How Long Does It Take To Learn Swedish? An Honest Guide For Beginners

How long does it take to learn Swedish? If you've already begun learning Swedish or are looking into courses to sign up for you're probably asking yourself this question.

And the truth is that learning Swedish could take more or less time depending on your previous experience learning languages and your skills.

Not the answer you wanted to hear? Listen, I won't be able to pinpoint exactly how long it will take for you to learn Swedish. But I hope the answer to that will be much clearer after this guide. 

In this article, you'll discover the factors that come into play when learning a new language and, more specifically, when answering the question: how long does it take to learn Swedish?

You can get a preview of what they are in the table of contents below.

Let's begin, shall we?

1. Your Native Language

Back when I taught English, it was helpful to know what my students' native languages were. This let me understand what kind of linguistic skills they had.

If they already spoke a language that used, for example, a similar word order to English, then they already had an advantage.

Identifying how their language was similar to English to learn went a long way when wanting to understand how the grammar or word order works.  

If you already speak a language that is similar to Swedish, like one of the Germanic languages, it will be easier for you to pick up Swedish. Let's take a look at the language branch that Swedish lies on. 

Swedish is a part of the north Germanic branch, together with Danish, Norweigan, Icelandic and Faroese. These are languages that are similar to each other and often share words or have a similar word order. It will be easier to learn Swedish if you already speak one of these languages or have studied them a little. 

You probably haven't done that, and that's completely okay! Swedish is also part of the Germanic branch, so if you speak, for example, English, it will likely be easier than for most to learn Swedish.

But don't despair if your native language isn't a Germanic language. You'll still be able to learn Swedish fluently if you want. There are more things that influence how easy it is to learn Swedish!

2. Your Language Learning Experience

Your previous language learning experience can play a significant role when you learn a new language. If you've already learned a language, you've hopefully found effective study techniques that make getting fluent easier. 

The pros of already speaking a second language are also that you have a better grasp of grammar and differences between languages. It will be easier to understand how this new language works, and perhaps you've even learned a language with a word order similar to the one you want to learn.

Swedish uses V2 word order (the verb is always in the second place in a sentence), and if you already speak a language with that word order, like German or Danish, it will also be easier to learn Swedish. Check out my post on basic Swedish grammar for more on this.

Studies also show that children that grew up speaking two or more languages at home have an easier time as adults learning another language. So continue practising languages, and you'll have an easier time picking up new ones!

3. What Level Of Swedish Do You Want To Achieve?

When most people think of learning a new language, they often feel that they have to learn it to a fluent level. But the truth is that only you can decide what feels right for you.

Perhaps you only want to be able to converse in Swedish when you're on holiday? Maybe you don't feel the need to understand or read complex journals or books. 

You can decide by yourself to which level you want to learn Swedish, and you can choose to keep it at a more basic level if you'd rather do that. The most important thing is to get started and have fun with the language.

You don't have to speak at the most fluent level or even aim for that level to be able to learn Swedish and enjoy the process. 

The good thing about aiming for a simpler level is also that it will take a shorter time! Depending on how fluent in Swedish you want to become, the amount of time that it takes also changes.

So aim for an intermediate or upper-intermediate level (B1 or B2 respectively on the CEFR) if you want to be able to communicate in Swedish but at the same time learn the language quickly. 

4. Your Motivation To Learn Swedish

Motivation might be one of the most important factors when learning a new language. It makes you spend three hours studying one afternoon instead of going to the beach with your friends.

If you lack the motivation to learn Swedish, it will also take a longer time to become fluent in it because you are more likely to procrastinate. 

Before beginning to learn Swedish, it's essential to identify why you want to learn it, but also what study plan you have and what you will do if you lack the motivation to study one day.

Learning a new language is always challenging, so entering the experience with a solid plan is always a good thing; you can change it later on if it doesn't work for you. 

If you're motivated and enjoy the Swedish learning process, you'll not only learn the language faster, but you'll also find the process much more enjoyable and fun. And that's what language learning is about, isn't it?

5. Your Exposure To Swedish

It's quite a common notion that it's easier to pick up a language if you are exposed to it a lot, and that is true! Naturally, it will be easier to learn Swedish if you live in Sweden and are exposed to Swedish and Swedish speakers every day.

Perhaps you even work in a Swedish-dominated workplace where you have to speak Swedish daily. That will improve your Swedish even more, considering that it forces you to use it in everyday situations. 

While moving to Sweden sounds like a magic fluency pill, we all know expats who've lived abroad for 20 years but only have a basic level in the local language. So moving can help, it's no guarantee that you'll learn Swedish.

Besides, if you follow the rules of StoryLearning and read books to learn Swedish or short stories in Swedish, you can get fluent from home. As you read in Swedish at your level, you'll pick up new vocabulary and grammar naturally. And it'll soon become second nature.

As for learning to speak Swedish, it might be a good idea to find a study buddy or a Swedish tutor online. There are usually lots of language groups on the internet, and maybe you can find someone in your area as well.

You don't have to move to Sweden to still get that Swedish practice in, so hopefully, you can find someone like-minded near you!

How Long Does It Take To Learn Swedish? FAQ

So, How Long Does It Take To Learn Swedish?

So, to wrap up, how long does it take to learn Swedish? Well, it's a very individual journey. And it's different for everyone because other people have different prior experiences and skills. You have to think about the kind of skills you have that will make learning Swedish easier. 

But if you do want a general estimate to answer the question, how long does it take to learn Swedish?, you can refer to the United States Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which has made a list of which languages are easier or harder to learn for English-speakers.

Swedish is estimated to be one of the easiest languages on the list, and around 600-750 class hours are needed to reach “Professional Working Proficiency” in the language. That is approximately 24 to 30 weeks of studying, with about 25 hours per week. 

That is, honestly, not a lot of time if you're really dedicated to learning the language. If you just want to learn Swedish to a more basic level, reaching that level will take an even shorter time.

Because of that, Swedish might be a great language to start with if you want to learn more languages. It's relatively easy for English-speakers to learn, and you don't have to spend that long learning it before becoming good at it.

So good luck with your Swedish-learning journey!

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.