How to Say “Swedish” in Swedish

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svenska
/²svɛnska/common gender
Swedish is svenska in Swedish.
svenska is the name of the Swedish language.
Meaning: language (name)

Which one should you use?

Use svenska when referring to the language itself. Use svensk when describing a person, an object or anything pertaining to Sweden or the Swedish language.

Related words

Of or pertaining to Sweden (adj): svensk.

Of or pertaining to the Swedish language (adj): svensk.

How does it change in a sentence?

svenska is a common-gender noun.

How do you pronounce it?

/²svɛnska/

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use the adjective svensk instead of the noun svenska when referring to the language itself.

When do people say it?

If you wish to tell someone "Good luck!", you can say "Lycka till!"

Did you know?

  • The word svenska is built using an ancient suffix that literally means 'tongue', a connection shared by many historical terms for languages.
  • The adjective svensk is used for anything originating from Sweden, but the noun Sverige is used for the country itself.
  • Swedish uses the same -a suffix for almost all its names for languages, such as engelska for English and franska for French.

Examples in context

  • Du ska tala svenska.
    You will speak Swedish.
    This sentence is useful for practicing the use of svenska to indicate speaking a language.
    Tatoeba #880620 by herrsilen, translation #880619 by shekitten
  • Hans fru är svenska.
    His wife is Swedish.
    This sentence shows how svenska can be used to describe a person's nationality.
    Tatoeba #2180671 by herrsilen, translation #1967531 by CN
  • Du kan förstå svenska.
    You can understand Swedish.
    This sentence demonstrates the use of svenska regarding language comprehension.
    Tatoeba #880624 by herrsilen, translation #880622 by shekitten
  • Jag pratar Svenska
    I speak Swedish
  • Svenska flaggan
    Swedish flag
  • Svenska traditioner
    Swedish traditions
  • 49 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Alice and Erik are talking about their language studies.

  1. Alice

    Studerar du svenska nu?
    Are you studying Swedish now?
  2. Erik

    Ja, jag älskar svenska.
    Yes, I love Swedish.
  3. Alice

    Är svenska ett svårt språk?
    Is Swedish a difficult language?
  4. Erik

    Nej, svenska är ganska lätt.
    No, Swedish is quite easy.

Sources

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Genevieve Stacy
Genevieve StacyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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