The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Swedish
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Swedish. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | God dag | gud DAG |
| Hello (informal) | Hej | HEY |
| Goodbye | Adjö | ad-YO |
| Thank you | Tack | TAK |
| Please | Snälla | SNE-la |
| Yes | Ja | YA |
| No | Nej | NEY |
| Sorry | Förlåt | fer-LOT |
| I don't understand | Jag förstår inte | yag fer-SHTOR IN-te |
| Do you speak English? | Talar du engelska? | TA-lar du ENG-el-ska |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | God morgon | GOOD MO-ron |
| Good evening | God kväll | GOOD KVELL |
| How are you? | Hur mår du? | HOOR MOR doo |
| My name is… | Jag heter… | YAG HE-ter… |
| Nice to meet you | Trevligt att träffas | TREV-ligt at TREF-fas |
| I am from Israel | Jag är från Israel | YAG AIR fron IS-ra-el |
| See you | Vi ses | VEE ses |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Var är gaten? | VAR ehr GA-ten? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Är flyget försenat? | ER FLU-get FER-se-nat? |
| Boarding pass | Ombordstigningskort | om-BORD-stig-nings-KORT |
| My suitcase didn't arrive | Min väska har inte kommit | MIN VES-ka har IN-teh KO-mit |
| I have a connecting flight | Jag har en anslutningsflyg | YAG har en AN-slut-nings-FLUG |
| Window/aisle seat | Fönsterplats/gångplats | FEN-ster-PLATS/GONG-PLATS |
| Where is passport control? | Var är passkontrollen? | VAR ehr PASS-kon-TROL-len? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Till denna adress, tack. | TIL DEN-na a-DRES, TAK. |
| How much to the center? | Hur mycket till centrum? | HOOR MEE-ket TIL CENT-room? |
| One ticket to… | En biljett till… | EN beel-YET TIL… |
| Which platform? | Vilken plattform? | VEEL-ken PLAT-form? |
| Where is the bus station? | Var är busstationen? | VAR air BOOS-sta-SHUN-en? |
| Stop here, please. | Stanna här, tack. | STAN-na HAIR, TAK. |
| Is it far? | Är det långt? | AIR det LONGT? |
| Turn left/right | Sväng vänster/höger | SVENG VEN-ster/HOY-ger |
| Straight | Rakt fram | RAKT fram |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | Jag har en reservation | YAG har en re-ser-VA-shun |
| Check-in | Incheckning | IN-shek-ning |
| Check-out | Utcheckning | OOT-shek-ning |
| Is breakfast included? | Ingår frukost? | IN-gor FRU-kost |
| Room key | Rumsnyckel | ROOM-sni-kel |
| Wi-Fi password | Wi-Fi-lösenord | VAI-fai LEU-se-nord |
| Can I leave luggage? | Kan jag lämna bagage? | KAN yag LEM-na ba-GASH |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | Luftkonditioneringen fungerar inte | LUFT-kon-di-sho-NE-ring-en fun-GE-rar IN-te |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Table for two, please. | Ett bord för två, tack. | et BORD fehr TVÅ, TAK. |
| The menu, please. | Menyn, tack. | me-NYN, TAK. |
| What do you recommend? | Vad rekommenderar ni? | vad re-ko-men-DEHR nee? |
| The bill, please. | Notan, tack. | NO-tan, TAK. |
| Tap water, please. | Kranvatten, tack. | KRAN-vat-ten, TAK. |
| I have a nut allergy. | Jag är allergisk mot nötter. | yag ehr a-LER-gisk mot NEH-ter. |
| No meat, please. | Inget kött, tack. | IN-yet SHET, TAK. |
| It was excellent. | Det var utmärkt. | deh var OOT-merkt. |
| Can I pay by card? | Kan jag betala med kort? | kan yag be-TA-la med KORT? |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Hur mycket kostar det? | hoor MYU-khet KOS-tar det? |
| It's too expensive | Det är för dyrt | det AIR fer DEERT |
| Do you accept cards? | Tar ni kort? | tar nee KOORT? |
| I'm just looking | Jag tittar bara | yahg TI-tar BA-rah |
| Can I have a receipt? | Kan jag få ett kvitto? | kan yahg FO ett KVEE-toh? |
| Where is an ATM? | Var finns en bankomat? | var feens en BAN-ko-maht? |
| A smaller size | En mindre storlek | en MEEN-dreh STOOR-lek |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Swedish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Hjälp! | YELP! |
| Call a doctor | Ring en läkare | RING en LEH-ka-reh |
| Call the police | Ring polisen | RING po-LEE-sen |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Var finns ett apotek? | VAR finns ett ah-po-TEK? |
| I don't feel well | Jag mår inte bra | YAG mor IN-teh BRA |
| I'm lost | Jag är vilse | YAG air VIL-seh |
| I need a hospital | Jag behöver ett sjukhus | YAG be-HO-ver ett SHUK-hoos |
| It hurts here | Det gör ont här | DEH yer ONT hair |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Swedish?
"Tack" (TAK). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Swedish do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Swedish is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Swedish as an official language?
Swedish is a main language in 1 countries: Sweden.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Talar du engelska?" (TA-lar du ENG-el-ska) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data