Basic Swedish phrases

Here are some basic Swedish phrases which you can use in everyday conversation, as well as some common words you will see on signs.

ja	yes
nej	no

tack	thanks, thank you; please (when used at the end of a sentence)
tack så mycket	thank you very much
ingen orsak	you're welcome

Saying hello and goodbye

Here are some different ways to greet people:

hej or hej hej	hi, hello
hejsan	hi (informal)

god dag	hello (literally: good day; can be used any time from morning until around 5pm)

god morgon	good morning (used until around 11am)
god förmiddag	good morning (used from around 11am until noon)
god middag	good afternoon (used around noon)
god eftermiddag	good afternoon (used from noon until around 5pm)
god kväll	good evening (used from around 5pm)

The following expressions, on the other hand, are some different things you can say when saying goodbye:

ursäkta mig	excuse me (to get someone's attention or to get past someone); sorry
förlåt	sorry

If someone apologises to you, you can reply using one of the following expressions:

inga problem	no problem
det gör inget	don't worry about it

pratar du engelska?	do you speak English?

jag pratar inte svenska	I don't speak Swedish
jag pratar lite svenska	I speak a little Swedish
jag pratar väldigt lite svenska	I only speak very little Swedish

var snäll och prata långsammare	please speak more slowly
kan du säga det igen?	could you please repeat that?

jag förstår	I understand
jag förstår inte	I don't understand

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