How to start a conversation in Stockholm

Q Tja!StockholmHi!

• A Tja!Hi!
• A Hej!Hello!

They'll say Läget?How's it going?

"Tja" is the casual Stockholm hello.

Q Läget?How's it going?

• A Bra, själv?Good, you?

They'll say Nice. / Soft.Nice. / Chill.

Q Pratar du engelska?Do you speak English?

• A Ja, absolut.Yes, absolutely.
• A Lite grann.A little bit.

They'll say Vad behöver du?What do you need?

Q Förlåt, jag fattar inte.Sorry, I don't get it.

• A Ingen fara.No worries.

They'll say Jag kan säga det på engelska.I can say it in English.

Q Kan du prata lite långsammare?Could you speak a little more slowly?

• A Ja, självklart.Yes, of course.

Swedes switch to English the moment they hear you struggle. This is the sentence that keeps them in Swedish.

Q Hur säger man [ORD] på svenska?How do you say [WORD] in Swedish?

• A Man säger [ORD].You say [WORD].

They'll say Typ så. / Ungefär.More or less.

Q Var ligger [PLATS]?Where is [PLACE]?

• A Där borta. / Rakt fram. / Till vänster/höger.Over there. / Straight ahead. / To the left/right.

They'll say Det är nära. / Det tar typ [ANTAL] minuter.It's close. / It takes about [NUMBER] minutes.

Q Vi hörs!We'll be in touch!

• A Ja, vi hörs!Yes, talk soon!

They'll say Ha det bra!Take care!

Usually means nothing will happen. Say it back, mean it as much as they did, and take no offence.

Q Vad heter du?What's your name?

• A Jag heter [NAMN].My name is [NAME].
• A [NAMN]. Och du?[NAME]. And you?

They'll say Trevligt att träffas.Nice to meet you.

Heter is the verb for being called, so it is jag heter, never jag är for a name.

Q Var kommer du ifrån?Where are you from?

• A Jag kommer ifrån USA.I'm from the US.
• A Jag kommer ifrån England.I'm from England.

They'll say Vad kul, välkommen hit.How nice. Welcome here!

Var kommer du ifrån? and varifrån kommer du? are the same question. Answer with ifrån and you sound like you have said it before.

Q Pratar du svenska?Do you speak Swedish?

• A Jag pratar inte svenska.I don't speak Swedish.
• A Bara lite.Only a little.

They'll say Ingen fara, vi tar det på engelska.No problem, we'll do it in English.

Swedes switch to English the second they hear you struggle. Jag pratar inte svenska is the honest version; jag lär mig svenska keeps them in Swedish a little longer.

Q Är du här på semester?Are you here on vacation?

• A Ja, jag är här på semester.Yes, I'm here on vacation.
• A Nej, jag jobbar här.No, I'm working here.

They'll say Då har du tur med vädret.You're lucky with the weather, then.

Q Hur länge stannar du?How long are you staying?

• A Jag stannar en vecka.I'm staying a week.
• A Bara några dagar.Just a few days.

They'll say Då hinner du med Gamla stan.You'll have time for Gamla stan, then.

Q Vad jobbar du med?What do you do for work?

• A Jag jobbar som lärare.I work as a teacher.
• A Jag pluggar fortfarande.I'm still studying.

They'll say Spännande.Interesting.

Vad jobbar du med? is what a Swede actually asks, and it comes later in the evening than it would at home: work is not the opening question here.

Q Hur gammal är du?How old are you?

• A Jag är trettio.I'm thirty.
• A Jag är trettio år gammal.I'm thirty years old.

They'll say Samma här.Same here.

Jag är trettio år gammal is correct and almost nobody says all of it. Drop år gammal and give the number.

Q Och du då? Vad gör du?And you? What do you do?

• A Jag jobbar på ett kafé.I work at a café.

Och du då? is the standard turn-it-around. A question answered and not returned reads as you being finished talking.

Q Tack för senast!Thanks for last time!

• A Tack själv, det var kul!Thank you too — it was fun!

They'll say Vi måste ses igen snart.We should do it again soon.

Said the next time you meet anyone who hosted you, however long ago. There is no English for it, and not saying it is noticed.

Q Du kan ta av dig skorna där.You can leave your shoes there.

• A Såklart.Of course.

They'll say Häng jackan där.Hang your coat there.

Shoes off indoors, all year, no exceptions and no discussion. Take them off before you're asked.

Q Ska jag ta med något?Should I bring anything?

• A Bara dig själv.Just yourself.
• A Ta med nåt att dricka.Bring something to drink.

Q Har du tagit en nummerlapp?Have you taken a queue ticket?

• A Nej, var finns de?No — where are they?

They'll say Vid dörren.By the door.

Ticket queues run everything from the pharmacy to the deli counter. Standing in line without one gets you nowhere at all.

Q Är det ledigt här?Is this seat free?

• A Ja, varsågod.Yes, go ahead.

On a half-empty bus Swedes spread out. Sitting beside a stranger while seats are free is the odd move, not the polite one.

Q Ska du med på fredagsmys?Coming to fredagsmys?

• A Gärna, vad tar jag med?I'd love to — what shall I bring?

They'll say Bara chips, vi fixar resten.Just crisps — we'll do the rest.

Friday cosiness: sofa, tacos, television. A real national institution, with its own name and its own crisps.

Q Vi får se.We'll see.

• A Okej, hör av dig.Okay — let me know.

They'll say Jag återkommer.I'll get back to you.

Swedish for no, most of the time. Ask once more and you'll get a straight answer; ask twice and you won't.

Q Är det lagom?Is that about right?

• A Perfekt, lagom.Perfect — just right.

Lagom is the national value: not too much, not too little. Used about a measure, it is a compliment.