Swedish/Spelling

Grammar

The ng-sound

Normal case: tung, tvinga, sväng

Spelled gn when the ng-sound is followed by a n-sound: regn, lugn, ugn, inhägna

An exception to above is tvungna as the ng-spelling of this word is herited from the adjective tvungen.

Spelled nk when the ng-sound is followed by a k-sound: bank, vinkel, dunkel

The tj-sound

File:Uppsala domkyrka 1892, södra fasaden.png

Uppsala domkyrka

English examples of the tj sound: wash, fish, flush, shallow, ship

Before hard vowel, (at the beginning of words), the tj-sound is spelled tj.

tjusa, tjäna, tjalla, tjog

Before soft vowel, (at the beginning of words), the tj-sound is spelled k.

Kina, kela, kind, kärlek, kyrka, körsbär

When not at the beginning of words the tj-sound is spelled sch or rs.

dusch, usch

fors, färsk, kurs

Exceptions with tj-sound kjol, kiosk

The skj-sound

Before soft vowel the skj-sound is spelled sk.

File:Vasa from port1.jpg

Regalskeppet Vasa, Stockholm

skepp, skinn, sky, skärm, sköld

Before hard vowel the skj-sound is spelled skj.

skjorta, skjul, skjuta

Before the soft vowel ä the skj-sound is sometimes spelled stj.

stjärna, stjärt, stjälk

For some exceptions the skj-sound is spelled sj.

sju, sjätte

For some exceptions in beginning of words, before a soft vowel the skj-sound is spelled g.

generell, generös, giraff

Before hard vowel in some borrowed words spelled ch.

choklad, chock, chans

Before o in some borrowed words spelled ti.

station, situation, aktion

Initial sch

schack, schampo

The j-sound

jord, boj,

djup, djungel, djärv, djur

gärna, ge

gjuta, gjorde

hjärna, hjälp

ljuvlig, ljus

The rd and rt-sounds

Pronounced with soft r and long preceding vowel .

ord, börda

kort, art

The r-sound

This sound depends strongly on dialect. There are five variants.

The s-sound

sång, stilla, bas

cykel, cyklop, cyanid, Cecilia

Z is pronounced like s.
zink, zoo, zon

Example Sentences

Många ugnar görs i Kina. Many ovens are made in China.

Hjärnan är jättestor. The brain is huge.

I djungelns djup finns många djärva djur. Deep in the djungle there is a lot of brave animals.

I skjulet finns skjorta. In the shed there is shirt.

Example Text

Drottning Kristinas far, Gustav II Adolf, lät bygga regalskeppet Vasa år 1628. Skeppet sjönk på sin jungfrufärd eftersom det var för rankt byggt. Anders Franzén återfann det sjunkna skeppet 1956. Det bärgades och konserverades och finns nu på Vasamuséet i Stockholm.

The father of Queen Christina, Gustav II Adolf, built the warship Vasa in the year 1628. The ship sank on its maiden voyage as it was too unstable. Anders Franzén found the sunken ship in 1956. It was brought up and preserved and is now exposed at the Vasa museum in Stockholm.

Exercises

Pronounce these words

A) juni, hjul, jul, djur, gjuta, gubbe, galt, hjort, hjässa, ge, ljuvlig

B) kurva, tjusig, köra, kärv, kär, tjäle, tjockis, varsel, mars, kjol

C) skalle, sjal, stjälpa, skjorta, sko, skinn, generad, gumma, gäst, ljus

D) vart, färd, fart, hord, rabbla, borra, bura in, barrikad

E) vagn, dunge, djungel, ting, stygn, tvungna, ringla

F) bastu, vass, central, Barsebäck, morsning, kross, brons

Translate into English
1. Ett skepp med körsbär kommer från Kina.
2. Cecilia är en schackspelare.
3. Djur ska inte tvättas med schampo.
4. Giraffer och zebror är afrikanska djur.
5. Kring jul tänder man många ljus.

Translate into Swedish
6. You will gain on it!
7. There is a shot giraffe in the shed.
8. Venus is bright, but it is not a star!
9. I bought two skirts in a kiosk.
10. A lot of species have brains.

Answers to Exercises