In this article, I will give you a couple of important guidelines + the introductory lesson itself.
To get started you need define your goals. After all, as you know, if you just go “somewhere”, then you will come to some random point. I suggest you clarify your plans for Swedish with the help of.
When you have clearly decided what Swedish is for and how you will use it, it's time to find the right materials. This article will help you, which, in addition to textbooks, also touches on additional manuals.
At this stage, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with. I am not a supporter of hammering the rules of pronunciation to the stop and only after mastering them move on. Therefore, I divided all the information about pronunciation into 3 logical blocks, which I give to my students gradually. You can read before or after this lesson. The main thing - do not read all three at once, otherwise there will be porridge in your head.
In this first lesson, you will learn to talk about the languages you speak and talk a little about yourself and other people.
For this you need a few verbs. Verbs are generally the most important thing in the language from the point of view of a beginner, since it is with their help that the backbone of sentences is built - both simple and complex.
Talar- I say
Pratar- talking / talking
Heter- (My name is
Kommer(från) - I come; (I'm from) …
Ä r- I am, I am
Kan- can; I can; I know
Three ways to say that you speak such and such a language:
- Jag talar svenska - I speak Swedish.
- Jag pratar ryska. - I speak Russian.
- Jag kan engelska. – I know English / I speak English.
”Talar” and ”pratar” both mean “I’m talking / talking”, but the second word sounds more colloquial (about the difference between talar-pratar-säger is). It can also mean "talking". By the way, textbooks usually give exactly the variant with “talar”, while in colloquial speech the variant “pratar” dominates. If a Swede asks you “Do you speak Swedish?” he will most likely say: “ Pratar du svenska?”
Did you notice that the verb hasn't changed? Nice moment: if you know how to say “I say/know/food…”, then you know both “you say/know/go” and “we say/…”, “she says/…”. Convenient, isn't it? One verb form for all!
This works for all verbs with no exceptions. Not at all like in English, where it is difficult for a beginner to keep in mind that I have, but he has; She is, but you are and I am .
Another important thing(and nice too): Asking questions is very easy. You just need to swap “WHO” (you / you / she / me / your family, etc.) and the verb (“say”, “go”, “do”, etc.).
No troubles like “auxiliary verbs”, as in English (do, does, did) are needed, which is good news.
Kan du engelska?– Do/do you speak/do you speak English? Do you know English?
”Kan” basically corresponds to the English ”can”, but can also mean “I know” in the context of foreign languages. Interestingly, in English you cannot say “I know English” (although Russians often try to say this by analogy with their native language), but in Swedish you can - just like in Russian.
Have you already noticed that the three languages mentioned - svenska, engelska, ryska - all end in -ska? This is a typical ending for the names of languages in Swedish. By the way, the word "language" itself is ett språk, and "foreign language" is ett främmande språk.
Other language examples:
tyska- Deutsch
franska- French
kinesiska- Chinese
spanska– spanish
(Yes, the names of languages—and nationalities!—are capitalized. English speakers often try to capitalize them.)
I also want to note that words of Scandinavian origin are typically stressed on the first syllable, so if you are not sure, it is better to pronounce an unfamiliar word with stress on the first syllable.
Here is how the stress falls in the words above: tálar, prátar, éngelska, rýska, svénska, kinésiska…
You probably want to say "I a little I speak Swedish" or "I not I speak Swedish.
Jag kan lite svenska. – I speak a little Swedish.
Jag pratar bara lite svenska. I only speak a little Swedish.
Jag kan inte svenska. – I don’t know Swedish / I don’t speak Swedish.
Jag talar inte svenska. – I don’t speak Swedish.
OBS! Note! Unlike the Russian language, in Swedish the negation "not" (inte) put after verb!
Talar du ryska? – Nej, jag kan inte ryska. - You speak Russian? – No, I don’t know Russian.
Jag förstar inte svenska. – I don’t understand Swedish.
