Brit Reacts to Questions to NEVER ASK a SWEDISH person! 

if you want to annoy a Swede, sit next to them even if there are plenty of seats around, such as in a restaurant, bus or train.

As a swede, I plan to be unplanned

As a Swede my father got the question ”isn’t it hard in the winter not being able to be inside, going just from the warm house out fast in the cold directly to the warm car” my dad answerd ”yeah well isn’t it the same with you guys and the heat? From a cool house fast out in the heat directly to a cool car” and the guy was like ”wow man you are right Damn”

I'm a swede and regarding the line question, I sometimes let the person in line directly after me go first if I'm not in a hurry (especially if it's an elder person), it only affects me after all but I would never inconvenience the ones further back.

As a Swede I can tell you this. I love the cold as many people do here except when I am in the sauna "Bless Finland" but there is probably as many people preferring a warmer weather. About the floors, wood or stone with a siding linoleum. We have carpets but they are more what you would call rugs. Never seen a whole floor covered in carpet. About the sallary, I prefer to keep it to myself because I do not want anybody to know if I earn less than them or know if they earn more than me lol. Planning? Well yes of course. I have things that I may or may not want to do that needs to be done. But if I have an opening I am always ready for something spontaneous. Skipping the line would not lead to your immediate demise in most cases but certainly cause a lot of fists shaking in trouser pockets. Always take of your shoes when you enter any home, your own or somebody elses.

We don't have floor carpet. I think they disappeared during the 80s. Parquet (wood) is the most common one, at least in the living room.

there are always exceptions to everything but for the shoes: If you live in your own house you can create an area outside for shoes but if you live in a apartment you should have an area in the hallway for the shoes there are exceptions but generally you don't walk in the house with shoes

About not to ask on short notice, you can always ask, but you have to accept a no, if we have other plans. So it’s more up to the person who asks…

If you are interested in moving to Sweden there are some things you should know. Stockholm is extremely crowded so I would recommend a city called Norrtälje. Norrtälje is about one hour away from Stockholm and is right by the sea. I used to live there as a child and it was very beautiful. In the summer though people from Stockholm like to spend the summer there. It really depends on what you like but if you visit Sweden Norrtälje is a great city to visit too, with great history and loads of fun❤

My experience is , Swedes and Britts are rather alike. That's probably why most Swedes feel quite at home in Britan.

Gotta say, sounds like you would feel right at home in Sweden! As you said yourself, you seem to have a lot in common with us swedes. 👍🏻❤️

That "Sweden has a cold climate" hits extra hard rn. 😂 In my city (south western Sweden) we currently have 30°C, and air conditioning isn't really that common here at all in regular houses and apartments. I wish our climate would be even colder hahah.

As a swede I would say the money thing ABSOLUTELY true. The planning part not so much. That’s more if you’re gonna go and do something special like a road trip. Something more time consuming. Or people with kids and families. But I’ve never noticed people not being able to be asked in a moments notice to go and have a coffe and go for a walk for example. The skipping thing, absolutely you don’t ask. But if people see it’s an emergency for the bathroom or if someone stands behind you in the store with like two things and you’ve shopped enough for the month, people tend to offer you to go first. I know just as many people who absolutely love the cold as people who live outside soaking up every bit of the sun. As soon as it gets warmer. So that is not a weird thing to ask. Money, politics and religion FOR SURE TRUE! You don’t ask. Unless you’re close friends, you’re discussing something in the news or something. But you never ask what someone voted for unless they are really open about it. The mixing Sweden with Switzerland just makes me laugh. Butt the shoe thing oh yes, don’t ever do that. It’s rude and people will generally NOT be okay with it. And it’s seen as such a obvious thing that you take them off. Yeah the yelling part is absolutely true. It’s the same about every type of nuisance, like people who play their music on a speaker in public, unless it’s summer and in the park or at the beach pretty much. At least this is my experience. And I’m raised here. Lived here for 34 years.

