Swedish doesn't have one word for PLEASE

[@sayitinswedish]

Remember, this video could be even longer showcasing other Swedes's opinions on the matter as well as different scenarios and even more phrases. Hopefully this can give you some of my own rules of thumb. Some Swedes might say other things and disagree about what's polite and not. This is not a straightforward topic. Please, don't quote me 😜

[@eck2x]

The title of the video could not be more perfect, so many ways to say please.

[@sayitinswedish]

Yeah, politeness in Swedish is tricky.

[@galinalastovkina5587]

This is really helpful for beginners, so we don't have to learn things "the hard way". LOL. I love the way you explain nuances and really try to get the point across. The style of the video helps me absorb material better, as it's not too long and systematically broken down into sections (unlike when my boyfriends tried to teach me a million of things all at once). Tack så mycket!

[@broo994]

"Har du något emot" translates better into "Would you mind?" Tack Habibi.

[@sayitinswedish]

You're right, I translated it more literally here for teaching purposes, so that you would understand how Swedes think, Habibi.

[@OaktownGirl]

Your videos are so informative, and I appreciate what you do so much. I became a Patron today! Language differences are so funny. If my boss asked me if I "had something against making coffee" I'd want to burn the whole building down for his impertinence!

[@sayitinswedish]

Thank you so, so much :)

[@alihassen6086]

am learning Swedish and the way you teach is the best I can tell with full confident , tack .

[@sayitinswedish]

Glad I can help!

[@Xx-xk7xu]

I stop myself from using tack by replacing it with a small nod and a smile. The motion helps me since “please” is ingrained in my brain.

[@sayitinswedish]

That's how you are polite in Swedish: you act nicely and extend your syllables!

[@johngustafsson2067]

Your videos are always so good, educational, and yet entertaining!

[@sayitinswedish]

Thank you John!

[@ennis773]

My favorite way of asking someone for a favor is "Skulle du vara så gullig och…". It just sounds really sweet

[@sayitinswedish]

It is!

[@dickjohnson7156]

Thank you so much! I was taught to basically never use snälla as it was something only a child would use. This makes much more sense than just don’t use it!

[@sayitinswedish]

Sounds like I'm on the right track then!

[@herrbonk3635]

Snälla is also used to demonstrate irritation: _Men snälla [du]..._ with emphasis on snälla. However, the same phrase could also mean something like _Men kära vän!_ (But, dear friend!), depeding on tone.

[@AriatiArmen]

I keep watching your video trying to learn more about Swedish language. and I watch your video each day thank you for making this video. hoping I am be able to speak Swedish one day

[@italianwithgiulia]

Tack lärare! En hälsningar från italien! Ha en bra dag!!!!!! 💙🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪😎🇮🇹

[@sayitinswedish]

Buongiorno!

[@italianwithgiulia]

@@sayitinswedish buongiorno a lei 😁 grazie mille (jatter tack)

[@Simpleton_X]

I really enjoy the context you give for word choices. Learning apps don't make it obvious HOW you use the words in context. I'm sure any American learning Swedish would be destined to use "tack" for every request without this insight.

[@sayitinswedish]

Probably, and that's fine! I mean, it doesn't affect the understanding, but it might sound unidiomatic.

[@mrmatt1165]

Hej Joakim, tack så mycket för din hjälp! :)

[@sayitinswedish]

Hej! Kul att videon kunde vara till nytta :)

[@dasia7920]

you are a life saver. TACK SÅ JÄTTE MYCKET!! 🙏🙏

[@sayitinswedish]

Thanks for watching :)

[@dupain514]

just the video I needed, thank you! :)

[@kianascorner]

This is such a brilliant video, very well done and detailed!!

[@sayitinswedish]

Thank you!

[@arindamb]

This vid made me all warm and fuzzy inside bra jobbat!

[@sayitinswedish]

Interesting... thanks! :D

[@faabmu1769]

i was looking for such kind of learning and u r best in teaching

[@sayitinswedish]

Thank you so much.