How to tell about yourself?
Swedes don't usually say "My name is..." (=Mitt namn är...), although it is possible. But the usual scenario is as follows:
— Vad heter du? - Jag heter ... (Margarita).
- What is your name? - My name is Margarita).
That is, literally - "I am called / called."
"Vad" = what.
Another important word for questions about a person is ”var” (=where).
Var bor du?- Where do you live?
Var ifrån kommer du?/Var kommer du ifrån? - Where you're from)?
Those familiar with English can easily recognize the English "from" in the word ifrån (i + från). There are many more similarities waiting for you.
What can be the answer to such questions?
Var bor du? – Jag bor i Sverige (I live in Sweden).
Var kommer du ifran? – Jag kommer/är från Ryssland (I'm from Russia).
The pitfalls here are pronunciation. Everyone strives to say [boron] and [sverige]. But no!
bor / [bu:r]
Sverige / [sverige]
By the way, how do you say “Can you speak Swedish?” Negra ideer? Any ideas?
Basically, you know all these words. Then maybe ”Kan du talar/pratar svenska?” In fact, this phrase will mean "You know how to speak ish in Swedish?
The correct option is ”Kan du tala/prata svenska?”
The catch here is this: Swedish has a verb form for the present tense (usually ending in –r), and there is an infinitive (for example, “deeds be ”, “chita be ”, “look be "). This form - the infinitive - usually ends in -a:
Present tense vs. Infinitive
prat ar prat a
tal ar tal a
komm er komm a
het er het a
ar var a
kan kunn a
forstå r forstå
Surely the last three lines have raised questions in you. You will find answers to them very soon, in.
In the meantime, I suggest you practice what you learned in this lesson, using the example of different countries, peoples and their languages.
First exercise
Look, the first word in the line is the country, the second is the people/nationality, and the third is their language.
Till exempl(for example):
Finland-finnar-finska(Finland - Finns - Finnish)
You need to say: Finnar b o r i Finland. De pr a tar/t a lar finska. (Finns live in Finland. They speak Finnish).
Nu kor vi! Go!
USA-amerik a ner-engelska
Spanien-spanj o rer—spanska
Frankrike-fransman-franska
England/St o rbritannien-engelsman-engelska
Ryssland - ryssar - ryska
Sveri g e - svenskar - svenska
Ki na- ki neser- ki nesiska
no rg e - norrmän - no rs ka
Danmark-danskar-danska
—————————————————————————
Second exercise
Write short texts about people you know.
Use the following template:
Jag har en pojkvän.
Hanheter Alexander.
Han är ryss/Han kommer från Ryssland.
Hanär 28 (år gammal).
Han pratar ryska och engelska.
Pojkvan means "boyfriend" (like "boyfriend").
The following words may be helpful to you:
en flickvan– girl (as “girlfriend”)
en kompis- friend, friend (also girlfriend)
en arbetskamrat- colleague
en brevvä n- pen pal
Vi h ö rs ! (Let's hear on!)
Swedish society is considered one of the most prosperous in the world. A high quality of life and a significant level of human development is achieved thanks to the complex political system that has been created over the past two centuries. Having gained invaluable experience of defeats in major international conflicts, the kingdom was forced to focus on developing its own economy and building an open, just society.
Sweden: capital, head of state, state language
The largest is Stockholm. From the moment of its foundation at the beginning of the XIII century, Stockholm immediately declared itself as a major economic center of Northern Europe. Today, the Swedish capital continues to position itself as the capital of all Scandinavia, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.
In Stockholm is the residence of the monarch, the country's parliament and the Academy of Sciences, whose members select candidates for the Nobel Prize. The Nobel Committee also meets in the capital.
Sweden, whose official language is Swedish, nevertheless recognizes the right to use its own languages in daily activities. The languages officially recognized by the Swedish government include Sami, Meänkieli, Finnish, Romani and Yiddish.
