Second National Language Swedish - Intermediate cheat sheet

Swedish vowel length is phonemic: a long vowel is followed by a single consonant (glas, vit), a short vowel by a doubled consonant or a consonant cluster (glass, vitt); length changes meaning.

The pitch accent (ordaccent) distinguishes accent 1 from accent 2: accent 1 is a single fall (anden = 'the duck'), accent 2 a fall-rise-fall (anden = 'the spirit'); most bisyllabic native words take accent 2.

Postvocalic /r/ plus a following consonant merges: r+s → [ʂ] (fors), r+t → [ʈ], r+d → [ɖ], r+n → [ɳ], r+l → [ɭ]; this retroflexion is normal in Central Swedish and is not a mishearing.

Reduction in fast speech: jag → [jɑ]/[ja], det → [dɛ], de → [dɔm], och → [ɔ], att (infinitive marker) → [ɔ], mig/dig/sig → [mɛj/dɛj/sɛj]; expect these forms in natural audio.

Sentence stress falls on the last content word of the rheme; the negator inte and sentence adverbs (aldrig, alltid, kanske) are unstressed but shift word order, so track them for polarity.

Numbers and times: 1–12 are native (ett, två … tolv), 13–19 add -ton (tretton), 20–90 are -tio (trettio), 100 hundra, 1000 tusen; clock times use 'halv' as half-to (halv tre = 02:30).

Discourse markers signal structure: 'å ena sidan … å andra sidan' (on one hand/other), 'sammanfattningsvis' (in summary), 'däremot' (by contrast), 'för övrigt' (besides); these flag the speaker's main point.

Dates are ordinal: den första, den andra, den tredje; years are read as hundreds (artonhundraåttiofem = 1885, nittonhundra …), and 'i fjol' = last year, 'i förfjol' = two years ago.

Swedish definite form is suffixal: -en (common gender) or -et (neuter), plural -na/-en/-a; double definiteness occurs with adjectives (den stora boken, det stora huset, de stora böckerna).

Word order: main clauses are V2 - the finite verb occupies second position, so a fronted adverbial forces inversion (Igår kom han). Subordinate clauses insert sentence adverbs before the verb (… att han inte kom).

Passive is formed with -s (byggs, byggdes) or bli + past participle (blev byggd); the -s passive is common in formal and news prose.

Cohesive devices to track for main-idea questions: 'därför' (therefore), 'dock/emellertid' (however), 'således' (thus), 'trots att' (although), 'medan' (while), 'enligt' (according to).

Compounds are written as one word and the head is last: 'sjukhuspersonal' = hospital staff, 'personalstyrka' = staff strength; the last element determines gender and meaning.

Particles change verb meaning and are stressed: 'ge upp' (give up), 'komma fram till' (conclude), 'tycka om' (like), 'hålla med' (agree), 'se till' (ensure); read them as lexical units.

Formal written register uses nominalizations and prepositions: 'på grund av' (because of), 'i syfte att' (with the aim of), 'beträffande' (regarding), 'avseende' (concerning); these often carry the argument's logic.

Pronouns and reference chains: 'den/det/de' can be demonstrative or refer back to a noun; 'sin/sitt/sina' refers to the subject, 'hans/hennes/deras' to someone else.

Text types and conventions: informal message uses du/tilltal and contractions (ja, nåt); formal letter or report uses ni-neutral or impersonal phrasing, no contractions, and a clear subject line.

Paragraph structure: topic sentence, supporting detail, and a cohesive link; Swedish academic prose prefers explicit connectors (inledningsvis, dessutom, å andra sidan, sammanfattningsvis).

Verb tense sequencing: preteritum for narrative mainline (han gick), perfekt for relevance to now (han har gått), pluskvamperfekt for prior action (han hade gått); keep the mainline consistent.

Agreement: adjectives agree in number and definiteness (en stor bil, ett stort hus, stora bilar, den stora bilen); past participles agree (bilen är reparerad, bilarna är reparerade).

Word order in writing: keep the V2 rule; place 'inte' and sentence adverbs after the finite verb in main clauses but before it in subordinate clauses (… eftersom han inte hade tid).

Formal hedging and politeness: 'jag skulle vilja' (I would like), 'skulle du kunna' (could you), 'med vänlig hälsning' (kind regards), 'jag undrar om' (I wonder whether); avoid bare imperatives in requests.

Semicolons are rare; use full stops or connectors. Numbers 1–12 are usually spelled out in running text, and abbreviations take a full stop only when the word is clipped (t.ex., dvs., bl.a.).

Common written errors to self-check: 'sin' vs 'hans', 'de' vs 'dem' (subject vs object), 'och' vs 'att' before infinitives, and double definiteness after a possessive (min bil, not min bilen).

Turn-taking markers: 'precis', 'jo', 'eller hur?', 'eller vad säger du?', 'får jag inflika' (may I interject); backchannels: 'mm', 'jaså', 'jaha', 'visst' - these show active listening.

Politeness strategies: use modal hedges (skulle kunna, kanske, möjligen) and indirect requests; direct imperatives (Ge mig …) read as rude unless between close friends.

Du-reformen: 'du' is the default address in most modern contexts; 'ni' to a single person can sound distancing, and titles (herr/fru + surname) are reserved for very formal or ceremonial settings.

