"I love you" is a sentence with deep meaning in all languages, and Swedish is no exception. If you want to impress your sweetheart (who is Swedish) or just out of curiosity, saying "I love you" in Swedish isn't that hard. Generally, you use the sentence " Jag lskar dig" to express your love for someone. However, there are other phrases that can be used to express your love.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Learning "I Love You"
Step 1. Say "Jag"
This word is a singular first person pronoun in the subject form (in Indonesian, "I"). Swedish grammar is not the same as English or Indonesian, but has the same word order as the word order in the sentence "I love you" so the word "I" is located at the beginning of the sentence.
- "Jag" is more or less pronounced like " Jah". Please note that the letter g in the word is not pronounced so the word "jag" is not pronounced "jag".
- Some Swedish speakers pronounce this word with a Y sound (" Yes") due to differences in regional accents. The use of the sound J or Y depends on individual preferences.
Step 2. Say "älskar"
In Swedish, this word is a verb form with the present tense of the word "love". The formation of this word comes from the addition of the letter r at the end of the root word "älska". This is different from Indonesian, which does not recognize changes in the form of verbs based on time.
This word is quite complicated for non-Swedish speakers. More or less, this word was spoken" élskah". The letter sounds like the "e" in "énak" (but in some dialects the letter sounds like the "a" in the English word "hang" and it doesn't have an Indonesian equivalent). at the end of the word more or less unspoken - if you want to say it, say it softly and lightly.
Step 3. Say "dig"
This word is a singular second person pronoun as an object (in Indonesian, "you" or "-mu").
Make sure you don't mispronounce this word. "Dig" pronounced " dei", not "dig".
Step 4. Combine the three words into one sentence:
"Jag lskar dig". Practice saying each word until you feel confident saying all three. When you are ready, say the three words together. Pronouncing these three words in the correct order results in "I love you" in Swedish.
The sentence was pronounced approx. Jah elskah déi". Don't forget also that the first word can be pronounced with a Y sound to produce "Yah élskah déi".
Method 2 of 2: Learning Other Romantic Phrases
Step 1. Say "Jag lskar dig med" if you want to say "I love you too"
This expression is used when someone says to you "Jag lskar dig" and you feel the same way. "Med" can mean the preposition "with" in various situations, but in this context "med" means "also".
"Jag lskar dig med" is pronounced more or less " Jah elskah dei mah". Note that the first three words have the same pronunciation as the previous sentence. The d in "med" is not sounded and this word is pronounced short.
Step 2. Say "Jag r kär i dig" if you want to say "I'm in love with you"
This expression is different from the expression "Jag lskar dig"/"I love you". "I love you" can be used to show affection for family, friends, pets, or even objects, but "I'm in love with you" is used specifically for your partner.
- This sentence is pronounced " Jah éh SYAAAHD i déi". The letter k sounds SY or C if it comes before several vowels. The r at the end of "kär" sounds like a D but is lighter (like the Spanish r).
- Note that the word "kär" is stressed and is pronounced longer than the other words. This is important because in Swedish, the length of a pronunciation is part of the correct pronunciation.
Step 3. Say "Jag tycker om dig" if you want to say "I like you"
If you're enjoying your time with someone, but aren't ready for a romantic relationship, use this expression. This expression is not as strong as an expression of love.
- This sentence is pronounced " Jah tik-ed OOMMM déiAs before, the letter r is pronounced with a light, D sound; this sound is made by flicking the tongue against the roof of the mouth. "Om" is pronounced with a long o. Emphasize and say this word longer than the other words.
- If someone says this to you, say "Jag tycker om dig också" which means "I like you too". This sentence is pronounced the same as before except the word "också" is pronounced " ok-so".
Step 4. Say "Jag längtar after dig" if you want to say "I want you"
If you want to impress your partner with a Swedish compliment, use this expression. You may rarely find Swedes saying this phrase, but when used in certain situations, you can give your partner a romantic feel.
This sentence is pronounced " Jah LÉÉNG-tad éfteh dei". The letter in the word "längtar" is pronounced long. Emphasize the first syllable of the word "längtar" and pronounce it longer than the other syllables.
Step 5. Say "Tack" if you get complimented
Some Swedes find it rude to give lots of insincere compliments, but getting compliments isn't a bad thing when you're on a date. When you are complimented, respond politely by saying "tack!" ("thanks!").
This word is pronounced "no", just as it is pronounced "talk" in English. The letter a in the word is pronounced short without lengthening it
Step 6. Say "Känner du för en bebis?
"if you want to ask someone if he wants to have children. Roughly speaking, the translation of this sentence is "Do you want to have a baby?" Use this expression with caution! Only use it if you are going to be with your partner long term (unless you joking).
This sentence is pronounced " SYIN-éh du for én béhbéss?" Make sure you emphasize the first syllable of the word "känner" and that the second syllable is short.
Tips
- It's important to know that the culture in Sweden is quite rigid when it comes to love and dating. Saying "I love you" to someone seriously before you feel really close to them can be considered "going too fast." You'd better appreciate the person by trying to get closer to him and help him (doing housework, etc.) until you feel really close to him.
- Listen to a recorded voice of a native Swedish speaker speaking so you can imitate the pronunciation in Swedish. One of the places where you can find these voice recordings is on Forvo which has the pronunciation of the phrase "Jag lskar dig" and many other Swedish phrases.
- Please note that the word "älskar" ("love") can be used for purposes other than romance. You can also use "älskar" in sentences like "Jag lskar att spela schack" ("I really like playing chess").