The northernmost region of Sweden, Norrbotten, is inhabited by Sami and Finns who speak Meänkieli and Finnish. It is in this region that the use of indigenous languages is allowed in official institutions such as kindergartens, nursing homes and schools.
The official language of Sweden is related to Danish and Norwegian. However, despite very similar grammatical systems and great similarities in vocabulary, comprehension is often difficult due to phonetic differences, especially with Danish.
English speaking Sweden
The capital of Sweden, whose official language is Swedish, is almost entirely English-speaking. This is due to the high level of teaching foreign languages in public schools, as well as the fact that many Swedish TV channels broadcast in English with Swedish subtitles. The same applies to foreign films shown in cinemas. Most distributors simply do not dub films, but accompany them with subtitles.
Such a scheme allows not only to save money on voice acting, but also provides an opportunity for constant practice in a foreign language.
Sweden: state language as a matter of pride
The Swedes are very pragmatic about their language and do not consider it necessary to control its natural development in a special way. Unlike France or Iceland, where special state institutions monitor how the language is used, in Sweden the Language Council does not formally control, although it is funded by the government.
This may be due to the fact that Swedish is the most widely spoken in northern Europe with over nine million speakers. However, already in neighboring Finland, the official Finnish Language Research Institute looks after the Swedish language, where Swedish is the second state language and is recognized by the vast majority of Finnish citizens as an integral part of the national culture. At the same time, it should be noted that in the Kingdom of Sweden the state language is not named in the Constitution and has no official status, but de facto all citizens speak it.
Monarch - a symbol of the state
The head of state and the national symbol is the monarch. The current Carl XVl Gustav of the Bernadotte dynasty ascended the throne in 1973. Meanwhile, the dynasty, to which the ruling monarch belongs, established itself in the country in 1818, and its founder was the Napoleonic Marshal Bernadotte, who was a faithful companion of Napoleon Bonaparte for many years in the most difficult military campaigns.
The Swedish monarchical tradition is considered one of the oldest in Europe. The first monarchs, the existence of which is reliably known, ruled in the Swedish lands as early as the Vll century.
The Kingdom of Sweden, whose state language is one of the official languages of the European Union, makes a great contribution not only to the European economy, but significantly enriches the culture of Europe. For example, the famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson wrote her popular books in Swedish.
Sweden is an amazing country that gave the world Carlson, the ABBA group and a computer mouse. It has strong unions and the longest life expectancy in Europe. Well, the Swedish language fully reflects the worldview of the Swedes themselves - it is democratic and very interesting to learn.
1. Swedish is a representative of the northern group of Germanic languages. It is the state in Sweden and the second state in Finland. Swedish has a lot in common with languages such as Norwegian and Icelandic. It is noteworthy that the Swede can easily read books and the press in Danish, but does not understand Danish speech at all.
2. Some words are spelled and sound the same in Swedish and Danish, but differ in their meanings. So, for example, the word "by" means "village" among the Swedes and "city" among the Danes.
3. Many young Swedes speak the so-called Swenglish, which is a kind of mixture of Swedish and. In fact, English in this country is used at the same level as the state language, although it does not have an official status.
4. The Swedes were not afraid of borrowing from other languages before. So, back in the 14th century, along with the Hanseatic Trade Union, a lot of words came to Sweden related to the areas of trade, construction, crafts and more. They continue to be actively used to this day.
5. There are a huge number of dialects of the Swedish language. In their formation, they managed to avoid the influence of traditional Swedish, and therefore they sometimes have almost unique grammatical and phonetic properties. And although linguists conditionally divide Swedish dialects into six main groups, in reality their number exceeds several hundred.
6. Historically, Swedes are not accustomed to addressing each other as “you”. Regardless of the status and age of the interlocutor, they use the pronoun "you" when referring to him. The only exceptions are members of the royal family, who are usually addressed by title or in the third person.