[@TheGhostOfFredZeppelin]

I don't know if this is a regional thing to never say please/tack but I always do it when ordering something or getting any kind of service whether it be from waiters/waitresses, cashiers or whatever.

[@kanelbulle8289]

This Is the Best YT channel I've found in years 💙

[@sayitinswedish]

You're making me blush

[@jakoblangenberg]

Very informative video 👌 Tack 😊 Could you explain the differences between "var så god, ingen orsak och ingen fara" in some of the future videos? (sorry if you have already) :)

[@sayitinswedish]

Good suggestion!

[@MarcusH...]

varsågod is you're welcome ingen orsak/ingen fara is basically "no worries"

[@jakoblangenberg]

@@MarcusH... I know, but what I meant is that ingen fara/orsak can be sometimes used as an alternative option for varsågod.

[@MarcusH...]

@@jakoblangenberg Exactly, just like an aussie would say "no worries mate" instead of you're welcome

[@MarcusH...]

another example would be "don't mention it"

[@Shuuuky]

Such a well made and informative video. Very interesting !

[@sayitinswedish]

Thank you!

[@Dignaren]

"Hinner du" seems like "Would it hinder you/would it be a problem for you...?" so I think it might actually have a more direct translation than one might think. I just started learning and your videos are so helpful!

[@sayitinswedish]

That's an interesting way to think about it but it would kind of mean the other way around and it's not related to the word "hinder" at all. But if it helps YOU remember, that's all good! "Hinna" is actually related to "hunt", so if you "hinner" you kind of hunt/catch the time, so to speak.

[@Dignaren]

@@sayitinswedish awesome! Thank you!

[@kurtcobain7095]

I don’t know why this came up in my recommended as i already know Swedish but I enjoyed the video, very informative.

[@sayitinswedish]

Haha, tack för att du kollade ändå 😂👊

[@eurovision50]

I would say the equivalent of "varsågod och sitt" is "you're welcome to sit". (In fact it's pretty much as close to a word-for-word translation as you can get!) You're asking someone to do something without it being an order.

[@sayitinswedish]

"You're welcome to sit" has another ring to it for me. It's a word by word translation, but "var så god och sitt" sounds more like a request than a suggestion.

[@KJKP]

Ancient Swedes never learned to say, “Bring out the gold or we’ll burn the town to the ground, please.”

[@andyranus514]

I'd be soo worried about being impolite! I'm so cautious about offending anybody! The plus side for me is, I don't drink coffee, but do...eat food...so the coffee thing is out! Lol Ever since that new movie "Midsommar" is coming out, I've been so fascinated with Sweden!(I was never afraid of Sweden or Swedish people when I wanted to see the movie, and I won't be after; just a horror fan) Well, I was already a little bit intrigued because one of my favorite bands, The Flower Kings are Swedish, so I hear them say things in the language sometimes... This was so fascinating and so informative! Thank you! ☺🖒

[@sayitinswedish]

Don't worry, if you don't speak perfect Swedish, you're not expected to behave like a Swede either, and as you can take with you from this video, it's hard to be impolite when you have good intentions.

[@andyranus514]

@@sayitinswedish Cool! ☺ That takes a lot of pressure off! That's very good to hear! This video was EXTREMELY helpful! Thanks! ☺🖒

[@ezah8574]

hey! i was wondering if the sentence “jag skulle vilja har en kaffe” would be appropriate if i were ordering a coffee, would it be better (and more direct) if i were just to stick to “hej, jag tar en kaffe” ? Thank you!

[@sayitinswedish]

You can definitely use that :)

[@marciachi2487]

En av mina favoriter video... Förklara mig mycket.taaaaaaaaaack ton, från en brasiliansk som har borde i Sverige 2 är☺️👍👍👍👍👍

[@toveessayman5144]

Great video!

