Learn Swedish free
With so many great language resources available online, learning Swedish for free has never been easier.
Facts about Swedish
Swedish is spoken by over ten million people, primarily, of course, in Sweden, but also in parts of Finland, particularly in coastal areas and the Aland Islands. A North Germanic language, Swedish is linguistically similar to Norwegian and Danish. If you know one you are likely to understand the other – a plus point to keep in mind if you are considering learning Swedish for free. The provenance of the Swedish language can be traced back to Old Norse and the Viking Era.
Differences to English
As English and Swedish are both Germanic languages they share many similarities of use to people seeking to learn Swedish for free. Both use the Latin alphabet and a Subject – Verb – Object word order. In terms of vocabulary, the meaning of many Swedish words will quickly be obvious to an English speaker, though there are traps for the unwary. The Swedish word båld doesn’t have anything to do with hair and in fact translates to bold.
In speech the meaning of certain words will change depending on the pitch or tone the speaker uses. If you have a Swedish friend willing to give you free Swedish lessons, then this will be an area where they can help.
But the person seeking to learn Swedish for free shouldn’t be dismayed by these differences, English and Swedish are languages which agree far more than they differ.
Learning Swedish for free
There are many, many resources out there for the beginner. You could of course sign up for a language course at a local school. But if you don’t live in a major urban area, your options may be limited in this regard. There are many online resources – from blogs which focus on a particular language, to downloadable audio lessons. There is a learning advantage to surrounding yourself with native speakers, but if a holiday is not an option, try finding a Swedish pen-pal with an interest in learning your language or search for social groups in your area. These can be essentially free Swedish lessons and a fun way to learn Swedish for free.
Learn Swedish for free with Babbel
There are a number of tools which offer a complete service. Babbel is a great example of this option. Fully multimedia learning is achieved through a combination of audio and visual elements - there is even voice recognition functionality to check your pronunciation. The process is designed to be fully interactive. It’s a cross-platform application, so you can load it up on your handheld device and learn on the go. Beyond the software itself Babbel boasts over 7 million members. There is no cost to sign up and you can learn Swedish for free in your first lesson. Visit the forums if you are looking to find a Swedish speaker - and some free Swedish lessons!
With all these options learning Swedish for free is well within your grasp.