7. Until the 60s of the twentieth century, third-person address was also used in relation to other interlocutors of high status. But then this tradition was abolished, as it made communication very difficult.
8. There are no masculine and feminine genders in Swedish. But there is a general and average. The fact is that the forms of the male and female genders were so similar to each other that over time these two genders merged into one common one.
9. Swedish phonetics is very complex compared to Russian. Some Swedish vowels simply do not have analogues in Russian. The meaning of words among the Swedes often depends on the length or frequency with which individual sounds are pronounced.
10. There are practically no sounds "З" and "Ц" in the Swedish language. They are found only in borrowed words, and even then the Swedes pronounce them in their own way.
11. Swedes don't like adjectives and prefer to complicate nouns instead of using them. Thus, phrases such as “horsepower”, “chocolate drink”, “air pollution” and “design changes” are translated into this language with just one word.
12. Unofficially, the Swedish language is divided into two subspecies - simple and complex. Most people do not use such words as "objective", "execution", "review", "consistency" in their everyday speech and often do not even know their meaning. And therefore, in order to pass for an erudite person, it is enough just to add them to your vocabulary.
13. In the Swedish language, there are absolutely no such familiar concepts as wall bars, buffet and Swedish family. Moreover, modern Swedes have never even heard these expressions. They call the Swedish wall a frame with crossbars, a sandwich buffet, and what we call the Swedish family is so rare in Sweden that it doesn’t have any name at all.
14. The Swedish language has a unique letter - "å". It originated in the 16th century, when, during the development of the Swedish language, the long "a" began to be read as "o". To make everything as clear as possible, this phenomenon was reflected in the letter in the form of a small “o” placed above the letter “a”. Neighboring peoples, including Norwegians and Danes, did not accept the novelty and began to designate a long “a” as follows: “aa”. And although in the 20th century linguists still introduced the letter “å” into these languages, the old norm is still found in the names of some settlements. And one example of this is the Danish city of Aalborg. By the way, ignorance of Swedish phonetics was the reason that many Swedish names, surnames and geographical names came into the Russian language with an error. So, for example, the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström, whose name is pronounced Andes Jonas Ongström, unwittingly became Anders Jonas Ångström in Russia.
15. The @ symbol, which we call “dog”, is called “elephant” or “trunk” in Sweden.
To use one word for a dozen feelings, emotions and states is very Swedish. For example, the word bra, literally meaning "good / good", can also be translated as "excellent", "wonderful", "normal", "excellent", "not bad" and so on, depending on the context. Word trå kigt – a synonym for "bad", "boring", "tedious", "difficult", "hard" (the list goes on). The degree of expression of emotion is entirely up to the speaker. Heroes of film director Roy Andersson, repeating one after another: « Vad roligt att hö ra att ni har det bra!» (“How great / happy / nice that you are doing well!”), This is how the word roligt (“great / joyful / pleasant”) is used. They, perhaps, are not at all happy and not pleasant, but the saving, non-specific word does not sound false, and allows them to observe decency.
5. Moderately well-fed man in the prime of life
There are many words and expressions in Swedish that do not have verbatim equivalents in other languages. The main one is lagom- a real concentrate of Swedishness. Lagom(“in moderation, just right”) is the informal motto of most Swedes, expressed in the desire not to overdo it or abuse it. The Swede will use this word-mantra when answering how much sugar to put in tea, to what degree to fry the meat, what should be the temperature in the room. Lagom means that everything should be in moderation, in no case too much. The ending – om reminiscent of the times when there was a case system in Swedish and - further versions diverge - either everything had to be done "according to the rules / law" or "the whole team" ( lag: "law" and at the same time "command").
Whichever version is more accurate, judge for yourself: after all, Carlson does not suffer from malnutrition, but he can also be called a glutton bad manners: he is in moderation - lagom- a well-fed man in the prime of his life.
