Swedish Improvers
The Swedish Improvers group has now been running for 18 months and we have made slow but steady progress.
There are 10 of us in the group, some having links with Sweden through family and friends, and we have a lot of fun! New members are very welcome but the progress we have made from complete-beginner level may make it hard for beginners to catch up. Just one space in the group is now available, and you can attend a free taster session.
We are learning to use Swedish when travelling, eating out, shopping and meeting people. Some sessions will cover an aspect of Swedish life (food, traditions, culture, history) or a well-known Swede. So anything from Vikings to Greta Thunberg and ABBA songs in Swedish. Who knows: learning Swedish might help you understand those Scandi Noir dramas!
We cover Swedish only but it is worth pointing out that Swedish is also closely related to Norwegian and Danish and so provides a ‘gateway’ to other Scandinavian languages. Three for the price of one!
Our course book (Complete Swedish) was first published recently and is aimed at adult beginners. Supplementing this we dip into an additional language guide (Lagom). We also make use of free videos, podcasts, dialogues and news items produced in easy Swedish.
In March we started reading some Swedish detective stories (Mordet på fjorden) written in ‘easy Swedish’ and aimed at near-beginners. This volume is produced in Germany and so the glossaries are, unhelpfully for us, in German (!) but these really are great stories for near-beginners. Links to all 3 of our books are provided alongside this page.
A termly charge of between just £5 and £8 will apply to cover materials that the Group Leader has needed to buy. However, this charge will be waived for the first term for new joiners in mitigation of the 3 books required. From 2026, this charge will be dropped altogether.
There will be some reading and preparation to do between sessions. You will need access to a printer to print out materials, or alternatively an electronic device (e.g. iPad) to view them.
Sessions are held on Fridays (1.30 to around 3 pm). These take place twice monthly, generally on the first and third Fridays of the month, in the Community Room at Morrisons in St Ives (the Community Room is next to Morrisons’ cafe). Parking at Morrisons is free and there is no obligation to buy drinks or make purchases in the store.
The Group Convenor, Bruce, used to translate Swedish for a living. You can contact him via the email ‘envelope’ icon on the right of this page.
Winter/Spring Term, 2024
5th January
19th January
2nd February
16th February
1st March
15th March
5th April
Summer Term, 2024
19th April
3rd May
17th May
7th June
21st June
5th July
19th July
Autumn Term, 2024
6th September
20th September
4th October
18th October
1st November
15th November
29th November
13th December