Latest / Learn Swedish with Fexingo / Swedish at the Bookstore - Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swedish with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Happy Wednesday. Lucas: Today we are doing something different. We are not buying electronics or plants. Luna: No? What are we buying then? Lucas: We are going to a bookstore. A bokhandel. Luna: Oh, I love bookstores. The smell of paper is amazing. Lucas: It is very cozy. But sometimes it is hard to find what you want. Luna: Especially if you do not know the language yet. Lucas: Exactly. So let us start with the first phrase. It helps you tell the staff what you need. Luna: Okay. How do I say that? Lucas: Say: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Luna: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Lucas: Perfect. Let us break it down. Jag means I. Letar efter means looking for. Luna: Letar... efter... Lucas: En bok means a book. Om means about. Historia means history. Luna: So, I am looking for a book about history. Lucas: Yes. Try it again slowly. Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Luna: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Lucas: Good. Now say it normally. Fast and smooth. Luna: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Lucas: Nailed it. This is a very useful sentence. You can change historia to other topics. Luna: Like science? Or cooking? Lucas: Any topic. But today we stick to history. Let us imagine we are inside the shop. Luna: I am standing at the counter. What do I ask next? Lucas: If you are unsure, ask for help. Say: Har ni några rekommendationer? Luna: Har ni några rekommendationer? Lucas: Right. Har ni means do you have. Några means any. Rekommendationer means recommendations. Luna: Do you have any recommendations? Lucas: Yes. It is polite and opens up a conversation. Let me hear it. Har ni några rekommendationer? Luna: Har ni några rekommendationer? Lucas: Very good. The r in rekommendationer is soft. Like a gentle whisper. Luna: Got it. Har ni några rekommendationer. Lucas: Imagine the clerk smiles and points to a shelf. You walk over. Luna: I pick up a book. But I want to check the quality first. Lucas: Smart move. In Sweden, you can almost always open the book. Say: Kan jag bläddra i den här? Luna: Kan jag bläddra i den här? Lucas: Kan jag means can I. Bläddra means flip through. I den här means in this one. Luna: Can I flip through this one? Lucas: Yes. It shows you are serious about buying. Let's try it. Kan jag bläddra i den här? Luna: Kan jag bläddra i den här? Lucas: You sound like a local reader already. Very confident. Luna: Thanks. I feel more brave now. Lucas: Good. But wait. What if you are looking for a foreign author? Luna: Oh, right. I read a lot of English novels translated to Swedish. Lucas: They are usually in a separate section. Ask: Var ligger utländska författare? Luna: Var ligger utländska författare? Lucas: Var ligger means where is located. Utländska means foreign. Författare means authors. Luna: Where are the foreign authors? Lucas: Exactly. It is a long word, författare. But very common. Try it again. Var ligger utländska författare? Luna: Var ligger utländska författare? Lucas: Excellent. You are getting all the vowels right. Luna: I found the section. I picked a great book. What now? Lucas: Time to buy it. Take it to the register. Say: Jag köper den här. Luna: Jag köper den här. Lucas: Jag köper means I buy. Den här means this one. Luna: I buy this one. Lucas: Simple and direct. No need for extra words. Jag köper den här. Luna: Jag köper den här. Lucas: There you go. Five phrases for a perfect bookstore visit. Luna: Let's review them quickly before we go. Lucas: First: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Luna: Jag letar efter en bok om historia. Lucas: Second: Har ni några rekommendationer? Luna: Har ni några rekommendationer? Lucas: Third: Kan jag bläddra i den här? Luna: Kan jag bläddra i den här? Lucas: Fourth: Var ligger utländska författare? Luna: Var ligger utländska författare? Lucas: And fifth: Jag köper den här. Luna: Jag köper den här. Lucas: Wonderful work. You handled that like a pro. Luna: I feel ready to visit a real bokhandel tomorrow. Lucas: That is the goal. Small steps lead to big confidence. Luna: Before we finish, I want to mention something important. Lucas: Go ahead. Luna: If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, please consider supporting us. Lucas: Listener support keeps this show ad-free and alive. Luna: You can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — that's F. E. X. I. N. G. O. Lucas: It really helps us keep creating these episodes for you. Luna: Thank you so much. Now, back to our bookstore. Lucas: Yes. Imagine you just bought your history book. Luna: I have it in my bag. I am happy. Lucas: You used all five phrases correctly. That is great practice. Luna: I will use them again soon. I promise. Lucas: Keep practicing. See you next time. Luna: Hejdå!