6. Cozy word
Another word that is difficult to find an exact analogue in other languages is mysign. Literally translated, it means "comfortable". However, the Swedes use this word and its cognate mys(originally: “comfort”) most often in the meanings of “nice”, “beautiful”, “cute”, “comfortable”. If a Swede asks what you did over the weekend, and you describe to him a picture of a family idyll by the fireplace or tell him about dinner at your favorite restaurant, the interlocutor will most likely say as a sign of approval: Vadmysign! (“How cozy/pleasant/cute/wonderful!”). Hence another untranslatable, purely Swedish concept - fredagsmys. Swedes love to lounge on the couch in front of the TV and crunch on chips, popcorn or caramels, especially on Fridays. (fredag). It is this ritual that is reflected in the word fredagsmys.
7. Swedish family - in Swedish
Many Swedes prefer civil marriage to official marriage (which does not at all imply licentiousness, with which the crafty “Swedish family” is mistakenly associated).
S ambo- in translation means "companion". This term is used when couples do not formally marry, but share living space and household expenses. According to statistics, Swedish couples prefer status sambo and down the aisle are not in a hurry. The word is comfortable and gender-neutral: suitable for a partner of any gender. Sarbo- the one or the one with whom the Swede (ka) is in a relationship, but lives separately. exotic mambo means an adult still living with the mother. And if the relationship is exhausted and it's time to leave - this, of course, is difficult, but in most cases, the divergent partners will take care of the children in turn; mother, no doubt, will be able to provide for herself economically, and then, most likely, she will enter into a new union. And children are not a hindrance to this at all. In the lexicon of children will then appear, for example, bonuspappa, bonusfarmor, bonussyskon("bonus" dad, grandmother, half-siblings). If mom's new guy is so-so, then behind his back they can call him and plastpappa("plastic dad"). But with the love that the Swedes surround children, relatives and adoptive, most likely, he will become pluspappa("plus-dad"). Another dad is great.
8. Dialects - do not count
On a global scale, Sweden is a small country, but it is enough to drive a hundred or two kilometers across it to notice that a gas station employee, a cafe saleswoman, and a policeman suddenly started talking differently. Within the country and in neighboring Finland (which was part of Sweden until the early 19th century), one can count a hundred dialects that differ strikingly from each other both in pronunciation and intonation. Standard Swedish, the so-called rikssvenska, is based on the dialects of the Stockholm region. But no one is forcing you to use it: on the Swedish TV evening news, the presenter can speak Stockholm, the reporter in Gotlandic, the meteorologist in Finnish Swedish, and the sports commentator in Skane. Understanding the inhabitants of the southern province of Skåne is a test for Swedes from the central and northern regions. Skåne borders on Denmark and, due to the common history, gravitates towards the Danish pronunciation. It is customary to joke good-naturedly over horses. The hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden first say: “Yes, we know what you are thinking right now – my God, those hosts from Skåne again!” At the national level, all major dialects are recognized as equal, and none is considered the only correct one. Long live diversity.
9. Inhale - Exhale
A feature of a conversation in northern Sweden: during a conversation, the Swede suddenly sharply and rather loudly draws in air through his mouth. An inarticulate sound hangs in the air. The conclusion that the interlocutor had an asthma attack is erroneous. Don't worry, he is with you. It is customary for laconic northern Swedes to express agreement in this way - without exchanging for extra words.
10. You, you, you
As in most other languages, Swedish has a form of addressing the interlocutor in you ( du) and you ( ni). At the same time, in practice, the Swedes turn to you ( du) to almost everyone, regardless of age and social status. This is a legacy of the language reform carried out by the socialists in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Appeal to you ( ni) will make the interlocutor alert: are they hinting to me that I am very old? fawn and want something from me? emphasize distance? or is this a joke? The appeal to you is not suitable only for members of the royal family. But they are also addressed not as you, but in the third person: “Does the king want to taste venison?”, “Can I take a picture with the queen?”. The king and queen react to the erroneous "you" without irritation: the subjects are regularly mistaken.
short information
Wealthy Swedes now travel all over the world. They reached Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand. Meanwhile, more and more tourists come to Sweden every year than before. Sweden has a long history, in which the Vikings and King Charles XII left a big mark. In this country, you can walk along the amazing medieval streets, take a sea cruise along the coastal waters, fish in Swedish rivers and lakes rich in fish, and, of course, go skiing at local upscale ski resorts.
