When you start studying the Swedish language, Swedish grammar practice is probably not what you’re looking forward to. Grammar has a bad rap and is often the part people dread when they start learning a new language. But grammar is really the glue keeping languages together. It’s the groundwork of clear communication.

In today’s post, we’ll look through some tips to have in mind before you dive into Swedish grammar. We’ll also list some resources to make your Swedish grammar practice pain-free!

Swedish Grammar Practice: Tips Before You Start

Before you start to practice Swedish grammar, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind. Look through our following tips, and then you’ll be ready to dive into the grammar!

Find Your Way to Learn Swedish Grammar

Everyone learns differently. Swedish grammar practice doesn’t have to be all about dull textbooks and tedious exercises. While some learn best by reading textbooks and memorizing rules, others prefer using their senses to learn. Try to figure out what kind of learner you are and how you can use this learning method to your advantage.

If you believe you learn best by listening, consider listening to Swedish grammar podcasts. If you think you’re a visual learner, try using flashcards to practice grammar. Or why not combine seeing and listening by checking out YouTube videos on the topic.

Don’t let grammar learning stereotypes limit you. Think about how you absorb information and how you enjoy learning. That way, you might just figure out the best grammar practice strategy for you.

Don’t Be Scared: Swedish Grammar Isn’t That Hard

Don’t get me wrong, Swedish grammar does have its quirks. However, Swedish grammar is actually not considered difficult for an English native speaker. This is because the two languages are closely related.

You might already be aware that Swedish and English have cognates—words that have the same meaning, and a similar sound and look in both languages. But the languages also have similarities in grammar. For example, both follow the same sentence structure in simple sentences.

Swedish and English verb conjugation also have similarities. They are not identical, but they follow a similar logic. All of this facilitates the learning of Swedish grammar for English speakers.

Don’t Be a Perfectionist: Dare to Speak!

When you’re learning any language, perfectionism is not your friend. If you want to learn Swedish grammar fast, you need to dare to open your mouth and practice out loud. That means you can’t be overly afraid of mistakes.

Yes, you should spend some time learning Swedish grammar. However, you shouldn’t let the fear of using grammar incorrectly keep you from speaking. Your Swedish friends will almost certainly understand you, even if you use the wrong article. And in cases where mistakes lead to misunderstandings… just laugh it off!

Swedish Grammar Practice: Learn the Basics

This is not an ultimate guide for learning Swedish grammar. However, I thought this might be a good opportunity to at least sum up some basic Swedish grammar aspects. Try to keep an eye on what is similar to English, and what is different.

It’s important to be aware that not all grammar aspects will be the same as in English. Don’t expect things to work exactly as they do in your mother tongue. Keeping an open mind in this way and being aware of the differences will help you grasp Swedish grammar faster.

Swedish Sentence Structure

As mentioned, Swedish and English sentence structures are quite similar. Both follow the same sentence structure in simple sentences, namely subject-verb-object (SVO).

Note some examples:

• Jag köper kläder: I buy clothes.
• Han gillar henne: He likes her.
• De äter middag: They eat dinner.

When you get to more complicated sentences, there might be more differences in word order. For example, Swedish uses inverted word order at times. But when it comes to the basic sentence structure, they follow a similar logic, which can really help you when you start building your own sentences.

Swedish Nouns and Genders

As mentioned, Swedish and English have a lot of words that are similar in both languages, including many nouns. This is incredibly helpful for English speakers wanting to memorize Swedish vocabulary. However, Swedish is different in the way that nouns are divided into two genders—common gender nouns and neuter gender nouns.

Which gender a noun has affects many other words you’ll use in connection with the noun, for example articles, possessive pronouns and adjectives. The article we use with the word is especially common to notice, and sometimes the two genders are talked about in the context of these articles:

• Common gender nouns are used with the article “en” (a/one), and are therefore sometimes called “en”-words.
• Neuter gender nouns are used with the article “ett” (a/one), and are therefore sometimes called “ett”-words.

Some examples of nouns and how words around them are affected follow.

