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Friday, April 17 | 2026
If you are a total beginner to the Swedish language, learning some keywords can help you in daily situations – even if you don’t interact much with Swedes. Learn 5 basic Swedish words:
1. Hej and hej då
The sound is similar to the English “Hey, dude!”, but rather than a slang, “hej” means simply “hi”. And don’t be surprised if you hear it doubled. “Hej, hej!” is the usual greeting around here. As you might imagine, “hej då” means “good bye”.
2. Ursäkta
When you are in a hurry, it is always helpful to have this one in mind. “Ursäkta” means “excuse me”. It can also be used for situations when you want to call attention politely, like: “Ursäkta, var är toaletten?” (Excuse me, where is the restroom?)
3. Förlåt
Sometimes accidents like bumping into someone can happen, right?! In such cases, if you don’t know how to say “I am sorry” people might think that you are rude when in fact you just don’t know the words. So, remember, the Swedish word for apologizing is “förlåt”.
4. Tack/Snälla
“Tack” is the Swedish word for both “thank you” and “please”, while “snälla” stands for “please or kind”. But when used together, like in “Tack, snälla!” they mean “thank you very much or thank you kindly”, which can also be expressed as “Tack så mycket”. Confusing, right? But easier than winning an Oscar 🙂
5. Varsågod
This one is less complicated. If someone thanks you for something, you can simply say “varsågod”, which means “you are welcome”. (I didn’t want to mention it, but there is a tricky part: “var så god” is also used for “tack”).
Congratulations! Now you are ready to go to the next level. By the way, our blogger Lydia shared awesome tips on how she learned Swedish in one year. Check it out!
E-learning course: Your Swedish learning options
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed about The Swedish stuff? Where can you learn? How does it work? Can you join the different options if you don’t have a Swedish personal number? We’ve got you covered. Over the years we’ve been repeatedly told just confusing this process can be so we created a digital course with all the information you need to make a good decision. Here you will learn about:- The different study options to learn Swedish in Sweden.
- The differences between study alternatives.
- How much Swedish (and other things) you need for other educational paths in Sweden as well as to work in Swedish.
2 responses to “Learn 5 basic Swedish words”
Ursäkta can also be used as I’m sorry I didn’t hear what you said.
But don’t say ursäkta when bumping into somebody, it may sound as ‘well, excuse me.. but you are standing in my way’. Happened to me and the person was a) staring at me thinking I’m rude b) started apologising
People think that Swedish is not so formal, but there are certain expressions for different occasions and it may sound weird when not used properly.