Geography of Sweden
Sweden is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, in northern Europe. Sweden borders Finland in the northeast and Norway in the west. The south and east of the country is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. The Øresund, Skagerrak and Kattegat straits separate Sweden from neighboring Denmark. The total territory of Sweden, including the islands, is 229,964 square kilometers, and the total length of the border is 2,333 km.
About 65% of Sweden is covered by forests. In the north of Sweden, where there are a lot of low mountains, there are taiga forests. In the west of the country there are the Scandinavian mountains, which stretch across the entire peninsula for 1,700 kilometers. The highest peak in Sweden is Mount Kebnekaise (2111 m).
There are many rivers in Sweden, the longest of which are Kalix Elf, Tourne Elf, Ume Elf and Skellefte Elf. A significant part of the Swedish territory is occupied by lakes (Venern, Vättern, Elmaren, Mälaren).
Capital
The capital of Sweden is Stockholm, which is now home to more than 900 thousand people. In the early Middle Ages, there was a small fishing village on the site of modern Stockholm.
Official language
The official language in Sweden is Swedish, belonging to the Scandinavian group of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family.
Religion
Over 71% of Swedes are Lutherans (Protestants) belonging to the Church of Sweden. However, only about 2% of Swedes go to church every week.
State structure of Sweden
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy in which the head of state, according to the Constitution, is the King.
Executive power in Sweden is vested in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers. Legislative power belongs to the unicameral parliament - the Riksdag (349 deputies).
The main political Swedish parties are the Liberal People's Party, the Center Party, the Christian Democrats, the Swedish Democrats, and the Social Democrats.
Climate and weather
Sweden is located in the northern latitudes, but in this Scandinavian country the climate is temperate with three pronounced climatic zones:
Oceanic climate in the south;
- Humid continental climate in the central part of the country;
- Subarctic climate in the north.
The temperate Swedish climate is due to the influence of the warm Gulf Stream. In the southern and central regions of Sweden, the average air temperature ranges from +20C to +25C in summer and from -2C to +2C in winter.
The air temperature in the northern part of the country is colder. Already in September, in northern Sweden, the air temperature drops below 0C.
Average air temperature in Stockholm:
January - -3С
- February - -3С
- March - 0C
- April - +5C
- May - +11C
- June - +16C
- July - +18C
- August - +17C
- September - +112C
- October - +8C
- November - +3С
- December - -1C
Sea in Sweden
In the east, Sweden is washed by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia. The total coastline of Sweden is 3,218 km.
Average sea temperature in Stockholm:
January – +3C
- February - +2C
- March - +2C
- April - +3С
- May - +6C
- June - +11C
- July - +16C
- August - +17С
- September - +14C
- October - +10C
- November - +7С
- December - +5C
Rivers and lakes
There are a lot of rivers in Sweden, the longest of which are Kalix Elv (450 km), Skelleft Elv (410 km) and Tourne Elv (565 km) in the north, and Ume Elv (460 km) in the central part of the country.
A significant part of the Swedish territory is occupied by lakes (Venern, Vättern, Elmaren, Mälaren).
Many tourists come to Sweden to go fishing. Salmon, trout, salmon, pike, brown trout, perch and grayling are found in large numbers in Swedish rivers and lakes. But, of course, in Sweden they also fish in the coastal waters of the Baltic Sea.