Fillers and repairs: 'alltså', 'liksom', 'vad heter det', 'hur ska jag säga'; self-repair with 'rättare sagt' (rather) or 'jag menar' (I mean) is normal and not penalized.

Pronunciation targets: distinguish /y/ (hus, fyra) from /u/ (hus? no - hus is /ɵ/), /u/ (bok) from /o/ (son), and short/long vowel pairs; stress is usually on the first syllable of native words.

Presentation structure: 'Jag tänkte prata om …', 'För det första … för det andra …', 'Till sist vill jag …', 'Har ni några frågor?'; signposting raises coherence scores.

Disagreement formulas: 'Jag ser det annorlunda', 'Där håller jag inte riktigt med', 'Å ena sidan … men å andra sidan'; soften with 'kanske' or 'möjligen'.

Telephone and service openings: 'Hej, det är [namn]', 'Vad kan jag hjälpa dig med?', 'Ett ögonblick, jag ska bara kolla' - fixed phrases that signal register competence.

Gender: two genders, common (en) and neuter (ett); gender is lexical and must be learned with the noun - en bok, ett hus, en bil, ett barn.

Definite article: suffix -en/-n (common) and -et/-t (neuter); plural definite -na/-en/-a (böckerna, husen, bilarna); use den/det/de + adjective + definite noun after adjectives.

Verb groups: weak verbs fall into -ar (tala), -er (läsa), -r (bo) classes; strong verbs change vowel (skriva–skrev–skrivit); memorize principal parts.

Modal auxiliaries take the bare infinitive and no 'att': kan, ska, vill, måste, får, bör; 'att' is used after most other verbs (försöka att, hoppas att).

Pronouns: subject/object pairs jag–mig, du–dig, han–honom, hon–henne, vi–oss, ni–er, de–dem; reflexive sig and possessive sin/sitt/sina agree with the subject.

Prepositions are lexical and often differ from English: 'på jobbet', 'i skolan', 'till Sverige', 'hos läkaren', 'om en vecka'; learn them in chunks.

Subordinate clause word order: 'att', 'om', 'när', 'eftersom' introduce clauses where sentence adverbs precede the verb (… att hon alltid kommer sent).

Comparison: -are/-ast for most adjectives (stor–större–störst), more/ most with 'mer/mest' for longer ones (intressant–mer intressant–mest intressant); irregular: bra–bättre–bäst, dålig–sämre–sämst.

Equality and informality: Sweden ranks high on informality; first names are used with colleagues and often with managers, and hierarchy is expressed through consensus-seeking rather than titles.

Allemansrätten (right of public access) allows walking, camping, and foraging on uncultivated land with 'do not disturb, do not destroy'; it does not cover gardens or cultivated land.

Fika is a social institution - a coffee break with something to eat - and declining it or skipping it can read as socially distant in workplace contexts.

Seasonal and holiday vocabulary: midsommar, jul (Christmas), påsk, valborg, lucia (13 December), kanelbullens dag; references carry cultural weight in listening and reading texts.

Lagom (just right, moderate) and jantelagen (the norm of not standing out) are cultural reference points often invoked in texts about Swedish work culture; treat them as descriptions, not rules.

Regional variation: Skåne and Gothenburg have distinct intonation and some vocabulary; Finland-Swedish differs in pronunciation and some terms (e.g., 'Semester' usage, 'byrå' for office) - expect variation in audio.

Formal vs informal register: 'Ni' as polite address is archaic or ceremonial; written formal texts use impersonal constructions ('man', passive -s) rather than direct address.

Public-sector language: myndighet (authority), personnummer, BankID, samordningsnummer, Försäkringskassan; these recur in everyday administrative texts and require recognition.

Meeting phrases: 'Vi tar det punkt för punkt', 'Har vi alla med oss?', 'Kan vi enas om …?', 'Vem tar ansvar för …?', 'Vi skjuter upp frågan till nästa möte'.

Email conventions: subject line states the matter; opening 'Hej [förnamn]', closing 'Med vänlig hälsning' (formal) or 'Hälsningar' (neutral); reply within a stated deadline.

Academic vocabulary: uppsats (essay), källa (source), referens, sammanfattning (abstract), metod, slutsats, opponent, handledare (supervisor), seminarie.

Deadlines and planning: 'senast' (no later than), 'innan' (before), 'inom' (within), 'på fredag' (this Friday) vs 'i fredag' (nonstandard); distinguish 'till' (by) from 'senast'.

Workplace roles and terms: chef (manager), kollega, anställd, arbetsgivare (employer), fackförbund (union), kollektivavtal (collective agreement), provanställning (probationary employment).

Feedback language: 'Jag skulle vilja föreslå …', 'Det finns en risk att …', 'Jag håller med, men …', 'Bra poäng, dock …'; combine agreement with a counterpoint for constructive register.

Digital and remote work: distansarbete, videomöte, dela skärmen, möteslänk, chatt, 'är du med?' (are you following?), 'kan du upprepa?'; these appear in audio and reading tasks.

Application vocabulary: personligt brev (cover letter), meritförteckning/CV, tjänst (position), söka (apply for), intervju, referens; 'söka en tjänst' is the fixed collocation.