Swedish/Lesson 2
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[edit] Dialogue
Hans - a German tourist - is driving through Skåne in southern Sweden with his caravan looking for a place to stay the night. He meets Johan - a local Swedish farmer.
Hans: Ursäkta mig. Vet ni var husvagnscampingen ligger någonstans?
English: Excuse me. Do you know where the caravan camp is located?
Johan: Ja, det är bara att följa den här vägen 5 kilometer och sedan svänga vänster.
English: Yes, just follow this road for 5 kilometers and then turn left.
Hans: Tack så mycket! Jag har letat i flera timmar.
English: Thank you very much! I have been looking for hours.
Johan: Det är ingen fara. Fin husvagn förresten. Var kommer du ifrån?
English: Don't worry about it. Nice caravan by the way. Where're you from?
Hans: Jag kommer från Tyskland och är här i Sverige på semester över sommaren. Som du kanske förstod.
English: I'm from Germany and I'm here in Sweden on vacation during the summer. As you might have imagined.
Johan: Jo, det är ju många tyskar som kommer hit under sommaren.
English: Yes, there are many Germans coming here during the summer.
Hans: Kanske för att Sverige är så underbart. Hur som helst måste jag åka nu. Tack så mycket för hjälpen igen!
English: Maybe because Sweden is so wonderful. Anyhow I have to go now. Thanks so much for the help again!
Johan: Ha en trevlig semester. Hej då!
English: Have a pleasant vacation. Good bye!
[edit] Traveling
Traveling in Sweden is easy. Most people understand and speak good English. Some people are also skilled in German, French, Spanish, and Finnish. Most Swedes can easily understand Norwegian and well articulated Danish.
The biggest railway company is Statens Järnvägar (State Railroads).
The dominating airline company is Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). SAS is a member of Star Alliance.
There are also buses traveling all over the country. The biggest provider of long distance bus travel is Swebus Express.
[edit] Driving
In Sweden, driving is done on the right side of the road. For some rules and regulations, see Vägverket (Swedish Road Administration). You can drive freely for one year on a valid non-Swedish driving licence, and forever if you have a driving licence from an EEA country. Swiss or Japanese drivers’ licences can be exchanged for a Swedish licence for permanent residents.
Use of public transportation (like bus or train) is encouraged. In Stockholm, there is a new charge for motorists to reduce congestion on the streets (see The Local).
[edit] Allemansrätten - All People's Right
In Sweden, one is allowed to walk in forests and fields and pick berries, mushrooms and flowers, even if it is on private property. This is in Swedish called 'allemansrätten'. There are some restrictions, which mostly fall under rules of politeness. For instance, one should not camp directly in another's front yard, nor can one light a fire if fire restrictions are in effect. You should not pick flowers that are rare or planted. You can camp one night on another's land. This right does not extend to littering or bothering the animals, and you must pack out everything you take in, and only take fallen wood for a fire.
[edit] Currency
The currency in Sweden is the Swedish krona (SEK) and öre, where 100 öre is 1 SEK. Öre are rounded to the nearest 50 öre. The exchange rate is about 10 SEK for 1 €. Many Swedes will use the word "crowns" for their currency, since that is the literal translation for kronor. To get cash in Sweden is easy, visit the closest ATM (called Bankomat or Minuten) with your VISA, MasterCard or similar.
[edit] Some Travel Vocabulary
- En bil - A car
- Bilen - The car
- Ett tåg - A train
- Tåget - The train
- En järnvägstation - A train station
- Järnvägstationen - The train station
- En buss - A bus
- Bussen - The bus
- En biljett - A ticket
- Biljetten - The ticket
- Biljettautomat - Automatic ticket machine (seen in train stations)
- Biljetten - The ticket
- En Karta - A Map
- Kartan - The Map
- En Bilkarta - A Roadmap
- Bilkartan - The Roadmap
- En Bilkarta - A Roadmap
- Kartan - The Map
