Nowadays there are tons of free content available to learn a language on your own, but sometimes you just want to get off the internet, get a cup of coffee and sit down somewhere to relax and focus. Here’s where the traditional way of learning with books comes in.
Now, languages change over time, so to make sure that you learn contemporary Swedish, we have put together a list for you with the best books to master Swedish in 2023.
1. Complete Swedish
Anneli Haake
A perfect book for self-study is Complete Swedish which will take your Swedish from a beginner level to an intermediate level. It focuses on reading, writing, and speaking and is a great way to start your journey as well as introducing structure into your study routine from day one.
2. A Lagom Guide to Swedish
Joakim Andersson
Of course we have to add “Say it in Swedish”‘s own book A Lagom Guide to Swedish to this list. It is a comprehensive study buddy, an encyclopedia of Swedish for all learning levels. It was created so that learners could look up anything regarding the Swedish language. It consists of small sticky-note sized chunks of information with an index in the back to make it easy to find anything you crave the answers to. It is your perfect study-buddy.
3. Villa Volvo Vovve
Catherine Edwards, Emma Löfgren
When learning Swedish, you will come across a bunch of words and phenomena that you have never encountered before. Villa Volvo Vovve (the Swedish version of the “American dream”) is a great way to learn about Sweden and Swedish beyond the Scandinavian lifestyle trends and stereotypes. It is truly a window into the every day life of a Swede – a tale told with the help of Swedish vocabulary.
4. Essentials of Swedish Grammar
Åke Viberg, Kerstin Ballardini, Sune Stjärnlöf
For those who like to go through a language piece by piece, a grammar book is a must. Essentials of Swedish Grammar is on the older side but it is a grammar book in English designed for learners (and not Swedes or Swedish linguists), which can be difficult to come by.
5. Langenscheidt Universal Dictionary Swedish
Langenscheidt Editorial Team
A good classic dictionary can never be the wrong thing to own when you want to master a language. The Langenscheidt Universal Dictionary for Swedish-English/English-Swedish is an excellent choice with 16,000 words. If you would also be interested in a dictionary that gives you pointers about a word’s pronunciation, you would normally need to search wide and far. Look no further! This book really has got you covered.