Swedish Language Classes
Learn Swedish with us!
Learning Swedish with the Swenson Center
Want to learn Swedish?
The Swenson Center is proud to offer two exciting options for learning the Swedish language: (1) group classes designed for community members of all ages; and (2) individual tutoring sessions that are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. The group classes are structured, meet once a week for 60 minutes over 6 weeks, and follow a four-course sequence that will take you from beginning Swedish (Hej! Hej då!) all the way through to complex sentence structures and conversation. The individual tutoring sessions are more flexible, and allow the student to engage in more targeted topics---perfect for supplementing material learned in the classes, fine-tuning specific skills, or brushing up on vocabulary or grammar before a trip. In both settings, students will learn skills in reading, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking.
Both classes and tutoring sessions are held virtually. Students will need a computer with a microphone, speakers and camera, internet access, and a Zoom account.
Classes will use the workbook Basic Swedish: A Grammar and Workbook by Ian Hinchliffe and Philip Holmes, which can be purchased from Routledge and Amazon.
Enrollment in the group classes is set at a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 20. Tell your friends! If classes don’t make enrollment they may be canceled.
***If you try to register (RSVP) for the classes listed below and receive an error message saying that the form has been disabled, it means that the course is already underway. Don't worry! Another course will be open for registration soon!***
Upcoming Group Classes
Instructors
Alex Hart
Alex is a bachelor's graduate of the Swedish program at Augustana College. They have been intertwined with the language department's activities all throughout their attendance and beyond the diploma, having taken part in peer tutoring, hosting the Swedish language table, studying abroad in Jönköping, and more. Alex's passion for helping others further their own linguistic interest is paralleled with a background in anthropology and an appetite for the multi-cultural. They are very excited to be presenting these courses on Swedish for the community and hope that their knowledge and passion will help inspire others to keep learning about what interests them most.
Group Class Descriptions
Are you learning Swedish before an upcoming trip to Sweden? Tracing your family lineage? Trying to read great-grandma's letters? Vocabulary and course content is tailored to you! Below are some examples of topics covered in each level.
Swedish 1
This class is designed for those completely new to Swedish. In Swedish 1, students learn the Swedish alphabet and get familiar with the language’s sounds. Noun gender is introduced and discussed at length, and students break the ice by speaking and listening to the new words they are learning. Numbers are also taught, allowing for discussion on how to tell time and calendars.
This class heavily uses the book Basic Swedish: A Grammar and Workbook by Ian Hinchliffe and Philip Holmes, part of the Routledge Grammar Workbooks series.
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Alphabet & Sounds (with the letters å, ä, ö)
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Basic Vocab & Sentences
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Asking Age and Phone Numbers
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Personal Pronouns: Subject & Object
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Noun Gender (en vs. ett)
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Definite Form of Nouns
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Plural Nouns
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Verb Basics
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Adjective Basics
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Cardinal Numbers
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Basic Time Words
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Telling Time on a Clock
Swedish 2
In Swedish 2, students build on their prior basics of Swedish to form more complex sentences. Word order is discussed at length, guiding students on how to form questions and statements alike. Working vocabulary will be bolstered with adjectives such as colors and words of quantity, all during discussion of engaging topics such as family and holidays. Conversation is a cornerstone of activity in this course.
Enrollment in Swedish 1 is not a requirement to join! (The book from Swedish 1 is still heavily recommended, however.)
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Basic Word Order : Questions and Statements
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Demonstrative nouns (denna, etc.)
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Reflexive nouns (sig, etc.)
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Possessive nouns (min, din, etc.)
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Color Adjectives
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Quantity Adjectives (många, mycket, etc.)
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Helping Verbs and Basic Adverbs
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Forming Future and Complex Past Tenses
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Family and Swedish Kinship
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Seasonal/holiday words and songs
Swedish 3
Swedish 3 invites students to expand upon what they can say through a heavy focus on prepositions and common topics of conversation. Prepositions of location add the ability to talk about objects in space. Comparative and superlative adjectives, along with discussion about types of clauses, lead students to consider how they can start making Swedish a language of their own!
Enrollment in Swedish 1 or 2 is not a requirement to join! (The book from Swedish 1-2 is still heavily recommended, however.)
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Ordinal Numbers
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Prepositions of Time & More About Calendars
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Prepositions of Location
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Comparative and Superlative Adjectives (ex. more vs. most)
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Main Clauses vs. Dependent Clauses
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Conjunctions
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Vocabulary: Geography and Animals
Swedish 4
Over the course of Swedish 4, students learn complex verbs and sentence structure within Swedish. This course places an even greater emphasis on conversation, pushing students to explore the language and layer on their core vocabulary with subjects they’re interested in. Discussion of dialectal and generational variety in the language rounds out the topics included in this series.
Enrollment in Swedish 1-3 is not a requirement to join! (The book from Swedish 1-3 is still heavily recommended, however.)
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Passive Verbs
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Intransitive and Reflexive Verbs
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Relative Clauses
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Seasonal holiday words and songs
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Adverbs of Direction and Location
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Dialects and Generational Differences
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Compound Words, Loanwords, and Nativization
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Affixation: Prefixes and Suffixes
Individual Tutoring
In addition to our group classes, the Swenson Center offers individual hourlong tutoring sessions. Our instructor, Alex K. Hart, will meet with you in these one-on-one virtual sessions to help you understand and practice for whatever you might need svenska for. There is no long-term commitment---you can book as many or as few tutoring sessions as you need!
Cost per 60-minute session:
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$20 for Swenson Center members
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$25 for non-members.
Registration
Registration for these sessions is an easy, two-step process:
(1) Book your dates and times at Alex's online booking form, then
(2) Pay for the lesson via the Swenson Center's payment form.
Please RSVP for each session at least 48 hours in advance. Tutoring sessions are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Alex has timeslots available going out to a month, so check back often!
Policies
Registration (Group Classes)
Register for group classes online (or by check or by phone with a credit card). Registration is confirmed upon receipt of payment.
Registration (Individual Tutoring Sessions)
Registration for group classes is online only. Registration is confirmed upon receipt of payment. Please notify the Swenson Center with any issues regarding registration for individual tutoring sessions.
Cancelations (Group Classes)
Students will be notified if the class is canceled and will receive a full refund. If you need to cancel your registration you need to do so at least 7 days in advance of the beginning of class and you will receive a refund minus a $15 processing fee. If you cancel within 7 days of the start of class or after the class has begun you will not receive a refund.
Cancelations (Individual Tutoring Sessions)
Students will be notified if the session is canceled by the Swenson Center and will receive a full refund. Students needing to cancel their registration in advance must do so at least 24 hours in advance of the session's start time, and will receive a refund minus a $5 processing fee . All other cancellations will not receive a refund.
Separate from Augustana College Classes
These classes are different from the Swedish language classes offered at Augustana College, but may be taught by the same faculty members. Augie students are welcome to sign up for the Swenson Center language classes, but they will not receive college credit and this class will not count toward the college language requirement.