
Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes are known for their friendly dispositions and love of conversation. In fact, the Nordic countries regularly rank at the top of global happiness surveys. But what about their language skills? Turns out, the Nordics also excel in this area, as Swedish is now the most spoken Nordic language in the world. Let’s take a closer look at some interesting facts about Sweden’s official language.
Did you know that Swedish is the official language of Sweden? It’s also one of the two official languages of Finland, along with Finnish. Swedish is also spoken in parts of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In total, there are about 10 million native Swedish speakers in the world.
Swedish is a North Germanic language, which means it’s related to other languages like Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. However, unlike some of its relatives, Swedish has adopted a large number of words from other languages, particularly English. As a result, it’s considered to be one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn.
If you’re thinking about learning Swedish, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s a very concise language. In fact, Swedish has one of the lowest ratios of words to concepts of any language in the world. This makes it an efficient language to learn and use.
Sweden is known for its progressive social policies, and this is reflected in its language. For example, there are no gendered pronouns in Swedish. This means you can use the same word, “hen”, to refer to both he and she. The Swedish government has even gone so far as to make gender-neutral pronouns official policy.
If you’re looking for a challenge, try learning some Swedish slang. Like many languages, Swedish has a number of words and phrases that aren’t found in the standard dictionary. For example, “kul” can mean both “cool” and “fun”. Or you could try using some Swedish swear words, like “fan” (which means “damn”) or “jävlar” (which means “devils”). Just be careful how you use them, as they can be considered quite offensive.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Sweden or just want to learn a new language, Swedish is a great choice. With its concise grammar and easy-to-learn vocabulary, it’s a language that anyone can master. And who knows, maybe one day you’ll be the one teaching Swedes how to speak English!