[@sayitinswedish]

thank you very much

[@miqueldiaz3042]

Tack för den här video! Jag är ny på kanaler och jag älskar det! After demonstrating my poor level of Swedish, here goes my question: I have always used “var så god” as a substitute for “by all means, suit yourself”, like in the context: -Kan jag sitter här? -Var så god! Is it correct?

[@sayitinswedish]

Yes, that's what I explain at the end of the video. You can also just say "ja visst" or "absolut" or whatever :)

[@jameshumphreys9715]

When, I was living in a residential FE college that have speak and language problem, what Swedes from Örebro and I read, they don't use the word please, and I said this, someone missed understood as, they don't say it.

[@faiths.349]

What about using tack as thanks?

[@sayitinswedish]

It's the word for thanks, yes.

[@manaralghanem7864]

Hej lärare, Should I drop the “please” overdose if I am speaking to a Swede in English?

[@sayitinswedish]

No? Swedish is Swedish, English is English.

[@the-bruh.cum5]

Probably when your in Sweden don't say please alot And when your in your country Do But I dunno I don't know Swedish culture too well

[@sayitinswedish]

@@the-bruh.cum5 English is another language, where please is more common. The point is that we use other constructions which are basically rewritten with please in English.

[@manaralghanem7864]

@@sayitinswedish But the way you described it sounded more cultural than lingual. In summary, just put in a smile and more wording. So why is "Can I have a cup of coffee?" with a smile, not as good as "kan jag tar en kopp kaffe?" with a smile?. Dropping a please in the English version sounds like a suck-up for not speaking Swedish.

[@sayitinswedish]

It's both cultural and lingual. I was trying to cover as many ways as possible in this lesson is not only for native English speakers. It's for everyone. So if some of these things don't apply in your native language, then so be it. This is about Swedish and it's for you to use this information as you see fit. I haven't said that anything you say in English would be worse or better. But fact is that a lot of times Swedes are seen as rude and I've heard from people seeing the video that they now for instance understand their Swedish partner, because they thought they were rude for not using please. This stuff easily spill over into the foreign languages we speak, so sure it's cultural in a way, but if you would say "tack" all the time, it would sound weird in Swedish, so I'm giving you the appropriate alternatives for saying please in Swedish here.

[@michaelshort2388]

Hej Joakim. Snälla, kan du förklara varför det är "en kaffe" istallet för "ett kaffe"?

[@sayitinswedish]

ett kaffe = the kind of coffee en kaffe = a portion, a cup of coffee same goes with beer - ett öl / en öl

[@michaelshort2388]

@@sayitinswedish Tack förklaringen. :D

[@sayitinswedish]

It was a very good question. Probably worth a video.

[@lsorbo1]

My mormor taught us to say "var så gud" if someone else said "tack". Like English "you're welcome". Is that old-fashioned or not done now?

[@sayitinswedish]

"Var så god" is the appropriate phrase to use!

[@magdalenaberglin4933]

1:38 vi hade krig 1809

[@SierVR]

swedish word for please has a special new swedish letter like å ä ö but this is how you say it snälla

[@sayitinswedish]

You can't translate "please" with "snälla" directly. It very much depends on the context... That's the whole point of the video. Also Å, Ä, and Ö are in no way new.

[@markusosenius5317]

I'll have a coffee in Finnish would be in the shortest form kahvi. Nothing else. Politeness is nice. But not necessary.

[@sayitinswedish]

True! It works similarly over there :)

[@marciachi2487]

Hur människor vet eller kan prova vi har en positiv aura?🤪🤭🌷🇸🇪

[@judyrikansrud1600]

Do people use "Tack för sist" anymore?

[@sayitinswedish]

Tack för senast is what we usually say

[@herrbonk3635]

There are single words for it as well: Please = _snälla_ (informal) or _vänligen_ (formal).

[@sayitinswedish]

So you didn't watch the video. It's not that simple.

[@herrbonk3635]

@@sayitinswedish Jo, det gjorde jag faktiskt. Tyckte bara titeln var lite missvisande.

