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Europeans can relate (thelemmy.club)
submitted 5 months ago by [M] to c/european_memes@lemmy.zip
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[–] 36 points 5 months ago (4 children)

I moved to Sweden recently and am discovering just how embarrassing this is for me. People will be chattering in Swedish and I don't know if there's a good time for me to jump in if I have to ask someone about something and I feel like an asshole just wandering in possibly mid sentence. Or someone sees me trying to pay attention and they all switch to English. I'm trying to learn Swedish but I've only ever known English and it's difficult getting my brain to hold on to all the new words

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  • [–] 39 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    We swedes do have that annoying habit of just switching to English because its easier. Feel free to remind people that you're trying to learn Swedish and most people will understand and be helpful.

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  • [+] -13 points 5 months ago*

    Most the yuros do. And then they'll blast you for it behind your back. It's a continent problem. Y'all lack the context of not needing a common language and it being the default. There is simply little value here beyond academics and arguably some added cultural context. And them of course politeness gets in the way of practice.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    Hi! I moved to Denmark in 2024, and have some similar experience with this as Danes are quick to switch to English too. I'm hard at work language learning as I'm sure you are. Scandinavians have great English and also like to have even social ground rather than the high ground of being better in their language. Good recipe for them switching to English.

    I guess what little advice I have is try all the time in Swedish, tell friends and coworkers and such that you wanna practice. be comfy failing :) good luck!

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Norwegian in Denmark here, I mostly understand Danish and they mostly understand me but my impression is that even the Danes appreciate getting a break from Danish now and then.

    The most common expression you'll hear on the streets of Denmark is "hva sier du?" - "what are you saying". Because they don't even understand each other.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago

    Hey, that's understandable. Language learning, like all learning, is a skill that is best acquired in your early years and starting as an adult is a daunting task. Not getting it on your first try isn't something to be embarrassed about. The good news is that you're in the ideal environment to learn, fully immersed in the target language, and all these uncomfortable experiences can even help broaden your comfort zone. Plus, you'll end up speaking another language, and that's always cool.

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