Swedish Accent

Good morning, class! Today we're going to be learning how to speak English with a Swedish accent.



To start, we're going to listen to an actual Swedish person speak in English. Please click here. You'll be listening to the clip called "Sweden 3". Feel free to read along with the transcription. You'll find the link to it to the right of the link to "Sweden 3".



Don't worry if you didn't catch everything you were supposed to while you were listening to the recording. Luckily for you, we've provided you with a lovely chart explaining how to pronounce every letter with a Swedish accent.

A like in our "bar"
B just like in our English.
C can be pronounced like the c in "city" or the k-like c-sound in "cafe".
D like in our English, only with the tongue touching the upper teeth.
E like our long a ("may") or our short e ("get")
F just like in our English.
G like the g in "go" or the y in "yes".
H like in our "ham".
I is pronounced like an ee ("feet") or our short i ("icky").
J is pronounced like the y in "yes". It is never pronounced like the j in "jam"!!!
K can be pronounced like the k in "keep" or the ch in "chunky".
L is pronounced with the tip of the tongue straight and pressed close to the teeth without actually touching them.
M and N are just like in our English.
O can be pronounced like an oo ("soothe"), a long o ("donut"), or a short o ("hot").
P is just like in our English.
Q is just like in our English too, but 'q' is actually rarely to never used in actual Swedish.
R is rolled!
S is just like in our English.
T is pronounced with the tip of the tongue straight and touching the teeth.
U is pronounced like in "rude". There is no short u equivalent.
V is just like our English.
W is just like our English.
X is like in "exceed" but never like in "example".
Y sounds like the French u.
Z is pronounced with an "s" sound (as in "singer").

For actual sound files of each letter being pronounced, click here http://www2.hhs.se/isa/swedish/chap9.htm to go to the website where all this information was borrowed from.

O.K., let’s have some fun with Swedish accents.

1. Change the word “Yes” to “Yah” in this sentence.

“Yes I would like some pudding”.

2. Change the “u” sound in the first word of this sentence to the short vowel “o” sound, but elongate it like you just saw some fireworks.

“Pudding is good”.

3. Change the letter “j” to the letter “y” in the next sentence.

“You don’t like pudding, you must be joking”.

4. Change the short “I” vowel sound to the long “E” vowel sound in the word “give in the next sentence.

“Please give me some pudding”.

5. Now, try to combine all of these in a pair of sentences.

“Yes, give me some pudding, pudding is good.” “You must be joking when you say you don’t like pudding” “Give me your pudding”.

For even more Swedish fun, or if you just don't get it, here's a video for you to watch! (Just remember, you'll probably want a better Swedish accent than the Swedish chef!)


Just remember to keep practicing your Swedish accent, future actors! After all, if you don't, you might end up acting as a doctor with a fake Swedish accent on a daytime soap opera for the rest of your life. Have fun!

Donald Dinkins, Jacob Talbert, Jen Gulley, Laura Treat