The article “a/one”:

• En katt: A cat (common)
• En bok: A book (common)
• Ett hus: A house (neuter)
• Ett äpple: An apple (neuter)

Possessive pronouns, like “my”, “your”, and adjectives:

• Min katt är liten, din katt är stor: My cat is small, your cat is big. (common)
• Mitt hus är litet, ditt hus är stort: My house is small, your house is big. (neuter)

Unfortunately, there is no easy rule to “figure out” which gender a noun is. Swedish students are recommended to simply memorize the genders along with each new noun. However, here are a few tips when you can’t remember which gender a noun is:

• There are more “en”-words than “ett”-words. 74% of Swedish nouns are common gender nouns. Only 26% are neuter gender nouns. So when in doubt, you can always start by guessing that it’s a common gender noun.
• Nouns that refer to human beings and animals are almost always common gender nouns: En man (a man), en kvinna (a woman), en hund (a dog), etc. However, there are exceptions, such as: ett barn (a child), ett djur (an animal).

Swedish Verbs and Tenses

To use verbs correctly in Swedish phrases, you’ll have to conjugate verbs. The good news is that Swedish verbs are only conjugated according to the tense. Swedish verbs are not conjugated according to the person. This means that, in this sense, Swedish grammar is even easier than English grammar.

While English conjugation according to the pronoun is not as extensive as, say, Spanish, it does exist. See how the verb changes in the following sentences in English, but doesn’t change in Swedish:

• Jag är glad: I am happy.
• Du är glad: You are happy.
• Hon är glad: She is happy.
• Han är glad: He is happy.
• Vi är glada: We are happy.
• De är glada: They are happy.
• Ni är glada: You are happy.

While English uses “am”, “are”, and “is” in these sentences, Swedish uses “är” for all of them.

As for Swedish tenses, you do need to learn how to use these, as they look and work a bit differently than English tenses. The good news is that Swedish tenses do have similar English equivalents. This means that you at least have a point of reference when learning and practicing the tenses.

Here are the five Swedish tenses and their English equivalent:

1. Presens: The Present Tense
2. Preteritum: The Simple Past Tense
3. Perfekt: The Present Perfect Tense
4. Pluskvamperfekt: The Past Perfect Tense
5. Futurum: The Future Tense

Swedish Grammar Practice: Resources

Finally, let’s take a look at some resources that can help you practice Swedish grammar. There are both conjugation tools and gamifying online Swedish learning apps.

1. Clozemaster

Clozemaster is a simple and efficient tool with Swedish grammar exercises. It puts verbs into the context of complete Swedish sentences, and allows you to fill in the missing words. It is available both as a website and mobile app so that you can study wherever you are.

2. Cooljugator

Cooljugator is grammar made easy. It’s a conjugation tool that helps you find the correct form of a Swedish verb. Write in a verb and see it in all its tenses with example sentences. It’s great for when you want to sit down and memorize verb forms.

3. Duolingo

Duolingo is a popular free mobile app that allows you to practice Swedish in short lessons. It teaches basic verb conjugation and progressively trains your Swedish knowledge. It integrates both reading and listening skills into the lessons and is a fun, easy way to learn Swedish when you don’t have a lot of time.

4. SwedishPod101

SwedishPod101 is a website and app with a podcast-based program. This is a good choice for people who learn best through listening. It has Swedish worksheets and lessons with grammar explanations built into the notes.

Final Words: Immerse Yourself in Swedish Grammar

As you can see, Swedish grammar practice doesn’t have to be too complicated. There are several tools and resources to help you practice. What’s more, the similarities between English and Swedish grammar are a huge advantage.

Once you’ve started your journey of Swedish grammar practice, my final tip is to try to immerse yourself in the language. Regularly exposing your brain to Swedish will train it to start soaking up the grammar, helping you learn faster.

Make grammar fun by focusing on what you like to do. Read Swedish books, watch Swedish videos, and listen to Swedish music, radio, and e-books. Use Swedish learning apps such as Clozemaster or Duolingo to practice daily. Doing this will help you pick up Swedish grammar in no time!