I agree, you seem to have a lot in common with the Swedish mentality. The only thing I don't agree about, is the planning/spontaneous difference, I think Swedes are 50/50. It depends on person, or on circumstances

If you wanna ask about cold, you can just ask if they like the winter or the summer more. Most will answer they like summer the most but yh thats the question to ask there. Personally I’d say winter cus I think its prettier and its easier to regulate cold by putting on more clothes but for heatmyou can only take so much off

I constantly let people go before me in a line. I did it this morning! A guy behind me was going to buy ONE sandwich and a Monster drink. He was dressed like a construction worker so I knew he was heading to work. I was in no hurry at all and had a bunch of groceries in my cart. I told him to get in front of me. Of course! Also, about the lack of sponaniety, I think that is just different from person to person. I used to be spontaneous when I was younger. Now, not so much. 😂😂

When it comes to asking how much money someone earns, it really depends. If you’re just meeting someone on the street, then most cases it’s a no. But if it’s on the topic of what wages to expect, then it’s fine. It’s really about the situation. Now, these seem to be targeted at tourists, not people looking to work in Sweden, and in that case, yeah, don’t.

The queing is kinda fun here. A UK comedian in Sweden actually said it. Me personally, if I realized I missed something I just give up my position and Im aware I'll have to reque from the end. That's it. But some actually, as in food stores - where we have the small plastic carrying-thing of items.. sometimes people leave that in line all awkwardly and rush away for missed items. While people behind now have to wait behind a plastic item to move even if queue Infront moves.. haha. Just because we don't skip in line.

You do NOT walk in to a Swedes home with your shoes on. It's extremly rude. The main reason being that we mostly have hardwood floors often with underfloor heating. Since we have snow and ice outside for many months each year and they put down gravel to stop people from slipping on the ice you will get snow and gravel stuck under the soles of your shoes. The melting snow and gravel will destroy the hardwood floors in short time. We often have stone or klinker flooring just inside the front door that can withstand the wet puddles and racks for the shoes to be kept in.

If you walk into a home with your shoes on here in Denmark - you will be thrown out instantly and never be invited again. It is literally seen as equal to if you walked in and shi*ted on the floor. :D

I think we Swedes are very planned and organised but if we are free and it's someone we are close to we happily accept plans on short notice. It depends on the situation and who asks I would say. If it's a bigger event like going somewhere that takes time etc we prefer it to be planned ahead but if it's grabbing a coffee or a drink after work we more than often accept that

Shoes indoors I think it comes down to countries that are used to snow, slush, rain, the gravel or salt they spread to make snowy roads less risky, etc. Not to mention when am I supposed to take off my shoes? Much easier with an "always take them off" or at least a "use these plastic shoe-protection-slippers-thingys to help keep the floor clean.

Being a Swede, I'm often struck by the deep-rooted similarities between our Scandinavian culture and Britain's. The way we value democracy, rule of law, social welfare, and individual freedoms has always tied us together, making diplomatic interactions more like chats between friends than state discussions. The Brexit, while respecting Britain's democratic choice, was saddening to many Scandinavians. Not only symbolically, but practically too, as we lost a valuable ally in the European Union. The UK often echoed our perspectives in Brussels, assuring us we weren't alone in our standpoints. I firmly believe any Brit wouldn't feel out of place in Scandinavian society due to these shared values. It's fascinating how similar we truly are when you look at the foundations of our societies. Interested to know if others see this connection too!

Spontaneous, sure, but if it interupts with your plans, it's a no. No shoes inside, never! I see some Americans saying that it's the same there, but it's not. Nobody wears outdoor shoes inside a Swedish home, it doesn't happen. Some bring inside shoes, like if you want High Heels or whatever, but noone ever keeps their outdoor shoes on. I have never seen a Swede with their outdoor footwear inside a house or an apartment, except for in the hall where you take them off

Thing is. You don’t really have to ask how much anyone earns. It’s public information that you can request no questions asked. For example. Last year a colleague of mine ask the salary department for a list of everyone’s salaries for our office. Took a few hours then she had it.

