linguistic basis and phonetics. It just seems that Swedish sounds like German. This is a completely different pronunciation, and Germans have difficulty understanding Swedes. And vice versa.

So, if you know German, don’t rush to rejoice. Stockholm is unlikely to understand you.

Only since 2006 has the letter W been added to the official alphabet. Previously, it was only used for foreign words. Instead there was a V. As time went on, the rules changed. People increasingly used W to write old words instead of V. The decision was made to add a new letter to the alphabet.

By the way, only 90% of the population recognizes the state Swedish as their native language. Others still use adverbs to this day.

4 main dialects

There are 4 main groups:

Elfdalian

Elfdalian is the largest group. It includes a lot of small adverbs and dialects. Previously, the language was widespread throughout the territory of Dalarne, the commune of Älvdalen.

Elfdalian contains many archaisms and has complex grammar and pronunciation. Today very few people know him well. The Swedish scientific community has written a petition to protect the language. Perhaps in a few decades he will be completely forgotten.

Gutnian

Gutnic is widespread throughout Gotland and Fårö. Derived from an ancient dialect, it was used by the first Scandinavians. It is complex, but a simpler form is now being used. Ancient Gutnian is known by 5-10 thousand people.

Jämtland

Jämtlandic is widely used throughout Jämtland. But they know him in small towns and villages. Linguists are still arguing - is the origin of this dialect Swedish or Norwegian? A long time ago there were no modern borders.

The kings captured territories, then wars broke out again, cities and entire regions changed their owners. Now it is difficult to understand what the roots of this dialect are.

Skansky

Skane is centered in Skåne. The language has strong Danish roots. The old form has long been forgotten. But it gave the basis to a mass of small dialects. I'm not sure that the people of Stockholm will be able to fully understand someone who speaks the Scan dialect well.

Of course, which official language does not have dialects? Let me explain why there are so many different options here. Here in the North, people lived very separated. Very often settlements appeared in hard-to-reach places. There, the local dialect persisted for a particularly long time.

An important component here is the tribal system, which has existed since ancient times throughout the territory of modern Sweden. There were many small and large kingdoms here. Each of them was proud of its own alphabet, a variant of the dialect. Nobody wants to give up their own past. On the other hand, this is even good.

Other languages ​​of Sweden

In addition, there are minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli. They are spoken mainly by emigrants. After 1995-1996, Sweden received many refugees and migrants from Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. Even today it is a popular migration destination. The concentration of Serbo-Croatian speakers is quite high.

Thinking about moving to Sweden? Then you just need to learn Swedish. There is a ton of material to learn on the Speakasap website. They also organize convenient classes via Skype. This way it won't be difficult to learn.

Subscribe to site updates and you will receive, completely free of charge, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

I was with you, Natalya Glukhova, I wish you a good day!