Learning Swedish - How I Went About It 

A Swedish Canadian this man must be the nicest person in the world.

This guy speaks so many languages lol.

Thanks for posting this video, your passion is contagious. :)

Yes I relearned it, as the video here explains.

Hej! Coolt att du kunde lära dig svenska igen!

im learning swedish to watch Ingmar Bergman movies with no subtitles

@fvo911 Well I was born there, but my parents were from Czechoslovakia and moved there in 1939 and then we moved on to Canada in 1951. I do love going to Sweden though and feel a sense of attachment to the country where I was born, a country which accepted my parents at a very difficult time for them.

My parents were not Swedish, they were Czech.

@roedgroedudenfloede Yes, that was my first reaction and we should really rely on our instincts, but then I though why would the title be from the Ice Age to the future. Thanks.

Good for you Steve. So nice that people outside Sweden wants to learn our tiny language. A fun thing - you actually kinda speak like Herman when you speak Swedish.

I thought you looked rather Scandinavian, because you remind me of my partner's Grandfather, who is actually Norwegian. I am glad to see that you speak Swedish, more people should learn Scandinavian languages in my opinion.

It has been 40 years or so. I listened to the Izu Dancers by Kawabata Yasunari, and a history of the Showa Era from NHK. There is a much wider selection available today.

I plan on learning Swedish for when I hopefully attend university there :). No doubt you have helped a lot just my getting my love for History involved to! Learning languages is difficult for me so this could be just what I need to give me that helping push xD

You'd love Hermans Historia. I've never watched it but it is a Swedish-language history series.

@koolibrii Just for the sake of all, I will answer in English. I think this is a personal choice. My uncle in Sweden spoke Swedish with his son, and a mixture of Swedish and German with his wife who was from Germany, but over the years, more and more Swedish. When we immigrate we basically abandon our original identity and take on a new one, or at least that is how I see it.

So you 're swedish!! Cool

@barkatthemoon6 Yes, that was my first reaction and we should really rely on our instincts, but then I though why would the title be from the Ice Age to the future. Thanks.

Loved this Steve! Currently trying to learn Swedish from the ground up, and this has provided me with some good goals and motivation. Thanks!

First of all, I love your videos, sir! I understand your swedish very well, but how well do you understand norwegian? Would you even bother learning it, or do you consider your swedish sufficient to communicate "in norwegian". I personally wouldn't have any problem understanding you, but how do you feel about norwegian yourself? Maybe a video about this?

fram = forward tid = time framtid = future Be mindful of those spaces they make all the difference. A large amount of swedish language words consists of two parent words combined into one. Most of the time this makes sense to a swede. Fun fact is you can make your own combinations and jokes come out the other bend. Great video!

Canadian, just Canadian. My wife is half-Costa Rican and half-Chinese, and all of us, including sons and grandchildren are just Canadian.

It depends on how you think of yourself. With each generation people are more mixd in their ancestry. More and more people just identify as Canadian.

@tias90 I don't even think about it. I have no idea if I use it correctly and nobody has ever commented on it.

@Superworldblock In declining order of proficiency I would say English, Cantonese, Japanese, Mandarin, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The latter three are not really all that fluent but she kind of knows what people are saying and can contribute. In the first four she is strong.

@qzchris Don't scare yourself and do a lot of listening and noticing.

@LearningFrenchNow Of course, we speak often in both English and Swedish and when I am there with his kids around the table it is all in Swedish.

@BLOCKEDbyPOM Yes I do, good sleuthing. My parents were lucky to get out.

@Sugaku496 I would begin by visiting LingQ where both languages are offered, and links to other resources can be found.

I understand the term but I have no experience with this phenomenon and therefore can't do a video on it.

I enjoyed your stories about your experiences in Sweden, a great land full of magnificent people.

I doubt if the term refers to people who lose a language at age 5.

Just a lot of listening, and then try to get it. It takes a lot of exposure.

