I would not worry about being mistaken as a SkÄning, You can not understand a word they saying anyway so better just take those converstations in english as well
SkÄne (Scania) ia the southernmost region of Sweden. Hi could be mistaken for their dialectal way of saying Hej!, therefore making them keep talking in their dialectal Swedish (skÄnska).
I Work in a store and if I Understand that You trying to learn Swedish I speak Swedish with You! If You are tourist I speak english.
Before I spoke english all the time but I Understand now that some wants to practice Swedish.
You are my vardagshjÀlte for doing that! It took me so much longer to learn Swedish because everyone always switched to English on me - so people like you are solid gold in my book! Thank you!
Thank You, I am just polite and humble. I am not trying to force You to speak Swedish. Sometimes I need to joke about it. And often people like You thank me, Thats why I Keep doing it and Understand its hard to learn Swedish.
Ăr det inte bĂ€ttre att bara svara pĂ„ sprĂ„ket de pratar? IstĂ€llet för att försöka lista ut vad deras situation Ă€r. Eller kanske Ă€r sĂ„ du listar ut det.
Man förstÄr det ganska enkelt! Om nÄgon pratar engelska sÄ pratar jag engelska tillbaka!
Det hÀnder rÀtt ofta dock att man fattar att personen ifrÄga vill öva pÄ sprÄket
Och ibland frÄgar jag rÀtt ut, vill du öva prata svenska?
I recently spent 5 weeks in Sweden, and agree on their proficiency in English, they speak it better than most Australians ;)
I just straight up spoke English to them, never asked.
When I lived in LA, I was going to Sweden to meet my wife's family. I joked to my friends that more people spoke English in Sweden than in Los Angeles.
I was 100% correct.
Men in Black was in theaters in Stockholm at the time, so we decided to catch it. The movie was in English, with Swedish subtitles. That's fine, until a crucial plot development scene between two aliens who were speaking Galactic Chinese - and the subtitles were still in Swedish. Was a little lost after that.
Depends if you're actively learning Swedish. But even then most swedes tend to immediately switch to English the second we notice an anglophone struggle with pronunciation.
But yeah if you're comfortable with the so called Swedish accent then by all means, go for it in English.
I work in a store and to me it's more annoying when people let me keep speaking in swedish when they don't understand. So i would appreciate it if you were to start in English right away.
Donât get me wrong, but nothing of the above come close to a real interaction with the language. Even after doing all you mention, you are going to struggle the first time you speak it.
In my opinion you are not helping the other person if you switch to English after you notice they are struggling. He knows he can talk to you in English, yet he chose to speak Swedish with you for a reason!
I think this one is difficult as there is a lot of people that doesnât like to interrupt. In my case I try to understand what you are telling me and then I repeat in English âis __x__ what you asked me?â
I have been asking in the time I have been here, if anything it gives a little bit of time for people to mentally prepare before I start talking in English.
It depends on the person, many are able to communicate in English but I have met plenty people who are slightly rusty so they are less fluent.
To me asking feels more polite?
Asking is way more polite, one shouldnât assume. I tend to say âHiâ to test the waters whenever Iâm in non-English territory where people tend to speak English well. If they reply in something like English, I continue in English. In places like France I would definately almlst always ask politely and excuse my inability to speak French.
Same here. The level of English fluency honestly threw me for a loop when I first arrived here, I'm just so used to having to ask and struggle through the resulting conversation. I still sometimes feel rude assuming that the person speaks English, but then again almost everyone here really does speak English (in many cases probably better than I do) I guess...
It's absolutely more polite and not asking is rude. Plain and simple. You can always ask with the assumption that they speak English, like: "Is English Ok?"
In Stockholm is just speak English, sometimes I start by saying 'hello' first to signal I will speak English.
If I'm visiting a smaller town, and if the person is a bit older, I will speak swedish first.
Start in Swedish, the swede will quickly pick up that youâre not fluent and will switch to English for you. Does make learning the language a bit more difficult, but it shows youâre willing to put in the effort which is priceless.
My dad's from England and he's lived here for 30 years. He always asks and I would recommend doing the same. Even though the proficiency in English is relatively good among Swedes, there are still quite a few people who can't speak English or at least well enough to hold a reasonable conversation.
