Calvin Said:

How hard is it to learn swedish?

We Answered:

Grammar - Pretty easy for an English speaker

Pronunciation - Much harder

Swedish is a Germanic language, just like English, and the structure, vocabulary and grammar will be managable for you as an English speaker. When it comes to pronunciation, things get a little trickier. Swedish is a slightly tonal language, and if you want to have a good accent you need to learn how to speak with the right "melody". Also, Swedish has a lot of vowels and consonant sounds that can be tricky for non-native speaker.

Anyways, if you just put some effort to it, you'll be able to do it! Also, having a Swedish girlfriend is a huge advantage since she can help you with the language! Good luck, or should I say Lycka till! :)

Joel Said:

How do I learn Swedish well if it is not offered as a class at my school?

We Answered:

If you want a formal class (at a distance) have a look at the following page;
http://db.carla.umn.edu/lctl/FMPro?-db=b…

This is a paper / pencil, not online course.

If you can learn by yourself, try the book by my colleague:

http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Swedish-…

Jack Said:

How hard is it to learn Swedish?

We Answered:

They use the ROMAN alphabet...just like in English!

Becoming fluent? not as long as some others...I haven't actually studied it yet, so this is just an impression: (cause I've been looking) I'd say...not half as hard as it is to find a free program that will teach it to you!

Seems, first, with a bit of German behind me...fairly similar, sort of between the two. Grammar: almost non existent! Like, no verb conjugations. Tenses? yes...but not first, second third...you know...six forms and all.

Truly...I think the general belief is: 1) why should we learn Swedish when everyone in Sweden is fluent in English (which is true, but bunk...) and 2) no one to teach it!

If you are an independent learner....go to livemocha, and find some natives to work with you...they don't have lessons for Swedish, but there are many Swedes there, learning other languages. Many will be willing to help you.

Then find a site that teaches it...so far, I've mostly found simple travel stuff, very little in terms of real language learning...Join livemocha, though, and make a suggestion. The more of us suggest it, the more likely they are to add it!

Here's what I've found so far...unfortunately, Swedish wound up getting pushed down on the list of things to do...

http://www.lysator.liu.se/language/Langu…

http://www.101languages.net/swedish/

http://www.learn-swedish-language-softwa…

Ooops! Last one costs.

And byki.com. But that's all flashcards, and will teach you some travel phrases, colors, animals, etc., but not much more, unless you go to the paid lessons...and I haven't done that yet.

Edward Said:

How can I learn Swedish in a couple months?

We Answered:

so I'd recommend you spend the money and sign up for the U of Minnesota's Swedish distance ed course
]http://db.carla.umn.edu/lctl/FMPro?-d…

You won't learn Swedish completely, but it'll get you a great head start, as you wished.

My recommendation is to try Berlitz, with a CD, and start to learn in the meantime some phrases you will likely use. Tourist phrases/ family phrases etc. I do not recommend Rosetta Stone, as it teaches lots of vocabulary items, but little else, and it's not worth the price.

Mark Said:

how long will it usually take to learn swedish?

We Answered:

There is no way (unless you are a genius) that you can learn Swedish to the level required for university course in 3 months - more like 3 years. Three months would get you by when you are out shopping or for some tourist type things because people don't mind if you make mistakes or misunderstand what they say or use the wrong prepositions, the wrong grammar, the wrong form of the indefinite article/definite article). For university such mistakes are unacceptable. You need to be able to read/write/ speak/ hear/ understand Swedish to a high level.
The best way to learn Swedish is to combine a Swedish course with immersion (being immersed in the Swedish language - listening to Swedish spoken by native Swedes and for academic Swedish - know and understand specific words for your coursework. Your coursework at university will involve reading a lot of books written to a high academic level as well as writing papers (essays etc) to a high level. This is difficult enough for native Swedes, let alone someone from an other country.

The people who are best learning Swedish fairly quickly (apart from people from other Nordic countries such as Denmark and Norway) are those from Germany or Holland. They generally take between 1-2 years to be fluent in Swedish (to an academic level).

I moved to Sweden from Scotland in 2002. I am a church minister and am now fluent in Sweden. My husband (who is Swedish) is an associate professor of psychology so I am used to the acadmic world here in Sweden. Although I picked up basic Swedish fairly quickly through the SFI (Svenska/Sverige för invandrare - Swedish/Sweden for immigrants/) course organised by the various local authorities (4 hours a day/4 days a week going to school where the only language spoken is Swedish and other languages are not allowed in class with 2 hours of homework (läxa) a day = immersion method). I got my certificate in Swedish after one year which was considered to be very good but I was by no means fluent in Swedish. I have worked as a minister here in Sweden for several years now but I have only felt fluent enough to counsel people and be involved in crisis/conflict/catastrophe work (listening, understanding, reading between the lines of what people are saying) for the past year or two. I was very experienced in this field of work in the UK and although the seven years have been exciting, they have also been tiring, frustrating and extremely tough,

Your best bet is to try to find a course that is in English here in Sweden. There are many.

One of my friends who did a PhD here in Sweden did everything in English. She had been in Sweden for several years and when it came to defending her thesis she wanted to do part of it in Swedish but her supervisor would not allow her to do this as he felt her Swedish wasn't up to a sufficient standard for academia.

My advice would be to find a course in english here in Sweden. If or when you feel fluent enough in Swedish, you can switch to other university courses (even to another university). Once you are in to the university network here it is easier for you to do this.

Good Luck!

Joel Said:

How long did it take you to learn Swedish fluently?

We Answered:

so many factors... did you have lots of Swedish contacts, or just casual Swedish on the streets, stores. What kind(s) of formal training did you undertake? What's your general aptitude in learning language(s). Some have a great talent, others not so much.

Milton Said:

How difficult would it be for a native English speaker to learn Swedish?

We Answered:

I'd say that learning the basics is quite easy. It's when you get to proper grammar etc. that things get really hard.

Basically the words "en" and "ett" ("a" and "an" in English) is a horror to learn, mostly because thy aren't following any rules at all.

My English teacher is a native American who lives here in Sweden.
According to him, one of the hardest things in Swedish are the words with multiple meanings. And believe me, there are loads of them!

If you choose to learn Swedish, I would be glad to answer any questions you might have!
(So, feel free to send an e-mail anytime!)