I´m a swede, and can just say that the planning part is very individual. My wife is more spontaneous than me and she can change her plans in an instant with no problem, and I am the opposite, I really don´t like when plans changes with short. So in my experience I wouldnt say this is typhical Swedish thing, but I also wanna say that I don´t know how common this is in other countrys.

I never ever ask to skip the line at the store, however if I see the person behind me in line have like one or two items and I have a lot more than that I pretty much always let them go before me and/or if it's an elderly person (I'm a Swede btw)

Question 1. It is a very old tradition not to ask how much a person earns so ok I can agree there. (But at the same time it is very easy to go to the government (skatteverket) in Sweden and get the information anyway and yes it really is a double edged sword because if we did not have that information freely available we would have discovered much less corruption in the society). Question 2. Yes I know this kind of people, but I am way more spontaneous than the regular Swede and I have friends who are also very spontaneous. So a little bit of generalization. Question 3. Yes stay in line please, this is a ritual for swedes and we are very good at standing in line and await or turn. And if you break this rule people will stare at you with the same look as you had pissed on their living room rug. Trust me I did it by mistake once and the whole line stared at me with that look :D Question 4. That is kind of a bigger generalization, I would not care if someone from a another country asked me about the winter I would answer her kindly. Question 5. You can speak politics in Sweden but please do not do it at the dinner table. Religion yes we see it as a personal choice to join a religion and should stay that way. But yes England and Swedes are very much alike with some subtle differences. Question 6. To not take off the shoes when you go in is however more impolite than to ask a Swede how much they earn :)

Swedish person here. I really dislike not being asked in advance for plans, but I might go anyway depending on who’s asking and what the plan is. But my comfort zone is scheduling social outings a couple of weeks in advance lol.

Blocking the way on the left side of the escalator 😂

3:25 No I don't like to plan, I like to be spontaneous. Not all swedes are alike... :)

you don't say what you think and think as a Swede, you keep it to yourself. We are normally very withdrawn. We prefer not to talk to strangers, as someone wrote earlier.. we don't want to sit next to a stranger on the bus. We have opinions, but we keep them to ourselves! I've heard that I'm very non-Swedish as a person and I didn't understand what they meant.. It actually made me a little irritated before I understood 😂

Im born and raised in sweden and I know alot of people that like planning but i’m quite the opposit hahaha! The best memories in life usually comes from the spontaneous activites in the summer and ends up being just a banger of a day🤩

Ofc the wife decides if I can go with friends on a trip/pub/whatever🙂 I think it depends of if married/children and def holidays (christmas/easter/midsummer). For holidays its hard to change. In UK - do you like the rain 🙂 We can talk about it, but not how we vote. Only US mix Sweden and Switzerland 🙂 Shoes on or off? Off - like UK we have snow/rain/mud. And we don't have carpet on floor. Ceramic or hard wood floor (heated). And then maybe a carpet, but not as a 'floor'.

I don' think anyone ever asked me if I liked the cold. Plenty of people have asked if I *am* cold though, tone strongly suggesting I should be. All of them Swedes 😅 I suppose getting that question kind of answers the first question 😂 And I think asking spontaneously to do something is fine, as long as we get the option to say no. If you show up unannounced at our doorstep to hang out, we may let you in because we feel we have to but expect a decrease in actual invitations or to mysteriously find the house "empty" next time despite signs of the opposite, especially if you parked your car where it can be seen from the windows 😉

I am from sweden and i don't think of it but wen i see this video i relaise it is true. Bra video.

1. Correct 2. Correct 3. Correct 4. Some are more acclimated towards the cold as well as culturally when it comes to deal with it. 5. Politics is private usually. May be brought up but not debating it. The same with religion. 6. Correct. The same in Finland , though silence is almost sacred there.

Plastice carpets or wood floors in sweden. In Spain there is marble or stone floor. IN the winter you put out big carpets everywhere.

I used to work in nightclubs and if there was someone who couldn't hold it... They sat in the washstand instead of standing in line.

haha as a swede, I've actually made people tell me how much they earn bc swedes DO WANT TO TELL if they earn a lot bc they are proud they go that far. They just wouldn't like it if they come off as bragging about their wealth :) it's not that people feel the person asking is rude, it's abou worrying about themselves comming off as rude when answering the question.

