In Swedish 2 For Travel we added “Where is …?” questions – if you’re looking for the bathroom, a pharmacy, a bus stop, or the subway or railway station, a bank or an ATM.
Asking such questions in Swedish – especially if you’ve practiced your pronunciation a bit – may let your conversation partner assume that you understand Swedish quite well.
The result will be an answer and a stream of words that’ll fly right by you.
So, asking the person to speak more slowly could be your first reply in such a case: “Kan du tala långsammare, snälla!”
And it would be good to also know some basic directional words and phrases in Swedish – left, right, straight ahead – as the typical answers may well include them.
The Next 13 Swedish Phrases
Why These phrases?
In Essential Swedish 1 and 2, we listed greetings and typical “where is…?” questions. Even if you’ve never studied Swedish before, it’ll be useful to learn and practice saying them.
In Essential Swedish 3, there are only two sentences you may want to practice saying: “Could you please speak more slowly?” and “Many thanks for your help.”
The other 11 phrases and sentences will be useful to simply understand, as they may be answers to your “where is…?” questions.
You still may want to record yourself saying them, and playing the Quizlet games. That way you can confirm what you thought you understood. You’ll also remember them better that way.
And, you’ll become familiar with Swedish words such as “gatan” (street), “torget” (square), “bron” (bridge), “kaféet” (coffee shop), etc.
Food, Drinks, Restaurants
Finding a recommended restaurant, café, or bar has been made much easier with GPS-equipped smart phones and mobile devices.
And finding a good place to eat in Sweden has to be part of your travel adventure.
Once you’ve arrived at the restaurant, you may have to ask for a table and the menu, then tell the waiter what you’d like, and later ask for and pay the check.
Yes, most Swedes will know English better than you’ll ever speak Swedish. But just knowing a few key phrases in Swedish may still be helpful in the countryside or in a crowded restaurant.
You’ll find those among the next 14 Phrases in Essential Swedish 4. (Check back in a few weeks.)
If you’re used to giving a 15-20% tip, generally expected in US restaurants, you’ll be pleasantly surprised: In Sweden, as in nearly all West-European countries, tips are included in your check.
But for good service 5-10% tips are always welcome.