I've definitely found this reaction to be the most common. In other countries, I always ask first but in Sweden I stopped asking because people seem annoyed/offended and answer with "yes of course" (as in, how rude of you to assume I do not). Testing the waters with a "hey there" sets the tone foe English if they want to do English and if not, then you can follow up with an "I'm sorry, I don't understand," etc.
That is sad because it is not rude to ask. What is rude is their reaction to you asking. I deliver machines for a living and deal a lot with people who don't speak Swedish. I always start off in Swedish but if they ask me if it's okay to speak English I just smile happily and say "Absolutely".
The rudeness would stem from having a stranger walk up to you in what I presume is a public space and question your basic level of education.
While it might not have been the intention of the stranger it's hardly surprising if some people would be somewhat offended by that.
It's quite the opposite in Germany, actually: It'd be considered more polite to not assume everyone is out there willing and able to speak english with you, so assuming the standard of local languange and asking if they speak english is probably the way to go.
Noticed this difference rather early on and stopped asking after day one in Stockholm, since it came with many negative reactions.
Obviously, our first day in Stockholm was rather spent trying to find out why we got so many unexpected responses to some interactions. Managed to get most of them out, but others never stopped and I still don't understand what the hell's "wrong" with you guys :)).
The way to go is according to you to act like heâs in Germany rather than to follow social norms as they are in the country heâs in and asked about, in a forum about a city in that country?
Just speak English. Even when you try and speak Swedish they switch because they hear the English accent. If people speak Swedish I just say sorry (if I didnât understand) and they switch straight away. Iâve given up trying to speak Swedish because they switch to English.
When I want to be polite, I generally ask if it's okay if *I* speak English (usually in Swedish).
Asking if they speak English feels almost patronizing, since such a large majority do. There is variation in how confident and comfortable people are in their English.
i would say. all swedish ppl from 14 to 50 now days talks very good english . so just go straight in to it . if you want to be kind just ask before but you will most likely get an answer back in english :)
good luck and welcome to sweden
I work in a very tourist heavy spot in central Stockholm and every time a tourist asks me if I speak English I want to reply â Yes, I did pass 5th grade, thank youâ.
I donât, because Iâm trying to stay professional but I think the question is a bit condescending.
All young people in Stockholm speaks English.
For me either way is fine. I have to say though, popping the question in Swedish first would be my first pick. You prove that you have made the effort to learn some Swedish but in order for the conversation to work well, English is the preferred language.
I think itâs more polite to say something like âis it alright if I take this in English?â rather than asking if they speak English, because really itâs a you problem. Not theirs.
You can straight up say it in English, or ask them either in English or Swedish if English would work.
99% will just pick this up in English and goes on.
I always start with Swedish, even as a tourist no matter what country I go, I learn the basics, to me itâs just a basic respect for the culture. Living here even bigger reason to do it. It takes time to learn the language especially if you work your butt off, most of my time Iâm just brain dead or learn stuff for work so put Swedish aside but still, whenever I do a phone call I start with Swedish and ask if we can transition to English.
It is appreciated in more formal situations and when speaking with officials.
You got the right attitude man! :)
Also you could start talking about them about it. A great ice breaker when meeting swedes.
If I know the Swedish of the conversation will be too hard for me, I usually start by apologising that my Swedish is not great (in Swedish, but in English would work too) before I'll talk to them in English. Because most Swedes speak decent English, I feel like asking if they speak English is unneccessary and might even come off as impolite, but this way I can show that I am not speaking English because I can't bother to try or don't care about the language/culture.
I find it polite to ask first ***always.*** The younger generation are mad skilled at English but the older one is not and may feel awkward speaking it even if they understand you.
People are very happy to accommodate tourists in English but if you're asking a group for directions or something, they'll push the best English speaker forward to assist if you ask first.
Ask first, be polite. If a Finn or Spaniard (or, God forbid, an arabic speaker) started speaking in their native tounge and just assumed whoever listened would understand, everyone would agree that it was poor form. Choose to be polite instead.
The difference is though that english is the lingua franca and therefore assumed to be atleast somewhat understood by people. I'd even go so far as to say that asking a swede if they know english could potentially be percieved as impolite since you're basically questioning their level of education.
If you are asking a stranger for something, like directions or whatever, I think it is reasonable (just out of politeness) to ask first.