"It's obvious that here is cold." *Cries in 30 degrees celsius.*

these are all true to some extent, but i'd say it kinda depends when and where and who. for example if you're talking about jobs i think it's quite common to bring up how much you make and compare a little, but maybe you don't do that in nicer circles or something, but i mean for someone who is doing a job they don't mind quitting for something else knowing different wages at different places and for different jobs is good information financially.

You can ask a swed about money if you are talking about work for example: - What do you do ? - I work as a mechanic - I see, how's the pay ? - It's good. And then you don't ask more about it.

It's not rude to ask things on short notice, but you have a better chance of getting a yes if you ask in advance. We have hard floors in sweden, normally wood, linoleum, etc. Some installed carpet in the 60s or 70s, but they were thrown out in the 80s when we learned how unhygienic they are. We often have rugs instead, which are easier to wash or replace. Swedes and Englishmen are quite similar, there is no big culture clash between us as a people. You are more polite than us, but can also be more brutal in your jokes.

I am game for everything... As long as you ask me a week in advance

I am swede, but I don't planning what to do... Maybe she met persons who are like that all swedish people is not like that.

The thing with lining.. if you ar Last in line and you want to let him/her before you.. but you can't answer for them other in line.

if you don't take your shoes off in Sweden during winter you'll have a muddy mess all over your floor 😅

The Scheduling thing is, as I saw someone else mentioned, probably down to a busy life. If I'm at University and I have planned to finish a report with my study-buddies then we have all taken time to be there to do the work. If I then decide to bail on them to instead go party with some friends because their plan sounded more interesting then that would be very disrespectful of their time. As with everything, it comes down to giving advance notice. If I can say a week before we planned to sit down with the report that my grandparents will come to visit and I ask if we can reschedule then that would be one thing, but to earlier the same day say that "Naah I got other things to do" would not be nice. If my main plan for the evening was to do the dishes then I could probably delay that another night to go have some coffee or a movienight with some friends, but if I have planned hings with others? Naah. This goes along with how being on time is very important. If I know there is a risk that I'm delayed I will at least give a warning when deciding on a time. I know people who say "Let's meet at the pub at 19:00!" and when it's 19:10 they have not even started to get dressed, much less left the house.. But with booking things in advance it also means things get booked further and further in advance. If I'm busy tonight and tomorrow, maybe we can book something on thursday. Then someone else wants to plan something so that will happen the day after, etc. Meaning many Swedes can be booked 3-4 weeks in advance..

It's not that we do not like to be spontaneous, we mostly have whole week strictly planned but when it come to weekends, for those who like to relax after a week of hard work with blinders, the posssible spontaneous happening in the weekend with friends could be exactly what you need after a week! 👍

Hi, I’m from Sweden and living here. We had to take of our shoos in school as well, if you didn’t their would be a meeting with a teacher. We had such a clean school that we played cards on the floor, we could role around and still are clothes would be like new washed✌🏼 so when i learned that people do that i thought like what is going on 🤯🤯🤯 😅😅 think what a different life and like .. so boring to be indoors, just hard to think about how much they have to clean 😅

I never in my life been asked if I like the cold. (For the record, I don't - but I do appreciate four very distinct seasons! The cold makes us appreciate the summer months even more).

No here we plan everything a planes trip can do but nothing else.

Never ask a Swede where their "svampställe" (their hidden place in the forest where they find chanterelles every year) is located. LOL!

3 things you never ask a Swedish citizen. 1. Money (as she say). 2. What we voted on (politic, as she say)…. 3. NEVER EVER, ask a Swedish citizen where there “svampställe” (mushroom picking place) are.

Dunno about asking about the cold. Discussing the weather and what kind of temperature we prefer is a common discussion that happens now and then. That includes preferring winter over summer, so I don't know what she could possibly mean by that one.

