Tutorial

Since I have a weekly lesson (yes, only once a week, I'm afraid... at this speed it will be a decade before I can even carry on a conversation), I thought that I would share the knowledge I have gained with all of you. So, here we go with some fun (and useful phrases). Warning: be careful how you pronounce them, though. I have been laughed at more than once for attempting to talk to my corridor mates in Swedish!

Välkommen! (sing.) = Welcome
Välkomna! (pl.)
*val-come-men/val-come-nah

Ursäkta= Excuse me, also used if you bump into someone on train, etc.
*this one is kinda hard to describe, it involves rounded, forward lips that actually MOVE
during the first syllable, but it sounds something like: eur-sek-tah

Vad heter du? = What is your name?
*va-he-ter-du... easy, right?
Jag heter Allyssa = My name is Allyssa
*ya-he-ter

Varifrån kommer du? = From where do you come?
*var-i-fron-kah-mur-du
Jag kommer från USA = I come from USA
*ya-kah-mur-fron-oo-s-ah

Vad talar du för språk? = What languages do you speak?
*vad-ta-ler-du-for/fur (not sure which one)-spra-ow(another one of those funny vowel changes... it starts out as an "aw" sound and switches to a more open "o" sound) -ck

I HAVE FOUND THAT IF YOU SPEAK WITH A BRITISH ACCENT, IT IS VERY HELPFUL IN CREATING THE PROPER VOWEL SOUNDS (ahh... and all of you thought that british comedy was for naught).

Jag talar svenska, engleska, intalienska, japonska, franska, tyska, och lite ryska. = I speak swedish, english, italian, japonese, french, german, and a little russian.
*i think you are getting the idea and can figure these out.

Var bor du? = Where do you live?
*var-bur(sound like you are cold)-do
Jag bor på STREET i AREA/CITY
*ya-bur-pour__-ee-___

Vad är det? (very useful in any foreign country) = What is it?
*va-ir-day
Det är... most of these are obvious and they sound like they read
en bok = book
en penna = pen
en smörgås = sandwich *smur-goss
en tidning = newspaper
en bil = car
en hund/en katt = dog/cat
en klocka = clock
en cykel = bike
en kopp kaffe = cup of coffee
en flicka/en pojke = girl/ boy *poy-kah
en bror/en syster = brother/sister
en vän = friend
ett hus = house *whose (with british accent and without the "z" sound)
ett paraply = umbrella *pa-ra-plea
ett glass vatten = a glass of water
ett tåg = train *tog
ett äpple = apple
ett äpplesinjuice = orange juice
ett barn/ ett bor = children/ child

Hur du en pokjkvän? = Do you have a boyfriend? (notice the combining of words)
*her-do-en-poyk-van
Ja, jag har en pokjvän. Han heter David och han är tjugoåtta år gammal. = Yes, I have a boyfriend. His name is David and he is twenty-eight years old.
*ya-ya-har-en-poyk-van. han-he-ter-Da-vid-ock-han-ir-shu-gay-ough-ta-arr-gam-mal.

Är du gift? = Are you married?
*ir-do-yift
Nej, jag är inte gift. = No, I am not married.
*neigh-ya-ir-in-tah-yift

Hur mår du idag? = How are you today?
*her-more-do-idah
Jag mår bra/dålight, tack. Och du? = I am good/bad, thanks. And you?
*brah/ dah-lit

Or, if you want to be cool ("like all the kids" as my teacher says):
Läget? = How's the position?
*lah-ghet (the last syllable is stressed)
Bra

So, I am going to assume that you are getting some of the sounds down and that I don't need to continually rewrite them....

Hur mycket kostar det? = How much costs it?
okay, here we go with numbers (i will put them in order so that i don't have to write what they are)
en/ ett (depending on the noun it describes)
två *t-f-vah (the t-f is supposed to simulate pushing the air through your teeth, unobstructed)
tre *tray-ah
fyra *fear-rah
fem
sex
sju *shoo
åtta *ock(long o sound)-tah
nio *knee-ah
tio *tea-ah
elva
tolv
tretton
fjorton *fee-yourn-tahn (don't draw it out, though... it is quick)
femton
sexton
sjutton *shoo-tahn
arton
nitton
tjugo *shoo-gay
tjugoen/ ett

you get the idea... my favorite number to say:
sjuttiosju = 77
*shoo-tee-ah-shoo

well, i think that is quite enough for a while!!