Essential Swedish Phrases for Beginners

Everyday Swedish gets by with very few polite formulas: hej to everyone, du to everyone, and tack where English would say "please".

Greetings and goodbyes

Hej works almost everywhere: with friends, with the cashier, with your new boss, in an email. You don't need a more formal greeting. God dag exists, but you'll rarely hear it in everyday life.

Hej hej is a lighter, friendlier version. You'll hear it as a cheerful hello, and very often as a goodbye, for example when you leave a shop. Hej då is the standard "bye". If someone says hej hej as you leave, hej hej or hej då back is perfect.

Hur mår du? is a real question about how someone is, more common between people who know each other. Among friends you'll also hear Hur är läget? or just Läget? ("How's it going?"), answered with Bra! or Det är lugnt.

God natt is only for bedtime or very late goodbyes. Välkommen greets a guest or customer, and you'll hear Välkommen åter! ("Welcome back!") as you leave some shops. Ha det! is a short, casual ha det bra.

Introducing yourself

Swedes usually introduce themselves with first name only, often with a handshake in more formal settings. Trevligt att träffas! works for both people; the other person can answer Detsamma! ("Likewise!").

Du to everyone

Swedish has a formal "you", ni, but almost everyone uses du to everyone: strangers, doctors, teachers, older people, your manager. Using ni to one person can sound dated or oddly distant. Some service staff still use ni with older customers, but du is always polite.

Ni is not going anywhere, though: it's also the everyday plural "you" when you talk to more than one person. Vad gör ni i helgen? ("What are you doing at the weekend?") to two friends isn't formal at all.

Tack: the most useful word in Swedish

Swedish has no everyday word that works exactly like "please". Instead, politeness comes from tack and from polite question forms like Kan jag få…? ("Can I have…?"). There is snälla, but it's pleading or informal, like "please, please": fine with friends (Snälla, kan du stänga dörren?), odd when ordering. In a café, use tack. Tack turns up all over the place:

A bare ja to "Do you want coffee?" can sound a little abrupt, so answer offers with ja tack or nej tack. In a shop or café, tack at the end of the order (En kanelbulle, tack.) is your "please". And if you've been invited for a meal, say tack för maten before you leave the table: hosts notice when it's missing.

Varsågod and replying to thanks

Varsågod is what you say when you hand something to someone or invite them to go ahead: "here you go", "help yourself", "after you". A café worker passing you your coffee will say varsågod. A host inviting guests to the table may say varsågoda (to several people).

To answer someone's tack, use ingen orsak or det var så lite, not varsågod: varsågod goes with handing something over, not with accepting thanks. Often people just answer with another tack, or with a smile.

Ursäkta vs förlåt

Both can translate as "sorry" or "excuse me", but they do different jobs:

• Ursäkta is for before: getting someone's attention or getting past. Ursäkta, var ligger toaletten? Ursäkta, får jag komma förbi?
• Förlåt is an apology for something you've done. Förlåt, jag är sen. Förlåt, det var inte meningen. ("Sorry, I didn't mean to.")

If you bump into someone, either works. Both also work as "Sorry?" when you didn't catch what someone said.

When you don't understand

These phrases keep you in the conversation and, if all else fails, show you how to ask for English:

If you just didn't hear, a one-word "Pardon?" is enough: Förlåt? or Ursäkta? are safe with anyone. The friendly Hursa? and the casual Va? ("What?") are fine among friends. If you get stuck mid-conversation, or people keep switching to English, our guide on practising when Swedes switch to English has the phrases and tactics.

Everyday situations

At a café or shop:

Prices, paying and receipts have their own guide: prices and money in Swedish.

Finding your way and getting help:

Where to go next

Learn these phrases with audio in the Greetings & Basics word list, then try them in a practice conversation, where you choose what to say at each step. Once you're comfortable, move on to Swedish question words so you can start asking things too.