Essential Swedish phrases for everyday life

How to use this list

Phrasebooks tend to teach Swedish that nobody says. This list is the opposite: phrases you will hear and need in everyday life in Sweden, written the way people actually say them today. Where a phrase is informal, we say so. Where there is a trap, like the missing word for "please", we explain it.

Two things to know before you start. First, Swedes say du (you) to almost everyone: shop staff, doctors, your boss, the prime minister. The polite ni for one person is rare and can sound distant or old-fashioned, so stick to du. Second, Swedish politeness lives in tone and in phrasing a request as a question, not in extra polite words. That is why "tack" and "kan du…?" do so much work.

If you are new to how Swedish sounds, the pronunciation guide will help you say these properly.

Greetings and goodbyes

God dag (good day) exists, but today it sounds formal or old-fashioned. Just say hej.

How are you?

Note that Swedes do not use Hur mår du? as a throwaway greeting with strangers the way English speakers use "How are you?". A shop assistant will just say Hej!.

Please, thank you and sorry

This is the section that matters most, because the English habit of saying "please" in every request does not transfer directly.

There is no word for "please"

Swedish has no word that works like English "please". Instead:

• Put tack after a request: En kaffe, tack. (A coffee, please.)
• Ask a question: Kan du hjälpa mig? (Can you help me?)
• Be extra polite with a conditional: Skulle du kunna skicka saltet? (Could you pass the salt?)
• Use Kan jag få…? (Can I have…?): Kan jag få notan? (Can I have the bill?)

You may find the word snälla in a dictionary. It exists, but it is mostly used for pleading, like a child asking Snälla mamma, kan vi köpa glass? (Please, Mum, can we buy ice cream?). In an ordinary request to an adult it can sound pleading or insistent, so tack and a question are the safer choice.

Thank you

You're welcome

Varsågod is not quite "you're welcome". It is what you say when you give something to someone, or invite them to go first or start eating.

Sorry and excuse me

Fika and the café

Fika is a coffee break, usually with something sweet, and it is a real social institution. Workplaces have fixed fika breaks, friends meet "för att fika", and asking Ska vi fika? (Shall we go for a coffee?) is the standard low-pressure way to get to know someone. It works as a verb (att fika) and a noun (en fika).

Shopping

Prices are said as plain numbers: Den kostar trettionio kronor (It's 39 kronor). If numbers are still slow for you, practise them with the Swedish numbers tool.

In Swedish supermarkets you often take a queue ticket at the deli or pharmacy counter: a kölapp. When your number comes up, you will hear Nästa! (Next!).

At a restaurant

Dagens lunch (or dagens rätt) is a fixed-price lunch served on weekdays, often with salad, bread, a drink and coffee included. It is the best-value restaurant meal in Sweden. Tipping is not expected the way it is in the US; rounding up or adding a little for good service is common but optional.

Asking for directions

In Stockholm the underground is tunnelbanan, usually shortened to T-banan, and the commuter trains are pendeltåg (pendeln for short).

Small talk at work

Swedish workplaces are informal and flat. First names for everyone, du for everyone, and small talk usually happens at fika.

At the doctor and the pharmacy

In Sweden you usually start at a vårdcentral (health centre), or call 1177 for medical advice. 112 is the emergency number. The pharmacy is apoteket.

If you are moving to Sweden, the guide to Swedish for life in Sweden has more phrases for healthcare, Skatteverket, the bank and your landlord.

On the phone

Texting and informal writing

Written Swedish online is full of short forms. Some are abbreviations of phrases, some are how the word is actually pronounced.

In formal writing, you will see t.ex. (till exempel, for example), bl.a. (bland annat, among other things), osv. (och så vidare, and so on) and dvs. (det vill säga, that is).

Words that do not translate

Some of the most useful Swedish words have no neat English equivalent. You will hear these every day.

Lagom is often described as a national philosophy of moderation, and there is something to that, but in daily life it simply means "the right amount": Hur mycket mjölk? – Lagom. Jobbigt covers a surprising range, from "exhausting" to "awkward" to "what a pain". And orka is the verb that best captures a Swedish Monday: Jag orkar inte laga mat i kväll (I can't face cooking tonight).

FAQ

How do you say please in Swedish?

There is no direct equivalent. Put tack at the end of a request (En kaffe, tack), or phrase it as a question: Kan du…? (Can you…?), Skulle du kunna…? (Could you…?), Kan jag få…? (Can I have…?). The word snälla is used for pleading and can sound whiny.

What is the most common greeting in Swedish?

Hej. It works with anyone, at any time of day, formal or informal. Hej hej is a friendlier version, tjena and tja are casual, and hejdå means goodbye.

Should I use du or ni in Swedish?

Use du with everyone. Sweden dropped formal address decades ago, and using ni to one person can sound distant or odd. Ni is used when talking to more than one person.

What does "lagom" mean?

Just the right amount: not too much, not too little. Lagom varmt is a pleasant temperature, and lagom mycket is the right quantity. It is often held up as a national value, but in everyday speech it is simply a practical word.

What does "tack för senast" mean?

"Thanks for last time". Swedes say it the next time they see someone they had dinner with, visited, or spent an evening with. It is a small but important politeness.

Do Swedes speak English?

Most do, and very well. But if you start in Swedish, people will usually meet you there, especially if you say Jag lär mig svenska, kan vi prata svenska? (I'm learning Swedish, can we speak Swedish?).

From phrases to sentences

Phrases get you through a coffee order. Being able to build your own sentences gets you through a conversation. That is what our lessons train: one pattern at a time, said out loud, until you can make new sentences on your own. Season 1 of Complete Swedish is free in full, with no account needed: try lesson 1. For a plan beyond phrases, see how to learn Swedish.