[@sayitinswedish]

@@herrbonk3635 Inte alls, du kan inte bara säga snälla och vänligen utan det finns specifika fall, där man gör det. Man kan inte bara översätta "please" rakt av. Det är det videon handlar om, så det är din kommentar som är missvisande bror.

[@herrbonk3635]

@@sayitinswedish Menade inte att din video var särskilt missvisande. Det var som sagt titeln jag syftade på. Videon hade flera vettiga poänger, rörande tonfall och mångfald av uttryck. Men att våra traditioner och stilnivåer gör att man inte alltid kan översätta "please" rakt av är faktiskt inte samma sak som att vi inte skulle ha ett ord för det. Kan du vänligen acceptera det? Snälla, gör det! ;)

[@annadonahue4119]

Yikes! TY!

[@KaisaKylakoski]

Sweden had its last war 200 years ago, not 300. The one after the one where you lost Finland.

[@sayitinswedish]

You're right. The one in Norway was the last one. I just picked a very bad general number.

[@자시엘-l1s]

Hej hej monika

[@sayitinswedish]

Hej på dig Monika

[@Ynysmydwr]

Hej, J! 4:49 -- "It might come off as rude" should really be "It might come across as rude" or "It might come over as rude". I hope I didn't come across as exceptionally rude in being so bold as to point that out! 😉

[@sayitinswedish]

I missed that, however I can't police my language too much or there would be a video with only uhms. English isn't my native language. You got what I wanted to say though, so that's good enough.

[@Ynysmydwr]

@@sayitinswedish -- I know. I was only pulling your leg. Förlåt!

[@baxterandcotton]

"come off as" is a totally normal phrase in English, it's fine to use :)

[@Ynysmydwr]

@@baxterandcotton OK. I've never heard it used in that sense -- where I live (GB) it's used in phrases like "the plan didn't come off as expected" -- but I've no reason to doubt your word that it's used differently elsewhere. (The penalties of speaking a "worldwide" language!) Mais revenons à nos moutons suédois... 😜

[@erexford]

It's very common here in the U.S. to say, "It might come off as rude". That is definitely not a mistake of any kind in my opinion.

[@wolfgangnitschke5392]

How about, vär så god??

[@sayitinswedish]

"Var så god" means "here you go/here you are", so it's not really in the scope of this video.

[@avernion]

Ah, the language where using please and thank you is seen as rude.

[@sayitinswedish]

Uh what?

[@avernion]

@@sayitinswedish Like when you use it wrong. ”Kan du SNÄLLA hjälpa mig” annoys me every time it happens.

[@sayitinswedish]

@@avernion that's not wrong

[@avernion]

@@sayitinswedish it depends a lot on the tone. If you are stressed when you say it or don’t smile, it really sounds demanding.

[@sayitinswedish]

@@avernion sure

[@punmije]

if i say make me a coffee bro will it work?

[@sayitinswedish]

you'd probably not get any coffee

[@simbasfo]

what about Norway in the past 300 years? :D

[@sayitinswedish]

yeah yeah 200, not 300

[@djperryboy]

I constantly use Snälla. I don't know why you have a lacking behaviour

[@sayitinswedish]

Not lacking behaviour, we just don't express politeness with one word, which I have explained in this video.

[@RioCattio]

In swedish u say snälla

[@sayitinswedish]

Well...

[@fei3841]

please is Swedish: snälla du used google translate. i found it odd

[@sayitinswedish]

Watch the video, and you'll understand.

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

There's that damn Swedish telepathy. Used to drive me crazy. I had to tell my first Swedish gf, after some mistakes, that I don't do psychic. Then, the other two, I preemptively warmed them that, though I knew a lot of Swedish social norms, I'm sure I don't know them all.

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

People always knew I was not native to Sweden, so, I'm sure that they made allowances. Of course, my experience is from the mid-1980s. Things, I'm sure, have changed a wee bit.

[@sayitinswedish]

Definitely.