Speaking Swedish

In Sweden we speak Swedish, a North Germanic language. Swedish is also one of two official languages in Finland. Every year thousands of students choose to learn Swedish at universities around the world.

Originally, Swedish comes from Old Norse, the common language in Scandinavia during the Viking Era. Norwegians, Danes, Swedes and to some extent Icelanders normally understand each other. The Finns, on the other hand, speak a completely different language with roots in the socalled Uralic languages. When you read Swedish, you might recognise some words, because many words have German, French and English origin. They are often transcribed to the Swedish spelling system, though.