SACE Stage 2 Swedish (continuers) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

V2 rule

The finite verb occupies second position in a Swedish main clause; if an adverbial is fronted, the subject moves after the verb: I går skrev hon.

Bisats word order

In a subordinate clause the sentence adverbial precedes the finite verb, as in att hon inte kom, unlike the main clause hon kom inte.

Double definiteness

When a definite noun is modified by an adjective, both a free article and the noun suffix appear: den röda bilen, det stora huset.

En and ett words

Swedish nouns are common gender (en) or neuter (ett); the majority are en-words and gender must be memorised with each noun.

Sj-sound spelling

The sj-sound is written sj, skj, stj, sch or sk before e, i, y, ä, ö, as in stjärna, sked and skina.

Tj-sound spelling

The tj-sound appears as tj or k before e, i, y, ä, ö, as in tjugo, kär and kisa.

Pitch accent pairs

Accent 1 and accent 2 distinguish otherwise identical words, such as anden (duck) and anden (spirit), which context usually disambiguates.

Modal particle ju

Ju presents a statement as shared or already known knowledge, roughly 'as you know', and invites the listener to agree.

Modal particle väl

Väl seeks confirmation or expresses a mild assumption, similar to 'right?' or 'probably', softening the claim it attaches to.

Jo after negative question

Jo is the affirmative reply to a negatively phrased question; answering ja to Kommer du inte? would mean you are not coming.

Contrast markers

Men, dock, emellertid, trots att and å andra sidan signal a shift or concession; a writer's real position often follows them.

Cause and effect markers

Därför, eftersom, på grund av, leder till and följden blir link a stated cause to a stated consequence in a text.

Genre: insändare

A reader's letter to an editor: first person, a stated grievance, evidence, a demand addressed to decision-makers, and a signature.

Genre: recension

An evaluative review combining summary with judgement; evaluative adjectives and a final verdict sentence carry the writer's stance.

Genre: krönika

A personal column with a strong individual voice, rhetorical questions and informal register, distinct from a neutral news report.

Formal letter closing

Med vänliga hälsningar is the standard formal closing, followed by the sender's name on the next line; Vänliga hälsningar is a common variant.

Du-tilltal

Addressing a single reader as du is the modern Swedish default in public and professional prose; ni to one person reads old-fashioned.

Passive for formality

Passives with -s or bli plus participle (det beslutas, arbetet utförs) raise register and shift focus from agent to action.

Preposition: intresserad av

The adjective intresserad takes av before a noun or clause; ansvarig takes för and beroende takes på.

Comma before men

A comma is required before the coordinating conjunction men, but not before att in indirect speech or before som in a restrictive relative clause.

Cohesion connectors

Dessutom, vidare, å ena sidan, sammanfattningsvis and avslutningsvis organise a text; varying them avoids repetition penalties in writing.

Softening disagreement

Phrases such as Jag ser din poäng, men or Det stämmer delvis, dock state disagreement while acknowledging the other speaker's position.

Clarification requests

Kan du förtydliga det? and Vad menar du med ...? repair understanding and are scored as interactional skill, not as failure.

Backchannelling signals

Mm, ja, visst, precis and det förstår jag show active listening; sustained silence without such signals lowers interaction marks.

Telephone opening

Hej, det är [namn] opens a Swedish call; Kan jag få tala med ...? requests a person and Ett ögonblick asks the caller to wait.

Repair phrases

Alltså, vad heter det and nej, jag menar ... allow self-correction mid-utterance, which is preferred to abandoning the sentence.

Loanword register

Latin and French loans such as kvalitet and generös read formal, while Low German loans such as arbete and betala belong to everyday core vocabulary.

Nordic intelligibility

Swedish, Norwegian and Danish speakers often understand each other, especially in writing; Finnish and Icelandic are not mutually intelligible with Swedish.

Language institutions

Svenska Akademien publishes ordlistan and grammar references, while Språkrådet issues usage advice and responds to language-policy questions.

Swedish in Finland

Swedish is one of Finland's two official languages alongside Finnish, with a long-established Swedish-speaking population and its own media.

Negating prefix o-

The prefix o- negates an adjective or noun, as in obekväm, ovanlig and omöjlig; it is the most common negation device in Swedish word formation.

Suffixes -het and -ing

Adding -het or -ing to an adjective or verb forms a noun, as in möjlighet from möjlig and utbildning from utbilda.