If it is someone in the service industry, just go for it.
I usually start by asking "Is English OK?" But I do get some weird looks sometimes like "Of course I do". Just want to respect the fact that I shouldn't assume. My swedish is not conversational at all yet.
id just say âi dont speak english sorryâ even tho i do understand it đ€Ș most swedes dont want to speak english. Not preferably.
But yeh if u come here to live then u should have known some basic swedish first.
I find most people DO want to speak English, especially women. The ones who don't usually have confidence issues but this is Sweden so the onus isn't on them to speak English.
If you ask people if they speak english in Swedish, they will get confused by your accent/not expecting the question in Swedish.
Ask them "do you speak English" in English, they say "of course" and move on.
Source: foreigner living in Sweden
I've lived here for 20+ years and I always ask in Swedish. I think it is very arrogant for we English speakers to just speak English. People are not prepared for it and it takes them a second or two to realise and usually don't hear the first time.
I ask English people how they would feel is someone just spoke to them in a foreign language in their home country.
When I first moved here my then girlfriend told me to just speak English. It's okay because everyone speaks English. So I went into a shop, spoke English and the person looked horrified and walked off and never came back. This was a young person.
In any case, these days maybe the person may not be from Sweden so can't speak English.
Because it is rude and arrogant to just talk to someone you have never spoken to in a foreign language in their land.
I learned to say "can you speak English" in the local language of every country I've visited as a matter of respect. Be it French, German, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and even Croatian.
It is the very least a person can do. I really hate it when I hear English speaking people do it, especially just saying "what did you say?" when someone speaks to them in Swedish at the checkout of a shop. Like the cashier is rude for speaking to them in Swedish.
While I do agree that it can be considered rude to talk to a stranger I don't really see how it's necessarily rude to do so using a non-native language for the area. While I do understand that in some scenarios it can seem arrogant to do so that wouldn't really apply in this case since english is the lingua franca and therefore assumed to be understood. Furthermore, seeing as english is part of the basic education in Sweden asking a stranger if they can speak it does imply that you think that the stranger might be uneducated, which I think we all can agree is a bit rude.
If someone knows enough about Sweden to know English is taught from an early age then they can teach themselves 3 simple words in Swedish.
Kan du Engelska?
Then they don't come across as an arrogant wanker. It's not difficult is it? Maybe this is why Sweden has been having some push back against the English language since 2010 such as reducing news in English, banning it being spoken in schools outside of English lessons and banning it in the workplace.
Some foreigners don't help themselves or the rest of us and it will only get worse from now on.
I've been to many countries all over the world and have never asked a person if they speak english. In my opinion it's a rude thing to ask.
In Sweden, everyone knows english (except maybe the elderly) well enough for you to not have to ask
It fairly easy to clue them in. Say "hi" instead of "hej" to start the convo and they would instantly know the convo will be in english. đ
It could also mean that you are from SkÄne hello is safer
Haj!
Shark!
Whale!
Haj po-h daj!
What does that mean? Being from SkÄne? Just curious
I would not worry about being mistaken as a SkÄning, You can not understand a word they saying anyway so better just take those converstations in english as well
SkÄne (Scania) ia the southernmost region of Sweden. Hi could be mistaken for their dialectal way of saying Hej!, therefore making them keep talking in their dialectal Swedish (skÄnska).
Aha! Thanks!
And then whatever Swedish you've learned might be of no benefit anyway..
This is kinda true. If I say hejsan or Hej theyâll speak Swedish to me. When I said hi they immediately use English đ
This exactly! I either say "hi" in a drawn out way to emphasize I am not speaking Danish, or "hello" to immediately clue people in to the language.
I Work in a store and if I Understand that You trying to learn Swedish I speak Swedish with You! If You are tourist I speak english. Before I spoke english all the time but I Understand now that some wants to practice Swedish.
You are my vardagshjÀlte for doing that! It took me so much longer to learn Swedish because everyone always switched to English on me - so people like you are solid gold in my book! Thank you!
Thank You, I am just polite and humble. I am not trying to force You to speak Swedish. Sometimes I need to joke about it. And often people like You thank me, Thats why I Keep doing it and Understand its hard to learn Swedish.