As a (introverted) Swede, if I'm overall available and suddenly get an unexpected invitation to hang out by a friend, I would say it is 50/50 if I accept or not.. Usually I need like 10-20 minutes to get used to the idea before giving my answer, otherwise it is a rejection by default. I have no real issue discussing my wage though - I wonder if that has anything to do with the unions and their heavy regulations of wages.. I feel that I may get angry over wages if it had such a limitation on it.

Most sweden ppl dont get offended but we dont like to share personal stuff!

I have never seen a Swedish home with like a carpet like built in, of course we put carpets on our floors but we'd want to be able to clean them properly.

Btw Sweden is not cold beside in the winter. I did live before in the Luleå in the north of Sweden and we did have 36Cel on summer

Whilst it is not really considered appropriate to discuss salaries/income, and to be fair income tells you little about how much a person has, income and tax records a public information, so for a small fee, you can get anyone’s income info. There is even a book published that lists peoples income, you can order it for different areas, at around £30 per area. It contains salary and investment income separately.

As a Swede; some of the seriousness in this is a bit greater in Stockholm. We might allow people to pass us in the que, but it's only if they're already in the que behind us so it's only inconvenient for me, not anyone else. Salary is something you should discuss with your peers. You should know how much others in your position get paid. We negotiate every year for a raise and knowing what everyone else get is a tool in those negotiations. Some people are far too impulsive for the stress of the capital and they don't plan too far ahead so the schedule thing is more individual and should be adapted for each person. Just like Lagom is adapted differently for each person.

For spontaneous things, depends who is asking and what they're asking to do; A family member wanna go shopping, meet up, take a stroll and just hang out? Sure, i'll get ready in 10 if im not already busy. For friends, as long as I know like a couple hours ahead of time then generally I'm down, typically friend activities are more socially demanding and requires some "mental preparation" if that makes sense (I get socially drained easy even if I want to do something). If they're less than a friend, or if it's like big plans for parties, events and such, then yeah at least a week in advance would be nice. I had an ex that constantly changed details about plans made well in advance, always times changing and things like that the day before or hours before, every single time, that was super annoying and a big reason as to why this person is now an ex.

Asking a person if they are free in few hours is ok, but they would say no if they got plans, if they can change the plan they would say yes. Its not a biggy in that way. Doesnt harm to ask. if the person behind me asking if they can go before me and I say ok its ok because they just skip me, but cut in line and skip multiply people is not ok.

My take as a Swede about talking religion/politics: Asking about religion or party politics straight out is an invasion of privacy (party or church) and if you are not close enough to ask about the person's sex life (in at least some detail) you shouldn’t ask about that. More general but still controversial religious/political issues should be avoided during meals and if you do not want to risk that friendship, but is otherwise OK. Non controversial general religious/political issues are OK, but if you are not sure that it is not controversial avoid it during meals.

Best reply to an unkown person asking about your salary is to just say, Do you have a fishing license ?

Yes she sounds accurate. There is one just one exception for going in with shoes, and it's to get something and then go out again, and barely that. In Sweden often I have seen tree flooring or concrete but that's for basements, tiles for basements or toilet, buildings big buildings specifically may have other, but often I have seen tree flooring so, or we have like a material that's like hard but it's soft idk the name, and I just rarely see it, and it's not carpet you buy carpets and put on, if I see flooring that's carpet, just no, No I will definitely not like it. And I think yt just connected to what you watch what you comment on and maybe where you are, idk about the last one thought

Swede here. I think for the 'money, politics and religion'-thing, any of these are fine if you're genuinely curious and maybe you got around to that topic during the conversation. However, be prepared to share you own aswer as well, as these are still sensitive, or should I say, private pieces of information, so if they share their answer you should say it too. It's the polite thing to do. The thing is, I'm 22 and have voted only twice, but I remember when I voted for the first time my mom told me that I shouldn't tell anyone what I was voting for, because that was private. Funny enough, my mom is also the one that criticizes the politicians the most of everyone I know. I'm not very politically engaged, but I think swedes are just choosing the lesser of multiple evils when they vote. We have a lot of things we criticize the politicians for and at least I feel that few back a specific political party, at least not just for the sake of it. It might have something to do with the immigration politics in recent years or it might have something to do with how we swedes tend to take a neutral stance😅 But that's just my thoughts on the matter.

