How do you pronounce and read Swedish in English?

Answer 1

The best way to learn Swedish pronunciation is by listening to a native Swedish speaker.

Then copy exactly what they say and the way they say it; mimic it if you like, and have them correct you if you get it quite wrong! This is the best way to get the correct (or almost correct!) pronunciation.

Watching Swedish television and films can also be helpful, especially if they are shown with Swedish sub-titles. Of course, you may not understand what they are saying, but if you copy the way they speak, your pronunciation will be perfect!

Next we come to reading. Ideally, reading should take place in conjunction with listening and speaking. In this way the visual image of the word(s) will be automatically associated with the sounds of the words.

Another way to learn Swedish pronunciation is by getting a learning DVD, or cassette recordings, and carefully following the lessons. For many this is a convenient way to learn.

If your preferred learning style is by reading, get a 'Learn Swedish' book. This will show you, not only the Swedish spellings but will also give you 'English equivalent' spellings, and/or show the words written in a phonetic alphabet, such as IPA.

One good Swedish Language course, in book + cassette form, is Hugo's "Swedish in Three Months" published by Dorling Kindersley. The introductory section is all about Pronunciation. This shows you, in easy steps, how to pronounce all the letters of the Swedish alphabet by using 'Imitated Pronunciation' and which will be close enough to 'real Swedish' for you to be understood.

After grasping how the letters are pronounced, the key elements of pronunciation are

1. Stress (syllable emphasis)
2. Vowel length (this is different from English, so pay good attention to this)
3. Rise and fall (melody)

FINALLY ... the secret of good pronunciation is : Practice! Practice! Practice!