In Sweden, you can get by quite well with English, at least in most situations. And as we know, Swedes love speaking English – which is not particularly surprising. In the EF English Proficiency Index 2019, Sweden came second, behind only the Netherlands. In the latest survey from 2025, Sweden ranks eighth in the world and is still in the very high proficiency category.
For someone who has just moved here, that is of course fantastic.
You can ask for directions, order at a restaurant, speak to public authorities, go to the doctor and often even work in Sweden without knowing very much Swedish. English becomes a safety net that makes everyday life a little easier.
But after a while, that same safety net can start creating a new problem.
You are trying to learn Swedish, taking lessons and beginning to feel that you actually know quite a lot. Then you walk into a café and it goes something like this:
– Hej, jag skulle vilja ha en kaffe och en kanelbulle.
– Sure! Anything else?
Or perhaps you ask something in a shop and receive the answer in English. You continue in Swedish, the other person continues in English – and suddenly the two of you are having a conversation in two different languages.
Why does this happen?
Swedes are often trying to help – not judge your Swedish
The first thing is perhaps the most important to remember:
When someone switches to English, it does not automatically mean that your Swedish is bad.
Stockholm University describes English as a kind of lingua franca in Sweden when a Swedish speaker believes that the other person does not fully master Swedish. Research on the role of English in Sweden describes the same pattern: many Swedes spontaneously switch to English when they believe communication will work better in that language.
From the Swede’s perspective, it may therefore be a form of service.
You are looking for a word.
There are two seconds of silence.
The other person hears an accent and perhaps thinks: I’ll help.
And then comes the English.
The problem, of course, is that what is helpful for communication in that particular moment is not always particularly helpful for someone who is trying to learn the language.
In some situations, everything simply needs to move quickly
Time also plays a role.
Imagine that you are standing at the checkout in a shop. There are five people behind you, the cashier asks something you do not quite hear, and you need a few seconds to formulate your answer.
There is then a very simple way to solve the situation: English.
This has also been described by people learning Swedish. In research on language learning in Sweden, participants explain that English works as a quick solution when they are missing a Swedish word – and that some everyday situations simply do not leave much time for slow Swedish.
So it does not necessarily involve any deeper judgement of you as a person or as a language learner. Sometimes both people simply want to solve the situation before the train leaves. That is why we think it is worth choosing carefully the situations where you first build up the courage to speak Swedish.
Swedes want to avoid misunderstandings
There are, of course, also situations where communication genuinely becomes more difficult. Perhaps the other person does not understand how you pronounce a particular word, or perhaps you do not understand the question.
Instead of continuing with:
Vad sa du?
What did you say?
Menar du så här?
Do you mean it like this?
Kan du säga det långsammare?
Can you say it more slowly?
…you switch to the language that both of you probably speak better.
There is even Swedish material on language coaching that explicitly encourages Swedish speakers not to reply in English simply because someone learning Swedish hesitates – and to return to Swedish as soon as a temporary communication problem has been solved.
So how do you get Swedes to continue in Swedish?
Sometimes you need to help the other person understand what you actually want. If someone hears you hesitate, their natural conclusion may be:
This person needs English.
But what you are actually thinking is:
No! I just need another ten seconds.
The easiest solution is therefore to say so.
For example:
Jag håller på att lära mig svenska. Kan vi prata svenska?
I’m learning Swedish. Can we speak Swedish?
Du får gärna prata svenska med mig. Jag behöver öva.
Please feel free to speak Swedish with me. I need the practice.
Jag förstår ganska bra, men jag behöver kanske lite extra tid.
I understand quite well, but I may need a little extra time.
Kan vi fortsätta på svenska?
Can we continue in Swedish?
And when you do not understand:
Kan du säga det en gång till?
Can you say that again?
Kan du säga det lite långsammare?
Can you say it a little more slowly?
Vad betyder …?
What does … mean?
Jag förstod nästan. Kan du förklara på ett annat sätt?
I almost understood. Can you explain it in another way?
The last point is particularly important. If the solution every time you do not understand something is for the entire conversation to switch to English, you get very little opportunity to develop the exact skill you are missing: repairing a conversation in Swedish.
And this is where it is important to remember that language is not only theory. It is just as much a social challenge. Try to own that challenge and make it something enjoyable.
Start where the stakes are low
You do not need to begin by defending a complicated proposal in a board meeting. Choose situations where the conversation is fairly predictable.
At the supermarket, you have a rough idea of what might happen. At a café, the vocabulary is limited. At the gym, perhaps you only need to ask about a locker or when the next class begins.
Prepare a few words beforehand.
If you are going to buy shoes, for example, you could practise:
Har ni den här i storlek 44?
Do you have these in size 44?
Finns den i någon annan färg?
Does it come in another colour?
Kan jag prova de här?
Can I try these on?
Jag tar dem.
I’ll take them.
When the phrases are already available to you, you need less time to search for the words. The conversation flows more easily and the other person has less reason to think that switching languages is necessary.
Next time, you can make the situation a little more difficult.
And keep speaking Swedish even when the Swede switches
This may be the psychologically hardest part.
You start in Swedish.
The other person answers in English.
It is very tempting to think:
Okay. Apparently my Swedish didn’t work.
But you do not have to accept the language switch as a final decision.
You can simply continue:
– Would you like the receipt?
– Nej tack, det behövs inte.
– Do you need a bag?
– Ja tack, gärna.
After a few exchanges, the conversation quite often finds its way back to Swedish.
And if it does not? You have still used Swedish.
The practice is the point. Even if you did not manage to have the entire conversation in Swedish, you have still taken another step towards being able to do so.
Knowing Swedish on paper and speaking Swedish are two different things
For English speakers, Swedish is actually considered one of the relatively easier languages to learn. The US Foreign Service Institute places Swedish in Category I, together with languages such as Norwegian, Danish and Dutch, and gives around 24 weeks of intensive training as a benchmark for its English-speaking diplomats.
That does not, of course, mean that Swedish is “easy” for everyone – your first language and previous experience of learning languages make a big difference – but Swedish is far from the languages that the FSI considers the most time-consuming for English speakers.
At the same time, understanding a written text where you have ten seconds to read a sentence is one thing.
It is quite another when the person in front of you says:
“Ska du ha kvittot eller?”
…in a second and a half while somebody drops a shopping bag behind you.
Understanding and producing Swedish in authentic situations therefore requires a different kind of practice from simply completing grammar exercises. You need to get used to speed, pronunciation, small words, variation, misunderstandings and sometimes simply continuing to speak even though the sentence did not come out perfectly.
This is also an important part of how we work at Albrechts Kommunikation.
Grammar and pronunciation are of course included, but they are integrated into the situations where you actually need the language: at work, at preschool, in a shop, in a meeting or in an ordinary conversation with a Swede.
Would you like to learn Swedish and, above all, become more confident actually using it?
We offer private Swedish lessons online and in Stockholm at a competitive price. Find a private Swedish teacher who suits you and practise the situations that matter in your own everyday life.
Book a free taster lesson and consultation, and we’ll find out what you need to work on.