About salary yes usually not a topic people are comfortable with, but: whats the easiest way to keep wages down? Make sure the workers dont know how much thwir peers earn! We really should change that.

Yes, she is absolutely right on all points. We are a very private people overall. But it also depends on which generation you belong to. We can act as if we are slow, but we are not, just careful about how and with whom we are going to spend our energy and time with. Thats all, and we hate conflicts.. Hah.. ;-)

As a Swede, I would rather be asked for my sallary. Its actually not that much of a taboo, atleast if you know the person pretty well. I kinda think we should be more open with how much we earn, atleast between work mates... as when we dont talk about it, it give the employer a lot of power to give people lower wages than they should have. Yea, personally I dont like having people spring things on me from nowhere with no notice...But I have experienced people doing that a lot anyway. I can be spontaneous if I want, but I still want some time to consider it. I dont mind if people would want to get into my schedual, I just would want to make sure nothing else is scheduled so I actually have the time and energy. It would be easier to be spontaneous if the person that asks is a family member or close friend, but it would also depend on what they ask for... if we can have lunch at a close by place? Sure. If they ask me to go to other side of the city to rob a bank? NAH. Asking to cut in line? Thats fine, if you have less products to pay for than the person in front, have a good reason and are polite about it. Its the cutting ahead in line without asking and being polite that make people furious. Most people are understanding, and some will actually offer to let you go in front if they notice that you have like only one or two products. Swedes are very much about politeness, and many do recognize that its the polite and nice thing to let a person go ahead when they have only one thing to pay for while you may have a whole cart, which will take longer to pay for. As for toilett lines, yea you are more likely to get a no for that one. But that particular woman that was spoken about...yea thats a Karen. Most swedes will not speak out about any grievances. We will get very mad and angry but wont say anything because we are very afraid of confrontations. However in this case, the girl didnt do anything wrong...even if we get irritated, it was her choice to let the dude ahead. Well unless he wasnt in the line to start with... then its worse. Still...most wouldnt say anything. About the cold...well that would depend on the time of the year... during the summer, it can be fine....but during the winter... well you will get people pretty riled up. Not in anger toward you but just in general...Not a lot of people like the cold, and our feelings to winter is pretty conflicting. We can love the season but hate the cold and the issues that the snow bring. Yea. Politiks and religion is a big nono, specially if you dont want to create friction. Its not that we cant talk about it but everyone has different opinions on it so they can clash and we do not like fighting and arguing. Yes, people tend to get Sweden and Switzerland mixed up. They also sometimes think we have penguins and polarbears. I want to throw geography books on those people. No shoes in the house! Off with the shoes! Yea, people will stare at you if you yell in public, but noone would poke you to lower your voice.

I been asked "how do you stand the cool"? I dont mind

It always seemed so gross to me when people have shoes inside, I would not let you in to my house with shoes on!

Question 1 = I might tell and I would not get offended Question 2 = don’t mind to have a schedule but I don’t get annoyed if somebody change it Question 3 = if people don’t have a lot in their chart or if someone is almost peeing their pants, sure I let them go before me Question 4 = I have friends all over and they ask me all the time about the cold. Doesn’t bother me one bit. By the way, I don’t like the cold Question 5 = I don’t get annoyed if people ask me who I vote for, I just don’t answer. Question 6 = That’s very true, people don’t seem to know Sweden & Switzerland is two different country’s Question 7 = Yes, most take their shoes off when they get in the door. In my house not so much Yes I’m Swedish born and breed

About PLANS - To do something: In Sweden either ask like a MONTH in advance or at the very last moment - that same day, very casual. Because then it's OK to turn it down or maybe show up. Don't ask 2-3 days before. That''s annoying. SHOES: Intellectuals, artists and upper class keep their shoes on at friends place, parties etc. You can be poor but still regarded as upper class. Anyway 99 % of swedes take of their shoes at the door. I rather have people with shoes in my home than their sweaty socks...