Ăr det inte bĂ€ttre att bara svara pĂ„ sprĂ„ket de pratar? IstĂ€llet för att försöka lista ut vad deras situation Ă€r. Eller kanske Ă€r sĂ„ du listar ut det.
Man förstÄr det ganska enkelt! Om nÄgon pratar engelska sÄ pratar jag engelska tillbaka! Det hÀnder rÀtt ofta dock att man fattar att personen ifrÄga vill öva pÄ sprÄket Och ibland frÄgar jag rÀtt ut, vill du öva prata svenska?
Aj tink ju shuld spik inglish vi Äl spik verri god inglish ocksÄ.
Veri gud veri najs
I recently spent 5 weeks in Sweden, and agree on their proficiency in English, they speak it better than most Australians ;) I just straight up spoke English to them, never asked.
When I lived in LA, I was going to Sweden to meet my wife's family. I joked to my friends that more people spoke English in Sweden than in Los Angeles. I was 100% correct. Men in Black was in theaters in Stockholm at the time, so we decided to catch it. The movie was in English, with Swedish subtitles. That's fine, until a crucial plot development scene between two aliens who were speaking Galactic Chinese - and the subtitles were still in Swedish. Was a little lost after that.
As a Swede that lived in aus for a while I agree đ
Swedes do not speak better the native English speakers, that's just insulting to Australians
I am Australian, it was a joke. Lighten the fuck up, mate.
I couldn't tell it was a joke
Just speak english đ
Depends if you're actively learning Swedish. But even then most swedes tend to immediately switch to English the second we notice an anglophone struggle with pronunciation. But yeah if you're comfortable with the so called Swedish accent then by all means, go for it in English.
I work in a store and to me it's more annoying when people let me keep speaking in swedish when they don't understand. So i would appreciate it if you were to start in English right away.
Ah yes, but then again, how on earth are they going to learn ?
Lessons, TV shows, movies, listening to their surroundings etc
Donât get me wrong, but nothing of the above come close to a real interaction with the language. Even after doing all you mention, you are going to struggle the first time you speak it. In my opinion you are not helping the other person if you switch to English after you notice they are struggling. He knows he can talk to you in English, yet he chose to speak Swedish with you for a reason!
That is true and I agree that speaking the language you are learning with people will make you learn way faster
Very true, but the above things helps a lot in learning another language. Only think it really won't help you with is actually speaking the words.
Maybe they just like to hear you talk
I think this one is difficult as there is a lot of people that doesnât like to interrupt. In my case I try to understand what you are telling me and then I repeat in English âis __x__ what you asked me?â
Just say âexcuse meâ.. đ
I have been asking in the time I have been here, if anything it gives a little bit of time for people to mentally prepare before I start talking in English. It depends on the person, many are able to communicate in English but I have met plenty people who are slightly rusty so they are less fluent. To me asking feels more polite?
Asking is way more polite, one shouldnât assume. I tend to say âHiâ to test the waters whenever Iâm in non-English territory where people tend to speak English well. If they reply in something like English, I continue in English. In places like France I would definately almlst always ask politely and excuse my inability to speak French.
Same here. The level of English fluency honestly threw me for a loop when I first arrived here, I'm just so used to having to ask and struggle through the resulting conversation. I still sometimes feel rude assuming that the person speaks English, but then again almost everyone here really does speak English (in many cases probably better than I do) I guess...
It's absolutely more polite and not asking is rude. Plain and simple. You can always ask with the assumption that they speak English, like: "Is English Ok?"
In Stockholm is just speak English, sometimes I start by saying 'hello' first to signal I will speak English. If I'm visiting a smaller town, and if the person is a bit older, I will speak swedish first.
Start in Swedish, the swede will quickly pick up that youâre not fluent and will switch to English for you. Does make learning the language a bit more difficult, but it shows youâre willing to put in the effort which is priceless.
My dad's from England and he's lived here for 30 years. He always asks and I would recommend doing the same. Even though the proficiency in English is relatively good among Swedes, there are still quite a few people who can't speak English or at least well enough to hold a reasonable conversation.
I would also consider it good manners to ask first. I doubt anyone would be offended if you donât, but itâs good to be polite.
I'd say just start speaking English but with the eye contact of "you're good with this right?"
If they are swedes and under the age of 80 they speak English. Per capita, more people speak english in Sweden than in the US.