Story
For the first time, the Swedes as a nation were mentioned in 98 AD. ancient Roman historian Tacitus. By the 7th century, Viking military squads were formed in Sweden, who set off to conquer new lands with the hope of getting rich. The expansion of the Swedish Vikings was directed to the territory of modern Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and further to Constantinople and Baghdad.
Historians still cannot say exactly when the Kingdom of Sweden was formed, and who became its first king.
Christianity appeared in Sweden in 829, but paganism had a strong position among the Swedes until the 12th century.
In the years 1100-1400, Sweden was characterized by an internal struggle for power with numerous wars. In 1335, the Swedish king Magnus Erikson abolished slavery in the country.
The "father" of the modern Swedish nation is considered to be King Gustav I of Sweden, who in the first half of the 16th century broke the Hanseatic League's monopoly on trade in the Baltic Sea. From this time begins the "golden age" of Sweden. It can be rightfully said that already in the 17th century Sweden became an influential European state.
In the era of its "golden age" Sweden conquers several German principalities and invades Poland, and then Russia and Ukraine. In the end, the Swedish Emperor Charles XII is defeated by the Russian troops of Peter I near Poltava. This marked the beginning of the end of the Swedish empire. According to the Peace of Nystad in 1721, Sweden gave up most of the conquered territories.
In 1809, Russia managed to conquer Finland, which was then considered eastern Sweden.
During the two world wars of the 20th century, Sweden remained neutral. In general, the last time Swedish soldiers participated in the war was in 1814. True, now Sweden is sending peacekeepers to the "hot spots" of the world.
In 1946, Sweden was admitted to the UN, and in 1995 this country joined the EU.
Culture of Sweden
Sweden in the Middle Ages dominated the Scandinavian Peninsula for a long time. This means that Swedish culture had a noticeable influence on the traditions and customs of neighboring countries. However, the Swedes also borrowed a lot from the cultures of Finland, Denmark and Norway.
For foreigners, Swedish traditions may seem mysterious and somewhat strange.
Many Swedish traditions are religious in nature (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost), while others are associated with the seasons (Walpurgis Night, Advent and Lucia).
Now Sweden also celebrates Waffle Day (“Waffle Day”) and Cinnamon Bun Day (“Cinnamon Bun Day”) every year.
Swedish Cuisine
The main products of Swedish cuisine are fish (especially herring), seafood, meat, potatoes, cheese. Mushrooms, game and berries play a large part in Swedish cuisine, but this is not surprising given that forests cover a large area in this country. The favorite traditional dish of the Swedes is meatballs, served with boiled potatoes and sauce. In the north of Sweden, the fish dish "urströmming" is popular.
The traditional alcoholic drink in Sweden (as in other Scandinavian countries) is Aquavit, which is usually 40% ABV.
Landmarks of Sweden
Over the centuries, Sweden has accumulated a large number of attractions. Therefore, we advise tourists to visit Sweden to see:
- Ales Stones
- Uppsala Cathedral
- Drottningholm Palace
- Fortress Karlsten
- Uppsala Castle
- Royal Palace in Stockholm
- Kingdom of Crystal
- Vasa Museum in Stockholm
- Hallands Kulturhistoriska Museum in Gothenburg
- Kalmar Castle
Cities and resorts
The largest Swedish cities are Gothenburg, Uppsala, Malmö, and, of course, Stockholm.
Sweden has many excellent ski resorts. The skiing season is from December to April.
The top ten Swedish ski resorts include, in our opinion, the following:
- Salen
- Vemdalen
- Branas
- Tarnaby-Hemavan
- Idre Fjall
- Funasdalsfjällen
- Tarnaby
- Abisko National Park
- Riksgransen
Souvenirs/Shopping
Tourists from Sweden usually bring reindeer skins, salted liquorice, cheese, handicrafts, ceramics, chocolate and sweets, silver and gold jewelry, linens, tablecloths, etc.