WE TALK ABOUT POLETICS AT THE DINNER TABLE WE JUST DONT TALK POLITICS WHIT NONE RELATIVES IF IT IS NOT YOUR BESTIE OR LIKE PARTNER

When I was a child my dad would not tell me how much he makes he would just say “ It’s a lot “

Money is sensitive in general, even though it is public information, the issue is the comparison. Old generations fought hard for equality to be universal and that includes wealth, noone is better than the other and bragging is frowned upon. You know you did good, the people directly involved know and that should be it. So it can be ok to discuss salaries in certain situations (discussing career/school choices etc) but in general you dont want to come of as bragging OR trigger it for someone else. So asking about salary can be a covert way to legitimize your own bragging. You can earn double you are not superior to me, and I dont want you to feel inferior.

Nah you can ask someone to hang out out of the blue without planning it but don't be surprised by a no. It's not as if it's offensive or annoying, sometimes if I got nothing else to do I'll just be happy if my friend does that.

About getting Sweden and Switzerland mixed up, yes that is common. One of the main US Stock Exchanges (can't remember if it was NYSD or NASDAQ) flew the Swizz flag to welcome the introduction of a Swedish company. So you can guess how common it is when their are less money involved, it is less common in Europe but in the rest of the World from US to China it is an issue.

We have snow and a lot of rain i winter and autumn..so dont walk in whid your shoes

I think people here can be spontanious, until they get children. After that it's much more "surviving the everyday struggle". Need to hurry to daycare to pick up the kids right after work, need to get home to make dinner and do the evening routine, etc. Much more stressful to be spontanious then. Then the kids have different activities at the weekends and people just want some time to rest too, etc.

Well I have to point out, All respect for being nice, that's rare now a days, please keep being nice but you must think of the situatiion, where to be such nice or not because it is ok in all situations.

That strange. When it comes to skip a que I don't think that's right. There are reason to skip but you have to ask first. Skip all the time lol

the think with plan, to say something in time, its like... it depens, there are some different point o view of it. We are spont. but depends what it is... and its "time" for it.. but if there is somthing, it may be good to plan. And other is like if you need to do something tell the boss in time, planning and struction..

Well, as Swedish person, i can tell you this, Swedish people are so reserved in socialising , Swedish people like to keep a special distance. " Stay on your side, me on mine , that`s it." Swedish people are used to be alone , not geting botherd, dont even look straight in there eyes. Don`t even ask about there age...so rude, and best to avoyd argument or problems. Most Swedish people always arguing about the weather..never happy with it, so best to avoyd asking. Most of all, never call and ask to go out un planed... Swedish people like to plan ahead all there life.

You should never ask a Swedish person where they find there mushrooms

The line, at least in a grocery store, if a person behind you have like 2 things it's common to let them go first. The shoes, yes, definatly take them off at the door. We have a shoerack at our door to put our shoes lol. Politics and religion is an iffy subject, me you can ask but I don't want to go into it. Same with the money, I don't mind saying what I earn I just don't want to go deeper into the subject. I think it's more common to ask what one does for a living and then you can basically google yourself what that profession earns. Yes, please give me 2-3 buisness days to see if I can meet up in 2 weeks lol I've never been asked about the cold, but had neighbours from the north of Sweden that had never been so cold before as they were until they moved to the south of Sweden. Also when waiting for the bus etc, please stay an armlength away or you will annoy the Swede.

@08:30 I don't agree with her view that she's being 'too kind' because what the lady behind her said was correct. If she was too kind, then she was being too harsh on the lady behind her. When you start going into this, it starts to become a 'who needs it most' question. If she said no, then it's just about first come, first serve.