I actually thought you were Swedish when I first heard you speak English. You kind of has this "famous" Swedish-English accent.

I'm Swedish and trying to learn German as my third language. I just found your channel and you're a real inspiration! Languages haven't really been an interest of mine until recently, but it's so facinating, I just want to learn more and more! It's interesting to watch these videos and get to know how you've managed to learn all these languages. Good luck with your Swedish, you're doing well!

Very interesting. I'm Swedish and I love when there are interactions between Sweden and other countries/people of any kind.

I know nothing about this phenomenon.

@Neuroneos I will add it to the list.

Varför inte försöka LingQ?

ja.

Yes

You should go about learning Norwegian

Steve - big fan of your videos, they provide great motivation. I'm kind of more interested in why you would learn Swedish (or any of the less 'useful' languages? (please excuse the implied lazy tone of that question...I'm genuinely curious). I know you have numerous languages under your belt at this stage. Will enough ever be enough? Or do you just get more curious of the next language, the more you learn? (I could ask you a thousand questions, but I will leave it there for now!!)

Is it just me, or does this guy looks like an old version of patrick stump?

I am fucked.... I like philosophy.

1) tack sä myckett! 2) you remind me of the man from Up ;)

Very interesting! Bra jobbat, herr Kaufmann! Your situation about the Swedish language is quite similar to mine regarding Russian. I'm half Swedish, from my father''s side, and half Russia, from my mother's side, and I was born here in Sweden, so, naturally, I speak Swedish very good. I spoke good Russian in the beginning, too, but sometime in my early childhood, I lost the language and my mother started talking to me in Swedish. Sadly enough, that was what happened. However, at the age of 12 or 13, after I had started learning German and got into language learning and linguistics for real, I started learning Russian via the Internet and I and mum gradually switched from Swedish to Russian. Two years later - here I am! I got a C in Russian last year (we have a subject called hemspråk here) and now I'm going to Russian classes with some kids at my age who were born in other Russian speaking countries (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine etc.) and am compared side by side with real native speakers of Russian. Isn't that just splendid? :D I started picking up my ancestral language by choice at a relatively young age, but not everyone has that opportunity. Your story shows that it's never to late to learn a new language. Thank you very much for sharing, mr. Kaufmann! Tack så jättemycket!

the last thing he sed "with every language you learn it brings so much with it, so many things you can enjoy" the only thing i can think about japanese and speaking it fluently OMG that is my biggest wish and dream!!!

I quote the languages that you know, relatively well: " English, Swedish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French, Czech, German, Italian, Chinese ". Correct me if I am wrong on one or more of these languages, but that would make you a hyper-polyglot or Undecilinguist, if I am right about the definition of Hyperpolyglot - knows 11 languages decently fluently. I also studied Avarsky/аварский язык, but can't find any courses in English in this Language, only in Russian, and I am not really fluent in Russian enough in order to study Avarsky/аварский язык Grammar in Russian. I am very intrigued by Avarsky, but I think it is because I had a past life in S.W. Dagestan probably before my life in Russia. I do like Avarsky songs. Link for Avarsky Songs: ru-vid.com/group/PLfqEoBNvFTlP9H7i2g1OAwnvIWOKNpLBk I am very slow with learning languages, and the fact that I desire to learn so many means that I can't learn one language very well.

Hahahaha, jag visste inte att du var Svensk, jag är nämligen också Svensk!

0:55 same but from kazakhstan to germany :D (i also was 5 when i moved) i am 19 now and still speak russian though

framtid = future You've got nice pronunciations for an English speaker by the way.

Very interesting video. I speak Norwegian so I can understand a lot of Swedish. By the way, you are correct. "Framtid" means future. It's almost the same in Norwegian, where the word is "Fremtid". Very nice video series. I have a question for you, Steve. Are there any languages that you would really love to learn that you haven't ever done before?

