Second National Language Swedish - Intermediate flashcards

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

Vowel length contrast

In Swedish, a long vowel is followed by one consonant (glas, vit) and a short vowel by a doubled consonant or cluster (glass, vitt). Length is phonemic and changes meaning, so it must be heard and produced.

Pitch accent 1 vs 2

Accent 1 is a single fall, as in anden ('the duck'); accent 2 is a fall-rise-fall, as in anden ('the spirit'). Most bisyllabic native Swedish words take accent 2.

Retroflexion after /r/

In Central Swedish, /r/ plus a following consonant merges into a retroflex: r+s → [ʂ], r+t → [ʈ], r+d → [ɖ], r+n → [ɳ], r+l → [ɭ]. This is standard pronunciation, not a mishearing.

Spoken reduced forms

In fast speech, jag becomes [jɑ], det [dɛ], de [dɔm], och [ɔ], and mig/dig/sig [mɛj/dɛj/sɛj]. Recognising these reduced forms is essential for listening comprehension of natural audio.

Halv in clock times

Swedish 'halv' means half-to, not half-past: halv tre = 02:30, halv sju = 06:30. This differs from English usage and is a frequent source of listening errors.

Double definiteness

When an adjective precedes a definite noun, Swedish uses both a preposed article and a suffix: den stora boken, det stora huset, de stora böckerna. The suffix alone is not enough.

V2 word order

In main clauses the finite verb must occupy second position. If an adverbial is fronted, the subject follows the verb: Igår kom han. Subordinate clauses instead place sentence adverbs before the verb.

-s passive

The passive is formed with -s (byggs, byggdes, har byggts) or with bli plus past participle (blev byggd). The -s passive is frequent in news and formal written Swedish.

Compound head is last

Swedish compounds are written as one word and the final element is the head: sjukhuspersonal means hospital staff, not personal hospital. The last element also determines gender.

Verb particles

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

Sin vs hans

Sin/sitt/sina refers back to the clause subject (Han tog sin bok). Hans/hennes/deras refer to someone other than the subject (Han tog hans bok). Choosing wrongly changes who owns what.

Tense sequencing

Use preteritum for the narrative mainline (han gick), perfekt for relevance to the present (han har gått), and pluskvamperfekt for prior action (han hade gått). Keep the mainline consistent.

Formal letter closings

Med vänlig hälsning is the standard formal closing; Hälsningar is neutral; informal messages may end with Vi hörs. The opening is Hej plus first name in most modern Swedish correspondence.

Adjective agreement

Adjectives agree in number and definiteness: en stor bil, ett stort hus, stora bilar, den stora bilen. Past participles agree too: bilen är reparerad, bilarna är reparerade.

Hedged requests

Use modal hedges for polite requests: Jag skulle vilja, Skulle du kunna, Jag undrar om. Bare imperatives (Ge mig) sound rude outside close relationships, so hedge in writing and speech.

Backchannels

Short listener signals such as mm, jaså, jaha, visst, precis show active listening in Swedish conversation. Their absence can make a speaker think you disagree or have not understood.

Du-reformen

Since the du-reform, du is the default address in most contexts, including workplaces. Ni to a single person can sound distancing; titles plus surname are reserved for ceremonial settings.

Signposting a presentation

Structure talk with Jag tänkte prata om, För det första, För det andra, Till sist vill jag, and Har ni några frågor? Explicit signposting improves perceived coherence in oral assessment.

Softened disagreement

Disagree with hedges: Jag ser det annorlunda, Där håller jag inte riktigt med, Å ena sidan … men å andra sidan. Adding kanske or möjligen lowers the face threat.

Self-repair phrases

Repair in speech with alltså, vad heter det, rättare sagt, or jag menar. Self-repair is normal in fluent speech and is not penalised in oral interaction tasks.

Two genders

Swedish has common gender (en) and neuter (ett). Gender is lexical, so learn it with each noun: en bok, ett hus, en bil, ett barn. It controls adjective and article forms.

Definite suffixes

The definite article is a suffix: -en/-n for common gender, -et/-t for neuter, and plural -na/-en/-a. Examples: boken, huset, böckerna, husen, bilarna.

Modal auxiliaries

Modals kan, ska, vill, måste, får, bör take the bare infinitive without att. Most other verbs use att: försöka att, hoppas att, bestämma sig för att.

Subordinate clause order

After att, om, när, eftersom, the sentence adverb comes before the verb: … att hon alltid kommer sent, … eftersom han inte hade tid. Main clauses place it after the finite verb.

Prepositions are lexical

Prepositions often differ from English: på jobbet, i skolan, till Sverige, hos läkaren, om en vecka. Learn them as fixed chunks with the noun or verb rather than by rule.

Allemansrätten

The right of public access allows walking, camping and foraging on uncultivated land under 'do not disturb, do not destroy'. It does not apply to gardens, cultivated land, or private plots.

Fika as institution

Fika is a regular coffee break with something to eat, and it functions as social glue at Swedish workplaces. Declining repeatedly can be read as social distance rather than efficiency.

Lagom and jantelagen

Lagom means just right or moderate; jantelagen names the norm of not standing out. Both are cultural reference points in texts about Swedish work culture, used descriptively rather than as rules.

Formal address in Sweden

Modern formal Swedish avoids direct address: it uses impersonal man constructions and -s passives instead of ni. Ni to one person is archaic or ceremonial, not neutral politeness.

Meeting phrases

Useful meeting language: Vi tar det punkt för punkt, Har vi alla med oss?, Kan vi enas om?, Vem tar ansvar för?, Vi skjuter upp frågan. These structure turns and decisions.

Deadline prepositions

Senast means no later than (senast fredag); innan means before; inom means within (inom en vecka). Till in a deadline sense means by. Confusing these changes the commitment.

Workplace terms

Key employment vocabulary: arbetsgivare (employer), anställd (employee), fackförbund (union), kollektivavtal (collective agreement), provanställning (probationary employment), chef (manager).