Yeah all of this is pretty true. Obviously if it's like your best friend or immediate family, you might be a bit more open but you should never ask. That sort of information is volunteered. The only time it's acceptable to talk about wages is with your coworkers, I'd say it's even endorsed in some ways. You should be informed so you can negotiate for a fair wage, and knowing what other people in your position make is a part of that. On the other hand talking openly to other people about what you make could be seen as bragging, the deadliest social sin in Swedish culture. It's okay to know you're good at something and to simply acknowledge that you are good at something but you're walking a fine line. I think it's unclear where that line goes even for some Swedish people, including me. I sometimes let other people ahead of me in line but only the person right behind me and it's always my choice. If someone asks I will probably let them go ahead if they have few items and I have time but I'm not going to like it. If you come into my home with your shoes on I'd probably never ask again, unless it's not a social visit like a handyman or something. It actually boggles my mind that people wouldn't take their nasty outdoor shoes off when they come inside. A red flag for sure. I might even say something, maybe even out loud and not just in my head like a good passive aggressive Swede should. :P We just really respect other peoples privacy and right to choose, and we don't like conflict very much. We're a bit socially awkward (in comparison to some other cultures) and reserved, but once you're friends with a Swede, you have a friend for life. We really like structure and order and queues and treating everyone equally. We don't like bragging or thinking you're worth more than someone else. We also know that it's important to have balance in life, time for work, time for family and friends, time for yourself and so on. There's a reason we came up with a word, lagom, that's just the right amount of something, not too much, not too little, that can be applied to everything and anything. Of course, there are always exceptions to these very general rules, but I think that sums up Swedish culture, as I see it.

When I was young I worked for as a telephone servy company We had to ask type 50 questions and the last question was allways in what they made in a year (like 0-50 000, 50 000 - 100 000 and so on) In 80% refused they woudn’t answer, and I would not get paid unless the servey was complete😅 That sucked.😂

We can be spontaneous to but you need to listen for an opening someone saying they thinking of doing something or they are free then you can ask if we should do what ever in shot notice. And then you need to respect the answer. Because if you get a no there is probably a plan already possibly time for are self.

Ofc we like to stuff that was not plant or so, like a friend call me and Ask if i want to go out to a club or something like that.

WHAT! I’m a very spontaneous person, i don’t agree that we love to always plan things ahead 🤷🏼‍♀️ i’d happily drop plans to do something spontaneous

If you want to piss of your people around you, you don’t trim your lawn in your house, that makes people angry.

The wage question is super exaggerated in my opinion (and I believe Sweden has the highest wage transparency in the world since our wages are public information...). You still need to be a bit mindful when you ask such a question, but I feel like most people will give you an answer.

I travel a lot in business around Asia and run into people who force their way in front of the queue.i don’t wont to name nations but there are those that do it. I got into trouble a couple of times especially at immigration

If you tell your income first it's not that big of a deal. Thats my personal experience. And you should not be afraid talking income, it strengthens the workers against the employer.

There's a lot of things Swedes don't like to talk about but we LOVE talking about sex. It's fun!

Hell yes, I want to schedule stuff at least a few days in advance. If my friend asks me to hang out, which means go shopping, I want to have at least one or two days to prepare, I WILL NOT do it the same day. First of all, coz we live an hour and thirty minutes apart, but even if a relative calls and I am 10 minutes away, I still dont want to drop my movie or whatever I am watching and just go that same day. It is rude. I take that as they expect me to be grateful for them to ask me to go do something, which I am not. If that makes me a typical swede, so be it. xD I'd be happy if they gave me one day or two in advance, just to get my head around that I am supposed to do soemthing other than the norm. And actually, i, as a swede, tend to ask foreigners, or people from abroad working here, what THEY think of the cold here. I have never been asked it, I think. About politics, I think that we do talk about it A LOT actually. We are just not allowed to ask what someone is voting for, but talking is fine. It is generally quite easy to tell who votes for what party, though, depending on what they say, but I guess I could be wrong. Feels like I've been guessign accurately, though. And religion, I think sweden still tops the world in being hte least religious country with the higher % of peopel claiming to be atheists or believing but not in the bible specifically. It is definitely cause for friction. I Love religion. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely not religious. Atheist for sure. But I find it interesting. All kinds of religions. So I ask as many people that I can that have different religions about their views on certain things all the time, coz how else will I learn? Trust the news? NOPE.