The Isaiah 52 Blog

Ok this entry is going to be a small break from the normal reflections you see on the Isaiah 52 blog, but I hope its entertaining nonetheless.

Jag just tala till Martin at jag prattar på Svenska idag med trea kvinna i tranås simhallena och det gör jätte bra! Min svensk are bättre dag efter dag!

So, my Swedish gets better and better as time goes on, and I am getting to a point where I try to speak Swedish with everyone around town as much as possible. This is a bittersweet thing, as it is exciting to get to this point, but also makes me very vulnerable to being labeled with ’stupid American’ status. Not that I haven’t been a stupid American before (indeed that is most of what I am here), but speaking in Swedish just makes it that much more apparent. Anyway, this is a list I compiled in my head while weed-whacking for six hours today (welcome to my world) of things I have learned as a result of my study of the language. Enjoy!

- I can order any type of food in Swedish and get basically what I want, except for hamburgers. Not that I cannot order them and get a hamburger, but I can’t do it in swedish, despite trying almost every week. You see, the Swedish word for hamburger (hamburgare) is harder to pronounce than it seems, and every time I try to order one the person behind the counter automatically knows that I speak english and replies with - “You want a hamburger. Let me get you one.” It is jätte frustrating. 

- I can now pick Arabic out of a crowd pretty easily. I live in a section of town with a lot of immigrants, and a good 15% of them speak Arabic in and around the complex. I don’t know what they are saying - but I do know what language they are saying it in. That’s a start.

- When speaking English with Swedes, I sometimes say certain words deliberately wrong (names of products, place names, etc.) with a thick Swedish accent, not because I don’t know any better anymore, but because I know that the likelihood of the other person knowing what I am talking about is much greater if I do.

- Not being Italian, I don’t naturally speak with my hands, but I have recently gotten very used to pantomiming my words while speaking with a Swede because it helps them understand. They don’t do the same, so I’m on my own in the translation department most of the time.

 - No matter what they say, I don’t understand old women’s Swedish. It may be the most basic thing, but I cannot get it. Very frustrating on sundays at church. 

- More than once I have answered a question that I didn’t understand with ‘awh’ (yes) and been met with a spout of laughter from everyone in the area because ‘yes’ didn’t make any sense in the context. Very embarrassing. 

- I call anyone who says hi to me my friend, because I really don’t have any.

- Even though my Swedish is still very bad, my English has gotten worse too. I can no longer speak either language fluently.

- When speaking English, I tend to insert Swedish words that make sense in the context but really don’t have good English translations. This is called Swenglish or Svengelska, and it rules.

- I have gotten a high five when I understood something said to me. Seriously.

- Swedes generally only know ten to fifteen English verbs, and use them over and over. I have gotten so used to broken English and improper verbs that I tend to finish sentences for Swedes who’s Engelska is inte so bra. 

- It seems like the only preposition Swedes use is on (på). That took some getting used to.

- People complain that praying in a foreign language is hard, but I really don’t have a problem with it. I guess that’s a plus. 

and finally

- I have more than once gotten stuck trying to think of a word in Swedish and consequently forgotten what I was talking about in the first place.

So there you have it - my Swedish is sub-par, but I love learning it anyway!

-Mark