The words you actually need in everyday Swedish, sorted by situation. Each one comes with an example sentence so you hear how it sounds in context, not just what it means.
The phrases you'll use from day one. Swedish greetings are simple — most situations need just one or two words.
Sweden runs on coffee and open sandwiches. These words get you through any café or restaurant visit.
Public transport is excellent in Sweden. These words help you buy a ticket, ask for directions, and find your stop.
Counting, ordering food, reading prices, telling time — numbers come up constantly. Here are the first ten.
| Number | Swedish | Pronunciation hint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | en / ett | "en" for en-words, "et" for ett-words |
| 2 | två | like "tvoh" |
| 3 | tre | like "treh" |
| 4 | fyra | "fü-ra" |
| 5 | fem | like English "fem" |
| 6 | sex | like English "sex" |
| 7 | sju | "hwoo" — the tricky one |
| 8 | åtta | "ot-ta" |
| 9 | nio | "nee-oh" |
| 10 | tio | "tee-oh" |
Swedish days are not capitalized — måndag, not Måndag. Most trace back to Old Norse gods, just like in English.
| Swedish | English | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| måndag | Monday | Moon's day (måne) |
| tisdag | Tuesday | Tyr's day |
| onsdag | Wednesday | Odin's day |
| torsdag | Thursday | Thor's day |
| fredag | Friday | Freya's day |
| lördag | Saturday | Washing day (löga = bathe) |
| söndag | Sunday | Sun's day (sol) |
This page is a preview — a starting point to get you oriented. For the beautiful, untranslatable words that make Swedish feel like Swedish, see our list of common and beautiful Swedish words. When you're ready to understand how many words you actually need, read how many words to learn Swedish.
The fastest way to move from reading a list to remembering it: meet these words inside real sentences in Smisli, tap to save them, and let spaced repetition keep them fresh.