Lucky for you that your wife is playing that piano when the Swedish girls story got a bit raunchy there ;-)

I'm learning Swedish too, and have been for the past two years or so. I think it's wonderful being able to listen to Swedes speak Swedish. Supposedly I'm "duktig på svenska", but I still make many mistakes! Even though they're often minor grammar mistakes.. What would you say about being able to become nearly fluent in a language even if you don't live in the country in which it's spoken?

Do you speak Finnish?

What a good video. You gave me some good ideas. Excellent. I enjoyed the whole thing and will watch more.

Yes, and I will go back go him to refresh my Swedish.

I had Swedish Grandfathers (I live in Canada) and believe me, you have a slight Swedish/Maritime Provinces accent....

Very easy: to be born in that country. I can speak Spanish fluently too... Oh, wait! It's my native language.

Jag talar lite Svenska, sa och sa.

Your life story is very interesting. Language learning was always a part of it, it seems.

Hej, jag heter Elliot, jag kommer från England och jag har varit studera svenska för om en år nu. ¨Min svenska blir mycket bättre men jag skulle ändå vilja förbättra min Svenska. Kan du ger mig några råd om hur du?

Wut ! You were born in Swedish!?! cool

Framtid means Future! :)

I have a question for you lingosteve, it is also something I would like to know about other polyglots. In which language do you think? also in which language do you dream? Sorry weird question, but It's something I want to know. I'm thinking you think in the language(s) you are best at. In your case probably English. But can you also think and have dreams in Japanese, French, Chinese, or Spanish?

Does anyone know what the woman is singing about in this short Swedish music video below: John Peel's Sporten Är Död - John Peel

"Future... framtid... I guess... I don't know what that is..." - this sentence sound so wrong since you pronunciate "framtid" spot on. :D :D :D :D

It is like hearing stories from my grandpa :)

Sorry, didn't comment on your Swedish. Yes, it is a good video. I just took took courses, one in Japanese and One in Swedish simultaneously. It is not good to take two or more languages simultaneously, because you automatically select the one you really want to learn and don't really work on the other one(s) you are taking. Now that I am over 60 I have to work really hard to learn languages. It is better to hear the words spoken and as you say not use flash cards, so I am very hesitant about giving up my expensive computer.

Look up "language attrition" on Wikipedia

I want you to shoot a little video regarding the situation when a visitor headed over to Stockholm or any other Swedish cities, his first interaction with a cab driver outside the airport……. Questions: I want to go to the Hotel (Name of a Hotel) How much is the fare? Thank You! Then entering the hotel and asking: May I have a room booked for 2 days, please! Then going to a restaurant and asking: May I have the menu, Please! I want to place an order for (the dish name) May I have the bill, Please! Thank You! Questions occurred while you’re out for shopping: How much for this/that? How about I pay you (an amount) Thank You!

Ofc:), u can say them both, although the sentence ' Jag har varit och studerat Svenska' is more like a recent happening for example if someone says : What's up? U could reply 'Jag har varit och studerat Svenska if thats what uve been doing:) So that sentence is a previous activity that has occurred recently. Jag har varit i Sverige och studerat Svenska i ett år you r litterally telling someone that i have been to sweden and studied swedish for a year now

Ofc, primarily most Swedes spells it 'och' i guess, i do aswell but i have never heard any swedish teacher say that to spell it ock is incorrect, I know a few ppl that spells it ock, and in fact on microsoft word it even corrects u if u spell it och to ock and i personally have used the word ock several times in some of my articles and the teachers have never deined it..so

@qzchris I KNOW! they don't explain which words have which tones, sometimes i see stuff about how many syllables are in the word but its basically a crap shoot. Im not even sure if there are no rules and that its completely random... if you find something that helps with those please let me know haha.

Can Canadian be just Canadian?... Except for native-Canadians, just like in Brazil, everyone has a different root, either African, or Asian or European. I am Brazilian. Just Brazilian. But my grandparents came from Italy.

