Language/Swedish/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
Hello Polyglots, 👋
In today's lesson, you will learn how to write the different letters of the Swedish alphabet, how to pronounce these letters using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), or by watching a video with the pronunciation of the letters by a native speaker. 🇸🇪
You will also find at the end of this lesson a virtual keyboard to be able to type each special character of this beautiful language. 🖥️
Happy learning! 🌟
After mastering the Swedish alphabet and pronunciation, you can further enhance your language skills by exploring other related lessons such as Swedish Vocabulary: Jobs and Professions, Swedish Vocabulary → Colors and Numbers → Numbers 0-20, and Swedish Grammar → Swedish Nouns → Plural nouns. These lessons will help you build a strong foundation in Swedish and make your learning journey more enjoyable and fruitful. 📚
Swedish Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Alphabet[edit | edit source]
Alphabet | Sound | Example |
---|---|---|
A a | /ɑː/ | a as in ask |
B b | /beː/ | b as in bank |
C c | /seː/ | s before i,e,y else "k" as in Canada |
D d | /deː/ | d as in David |
E e | /eː/ | e as in elevated, "a" before "g" |
F f | /æf/ | f as in Frank |
G g | /ɡeː/ | s as in pleasure before e,i,y,ä,ö. Or "g" as in God elsewhere |
H h | /hoː/ | h as in holiday |
I i | /iː/ | dans le mot ink |
J j | /jiː/ | j as in 's' de pleasure |
K k | /koː/ | k as in kid |
L l | /æl/, /ˈæl.læ/ | l as in life |
M m | /æm/, /ˈæm.mæ/ | m as in mom |
N n | /æn/, /ˈæn.næ/ | n as in noon |
O o | /oː/ | o as in old |
P p | /peː/ | p as in pope |
Q q | /kuː/ | Q is no longer used |
R r | /ær/, /ˈær.ræ/ | as in brother |
S s | /æs/, /ˈæs.sæ/ | s as in Sam |
Š š | /ˈhat.tuˌæs/ | sh as in ship, sometimes 's' as in small |
T t | /teː/ | t as in table, sometimes 'd' as in mad |
U u | /uː/ | as in the ultra |
V v | /ʋeː/ | sounds as a "b" as in bike |
W w | /ʋeː/ | v as in vast |
X x | /æks/, /ˈæk.sæ/ | ks as in wax |
Y y | /yː/ | y as in year |
Z z | /tset/, /ˈtse.tɑ/ | s as in small |
Ž ž | /ˈhat.tuˌtset/, | sh before e,i,y,ä,ö, "chs" before a,o,å,u |
Å å | /oː/ | oo as in poor |
Ä ä | /æː/ | ae as in ache |
Ö ö | /øː/ | u as in ultra |
Pronunciation by a Native Speaker[edit | edit source]
Listen to the following video to help you pronounce each letter correctly
Focus on Stress and Rhythm[edit | edit source]
Swedish has a distinctive stress pattern that can be challenging for English speakers to master. In Swedish, the stress is typically on the first syllable of a word, and the rhythm is generally even. Paying attention to stress and rhythm can help you improve your Swedish pronunciation.
Examples of Swedish Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
To help you practice your Swedish pronunciation, here are some common words and phrases with their pronunciations:
- Hej! (Hello!) - "hey!"
- Tack. (Thank you.) - "tahk."
- Ursäkta mig. (Excuse me.) - "ur-sehk-tah me."
- God morgon. (Good morning.) - "gohd mor-gohn."
- Var är toaletten? (Where is the restroom?) - "vahr air too-ah-let-ten?"
- Jag älskar dig. (I love you.) - "yahg elskahr deeg."
- Välkommen. (Welcome.) - "vahl-kohm-mehn."
- Hur mår du?
Time to Practice![edit | edit source]
Here is a practice exercise to help you improve your Swedish pronunciation:
Pronounce the following words:[edit | edit source]
- Tåg (train)
- Sjö (lake)
- Göteborg (Gothenburg)
- Ö (island)
- Fågel (bird)
Try to pronounce the following phrases:[edit | edit source]
- Vad heter du? (What's your name?)
- Jag talar inte svenska så bra. (I don't speak Swedish very well.)
- Kan du hjälpa mig? (Can you help me?)
- Jag vill ha en kopp kaffe, tack. (I would like a cup of coffee, please.)
- Var är närmaste tunnelbanestation? (Where is the nearest subway station?)
Read the following Swedish sentences aloud and focus on stress and rhythm:[edit | edit source]
- God morgon, hur mår du?
- Vi ska åka till Stockholm imorgon.
- Kan du rekommendera en bra restaurang?
- Var bor du?
- Jag tycker om att läsa böcker och titta på filmer.
I hope this exercise helps you practice your Swedish pronunciation!
Swedish Online Virtual Keyboard[edit | edit source]
Videos[edit | edit source]
The Swedish Alphabet | Learn Swedish in a Fun Way! - YouTube[edit | edit source]
The Swedish Alphabet - YouTube[edit | edit source]
The Swedish Alphabet | Det Svenska Alfabetet (HD) - YouTube[edit | edit source]