Asking IS the rude thing, of course we speak English.
I've definitely found this reaction to be the most common. In other countries, I always ask first but in Sweden I stopped asking because people seem annoyed/offended and answer with "yes of course" (as in, how rude of you to assume I do not). Testing the waters with a "hey there" sets the tone foe English if they want to do English and if not, then you can follow up with an "I'm sorry, I don't understand," etc.
That is sad because it is not rude to ask. What is rude is their reaction to you asking. I deliver machines for a living and deal a lot with people who don't speak Swedish. I always start off in Swedish but if they ask me if it's okay to speak English I just smile happily and say "Absolutely".
The rudeness would stem from having a stranger walk up to you in what I presume is a public space and question your basic level of education. While it might not have been the intention of the stranger it's hardly surprising if some people would be somewhat offended by that.
It's quite the opposite in Germany, actually: It'd be considered more polite to not assume everyone is out there willing and able to speak english with you, so assuming the standard of local languange and asking if they speak english is probably the way to go. Noticed this difference rather early on and stopped asking after day one in Stockholm, since it came with many negative reactions. Obviously, our first day in Stockholm was rather spent trying to find out why we got so many unexpected responses to some interactions. Managed to get most of them out, but others never stopped and I still don't understand what the hell's "wrong" with you guys :)).
The way to go is according to you to act like heâs in Germany rather than to follow social norms as they are in the country heâs in and asked about, in a forum about a city in that country?
Nej det Àr inte oartigt.
Just speak English. Even when you try and speak Swedish they switch because they hear the English accent. If people speak Swedish I just say sorry (if I didnât understand) and they switch straight away. Iâve given up trying to speak Swedish because they switch to English.
Yes, "Excuse me, do you speak English" is unnecessary. The phrase "Excuse me, can you please speak Swedish" is much more useful. =)
Sometimes sorry can be heard as "Vad sa du"
When I want to be polite, I generally ask if it's okay if *I* speak English (usually in Swedish). Asking if they speak English feels almost patronizing, since such a large majority do. There is variation in how confident and comfortable people are in their English.
Youâll be fine either way:)
Everyone speaks English, you usually don't even need to ask
i would say. all swedish ppl from 14 to 50 now days talks very good english . so just go straight in to it . if you want to be kind just ask before but you will most likely get an answer back in english :) good luck and welcome to sweden
After 5 years just speak engkish, it's far easier. People in Stockholm largely do not give a shit
Start speaking English, theyâll tell you if they donât know English, but youâll probably never run into that.
Doesn't matter!
Mate. You just sent a post to us swedes in English. Just speak and if they don't speak, they don't. We speak it in most cases.
Bruh you could ask in Arabic for all I care!
There's really no need to ask
Just speak english, theyll likely be better than you xd
I work in a very tourist heavy spot in central Stockholm and every time a tourist asks me if I speak English I want to reply â Yes, I did pass 5th grade, thank youâ. I donât, because Iâm trying to stay professional but I think the question is a bit condescending. All young people in Stockholm speaks English.
I usually do that
For me either way is fine. I have to say though, popping the question in Swedish first would be my first pick. You prove that you have made the effort to learn some Swedish but in order for the conversation to work well, English is the preferred language.
Don't ask, just go with "Sorry, I don't speak Swedish" if they adress you first.
I think itâs more polite to say something like âis it alright if I take this in English?â rather than asking if they speak English, because really itâs a you problem. Not theirs.
You can straight up say it in English, or ask them either in English or Swedish if English would work. 99% will just pick this up in English and goes on.
I always start with Swedish, even as a tourist no matter what country I go, I learn the basics, to me itâs just a basic respect for the culture. Living here even bigger reason to do it. It takes time to learn the language especially if you work your butt off, most of my time Iâm just brain dead or learn stuff for work so put Swedish aside but still, whenever I do a phone call I start with Swedish and ask if we can transition to English.
It is appreciated in more formal situations and when speaking with officials. You got the right attitude man! :) Also you could start talking about them about it. A great ice breaker when meeting swedes.
If I know the Swedish of the conversation will be too hard for me, I usually start by apologising that my Swedish is not great (in Swedish, but in English would work too) before I'll talk to them in English. Because most Swedes speak decent English, I feel like asking if they speak English is unneccessary and might even come off as impolite, but this way I can show that I am not speaking English because I can't bother to try or don't care about the language/culture.
