by Sofi | 15,06,20 | ARTICLES, Vocabulary
Some people I know rather well live in a small, detached house – what you would call villa in Swedish, but not in any other language. Their next-door neighbours since a few years back is a young couple. My friends are very suspicious of this couple. Why? They have... 
by Sofi | 15,06,07 | ARTICLES, FEATURED, Swedishness
After having lived almost seven years in Scotland, I returned to Sweden in 2008. I was shocked to discover how rude the Swedes are, slamming doors in my face, yawning without covering their mouths, bumping into me without apologising. Later I realised that I was... by Sofi | 15,05,29 | ARTICLES, Expressions
To the horror of many visitors to Sweden, the Swedish language completely lacks an equivalent to the English please, the French s’il vous plait, or the German Bitte. This, according to many of my students, proves their hypothesis that the Swedish are impolite by... by Sofi | 15,05,18 | ARTICLES, FEATURED, Pronunciation
R This is the letter – or more correctly – the sound that is subject to most concern for my students. It shouldn’t be. There are letters, or sounds, that should be given much more attention, and if mispronounced can cause confusion or misunderstanding. To be able to... 
by Sofi | 15,05,08 | ARTICLES, FEATURED, Swedish Work Culture
If you have worked, studied, rented a cottage, or sent your children to school in Sweden, you must have come across the peculiar use of week numbers instead of conventional calendar dates. That is to say, instead of saying May the 7th, most Swedes would refer to today...