Easy‑going atmosphere at beginner's course in Swedish

The beginner's course has been going on for four months and already the teacher Helena Andersson speaks almost exclusively Swedish in class. 

"It's great!  Here we get to speak Swedish, we don't do that much otherwise at work," says Faeze Zakaryapour Sayyad from Iran, who has been in Sweden for just over a year.

Normally there are just over 20 people in the group, but in May is a busy month so today there are only five.

Today's lesson will be about the future tense, "I'm going to...". Helena starts the lesson by asking everyone what they are going to do tonight, this weekend or on their holiday. All course participants are engaged and answer the questions. Helena corrects mistakes and offers support when they can't find the words, always in a friendly way. Gabriela Paladino is going to have a barbecue on the beach this weekend and celebrate her native Argentina's national day. Qing He from China is going by train to Stockholm.

Helena Andersson teaches the course.

The participants know each other, some from before and others from the course. The atmosphere is easy-going and no one seems to worry about saying the wrong thing. They often listen to Swedish music and play Swedish board games in class.

"It's a great way to learn Swedish, and it's fun! says Faeze.

The course has two meetings a week and the participants think it is good.

"But it's difficult (svårt in Swedish) to find time to study between courses," says Gabriela. 

She hesitates a little between the words svart (black) and svårt (difficult) and Helena immediately takes the opportunity to sort out the difference. She writes on the board and the group gets to pronounce the words together.

Eiray Saqib, PhD student in electronics, Qing He, researcher in computer engineering, and Juan Arrigoni, researcher in environmental science.

Everyone says that they would recommend the course to a colleague. They are very satisfied with both the course and the teachers. 

"And we get really nice books!" says Juan Arrigoni, who comes from Argentina and has been in Sweden for five years. 

"Jag älskar min lärare (I love my teacher)," concludes Faeze Zakaryapour Sayyad with a smile.

Most of the interview was conducted in Swedish.

Facts about the course

The beginner's course is intended to support you in your language development. The goal is to be able to participate in everyday conversations and to be able to assimilate information in society and at Mid Sweden University.

Read about the course and register

There is also a continuation course where the goal of the course is to continue developing Swedish language skills, including being able to talk about one's work in Swedish and participate in work-related conversations as well as being able to express oneself in writing.

Read about the continuation course 

These courses are intended to support you in your language development regardless of your starting point. Whether you are new to Sweden or have lived here for several years you will find them useful.

Both courses have meetings every week. The courses are conducted in both Sundsvall and Östersund.