Common questions

Do I need to know any Swedish to start?

No — you need English, and nothing else. It opens with greetings, the three letters English doesn't have (å, ä, ö), and a plain-language primer on words like noun and verb, so nothing later assumes you did grammar at school.

Pronunciation is the thin part: a short note and a link out to a video, not a course in the sounds. Most of what you pick up there comes from listening to the clips.

Who is it for?

People settling in Sweden who need the language for an actual life here — the letter from the landlord, the signs at the station, the news everyone else has already heard. That goal is what decides the content: from the second level onwards the situational vocabulary leans towards housing, money, appointments, work and bureaucracy rather than holiday phrases.

How far will it get me?

Work through everything finished today and you're at the far end of beginner Swedish — CEFR A1. Short written Swedish about everyday things starts to make sense, and words you know begin surfacing out of speech that used to be a wall.

That's a beginning rather than fluency — exam boards put A1 at around seventy hours of study. It's the floor everything above it stands on, and the next level is being written now.

How is it different from the big language apps?

Two things, mostly. The real thing — podcasts, news, video made for Swedes — sits beside the lessons from the first week, rather than being something you graduate to; and the progress numbers are built to be honest rather than encouraging. A word counts as known when you recalled it after three weeks or more, not when you tapped it right once.

There are also no streaks on by default, no hearts, and no notifications designed to guilt you back. About has the longer version.

Is it finished?

No. Beginner level is the solid part — a path the whole way through, most of it voiced. Above that there are lessons, but they change week to week. Keep at it and you'll reach the end of what exists; the front page shows where that is.

Is there audio?

Most words, sentences and stories at beginner level can be heard. A few clips didn't come out well enough to keep, so those are either silent or read by your own device's voice. Higher levels have nothing yet.

Nothing quizzes you on what you heard. Listening here is something you do, not something you're graded on.

Is the voice a real person?

No, it's synthetic. I listen to every clip before it goes in and throw out the bad ones, but some get past me — if a clip sounds wrong, a translation looks off, or a link is dead, tell me. The podcasts and videos are the opposite: real Swedes, not slowed down for learners.

Will it teach me to speak?

No. Nothing here listens to you. Speaking needs other people — a conversation group, a course, a patient colleague. What this can do is get you to the point where you understand what they say back.

Is it free?

Yes, and there's no billing anywhere in the app. If that ever has to change, you'll hear it from me well before it does.

Is there an app to install?

It's a website, built for a phone screen first. Add it to your home screen and it behaves like an app. There's nothing in an app store.

How do I get an invite?

Ask — no waiting list, nothing to sign up for. Tell me who you are and why you're learning Swedish, and I'll write back either way, including when there's nothing free just now. It's invite-only because one person runs it, not to make it feel exclusive.

What happens to my data?

It stays in Europe, and none of it is sold, shared or used to train anything. You can have a copy or have it deleted whenever you ask. The privacy page has the detail.

Which languages does it teach?

Only Swedish. Nothing else is written, and there's no date for another language.