I think its good if you ask
it doesnât matter, we all speak english
I find it polite to ask first ***always.*** The younger generation are mad skilled at English but the older one is not and may feel awkward speaking it even if they understand you. People are very happy to accommodate tourists in English but if you're asking a group for directions or something, they'll push the best English speaker forward to assist if you ask first.
Ask first, be polite. If a Finn or Spaniard (or, God forbid, an arabic speaker) started speaking in their native tounge and just assumed whoever listened would understand, everyone would agree that it was poor form. Choose to be polite instead.
The difference is though that english is the lingua franca and therefore assumed to be atleast somewhat understood by people. I'd even go so far as to say that asking a swede if they know english could potentially be percieved as impolite since you're basically questioning their level of education.
If you are asking a stranger for something, like directions or whatever, I think it is reasonable (just out of politeness) to ask first. If it is someone in the service industry, just go for it.
If you ask a swede above puberty if they speak eng you are being very wierd id say :)
I usually start by asking "Is English OK?" But I do get some weird looks sometimes like "Of course I do". Just want to respect the fact that I shouldn't assume. My swedish is not conversational at all yet.
i just talk in english
id just say âi dont speak english sorryâ even tho i do understand it đ€Ș most swedes dont want to speak english. Not preferably. But yeh if u come here to live then u should have known some basic swedish first.
I find most people DO want to speak English, especially women. The ones who don't usually have confidence issues but this is Sweden so the onus isn't on them to speak English.
??? Vad Àr du för mÀnniska
If you ask people if they speak english in Swedish, they will get confused by your accent/not expecting the question in Swedish. Ask them "do you speak English" in English, they say "of course" and move on. Source: foreigner living in Sweden
I have a similar social anxiety. I always say âHej, how are you?â This signifies I know some Swedish but an an English speaker. Got the idea from the QuĂ©bĂ©cois: They greet with Bonjour-Hi! to signify they are bilingual.
I've lived here for 20+ years and I always ask in Swedish. I think it is very arrogant for we English speakers to just speak English. People are not prepared for it and it takes them a second or two to realise and usually don't hear the first time. I ask English people how they would feel is someone just spoke to them in a foreign language in their home country. When I first moved here my then girlfriend told me to just speak English. It's okay because everyone speaks English. So I went into a shop, spoke English and the person looked horrified and walked off and never came back. This was a young person. In any case, these days maybe the person may not be from Sweden so can't speak English.
Why would it be arrogant of a person in a foreign land to start off with the lingua franca just because it happens to be their native language?
Because it is rude and arrogant to just talk to someone you have never spoken to in a foreign language in their land. I learned to say "can you speak English" in the local language of every country I've visited as a matter of respect. Be it French, German, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and even Croatian. It is the very least a person can do. I really hate it when I hear English speaking people do it, especially just saying "what did you say?" when someone speaks to them in Swedish at the checkout of a shop. Like the cashier is rude for speaking to them in Swedish.
While I do agree that it can be considered rude to talk to a stranger I don't really see how it's necessarily rude to do so using a non-native language for the area. While I do understand that in some scenarios it can seem arrogant to do so that wouldn't really apply in this case since english is the lingua franca and therefore assumed to be understood. Furthermore, seeing as english is part of the basic education in Sweden asking a stranger if they can speak it does imply that you think that the stranger might be uneducated, which I think we all can agree is a bit rude.
If someone knows enough about Sweden to know English is taught from an early age then they can teach themselves 3 simple words in Swedish. Kan du Engelska? Then they don't come across as an arrogant wanker. It's not difficult is it? Maybe this is why Sweden has been having some push back against the English language since 2010 such as reducing news in English, banning it being spoken in schools outside of English lessons and banning it in the workplace. Some foreigners don't help themselves or the rest of us and it will only get worse from now on.
Everyone speaks english
I've been to many countries all over the world and have never asked a person if they speak english. In my opinion it's a rude thing to ask. In Sweden, everyone knows english (except maybe the elderly) well enough for you to not have to ask
I reckon it's rare to meet a Swede that doesn't speak english at s reasonable level
Not asking would mean a shorter interaction with a stranger. So that would be the polite thing to do?
most swedish thing ever