Steve, I know you do not like poetry. But the Nobel Prize in 2011 was won by a Swede, Tomas Transtromer, who is one of the greatest poets in the world. Recommended. I want to learn Swedish just to be able to read him in the original.

You say you can't remember speaking swedish. Even so ,it sounds to me you have a swedish intonation on many words. I'm not questioning you, I just find it interesting. Then again, I know nothing of Canadian dialects :P

Yes haha its kinda funny like one day ago u refused to agree that ock was a word....well both works, just that och is more common and must ppl write och before ock:) thats how it is...

Hey there Steve, great channel, good balance of personality and content! I'm teaching myself Swedish - with English, Dutch and some German as background, all's plain sailing except the prosody / pitch accent / tones. What's the secret?? Is there one? Do you know it? Can you help? I can't get the hang of it, especially teaching myself, with no contact with Swedes. Many thanks, Jason, Cape Town

In that case, u can only blame my teachers, ive handed in lots of essays, but they have never told me that the word ock is miss spelled and should be an och instead so..i guess both works

Hello, Steve. I have the fortunate chance to travel to Finland later this year. Being a language learner myself, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to do a video on Swedish and Finnish resources such as dictionaries, phrasebooks etc, if time permits of course. If I have missed a video which outlines this request, could you link me to it? Thanks, Steven

@lingosteve oh. really u are an slavic man? me too, i was born in яussia) and im interesting in languages too, japanese,english,german,swedish and russian ')

I also love Aquavit! Too bad I can't get it in either Ontario or Quebec. I have to ask my relatives in the US to get it for me. I became addicted to Aquavit when I lived in Minneapolis - I lived 5 blocks away from American Swedish Institute. To change the topic a little bit: Do you think mastering the Chinese tone help you with the Swedish / Scandinavian pitch accent? They sound very similar to my ears. Oh and my profile pic is taken in Uppsala!

You could try to speak with swedish people on the internet (ofc in swedish), that would improve your swedish a lot or any language you learn by speaking it.

But wouldn't you have experienced it though if you said your first language was Swedish? Anyways, thanks for the videos. I have learnt some useful things about language learning from your channel and all the best, from Australia:)

I bought 'Hobbiten'. Can't see myself getting bore of that, and if I remember it's written for around 12 year olds in English. =)

How did you deal with learning 'en' and 'ett'? It's just as hard as 'un' and 'une' in French, isn't it?

Are there words that you feel are "intuitive" from when you were

Yea, it was a little dumb maybe to write ock but it is actually practically the same word as och many ppl use it so.

Hey Steve, can I find that book "Historien of Sverige" in the Internet?

I had a friend who came from America to live with his Swedish dad, we were friends for 6 years before he went back to America and he knew nothing when he came, and he was fluent and not much accent when he left.

So are you like half swedish or are both your parents swedish? I always just assumed you were north american.

When I was younger I used to listen to Herman Lindqvist talking about Swedish kings and queens. My last name is Lindqvist too btw.

Have you read any Peter Englund? You should if you like history. Love your pronounciation of Swedish by the way, it's great.

Should be an "ock" beetween varit nd studera(is present) past: studerat skip the part "för om en år nu" note it's: ett år. The correct sentence should turn out : Jag kommer från England och jag har varit ock studerat svenska omkring (about) ett år nu. Nd there u have it:) :)

My respect to your work and knowledge,Mr.Kaufman

Even on Microsoft Word they correct och to ock, but u can use it either way, as och most common one or ock

I have a question! Can you even say jag har varit och studerat Svenska? I mean that sounds a little strange, maybe he means: jag har varit i Sverige, och studerat Svenska i ett år nu? ( Also I thought you have to ease ''i'') Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I have seen the word ock in old Swedish texts, but then I think is (was) another word for also.

Hm... I'm Swedish and I never see anyone spell it "ock". It's definitely "och" and nothing else.