What is the most polite way to start a english conversation in Sweden (at a store, restaurant, etc)? I understand most of (majority) of the Swedish population speak english in the Stockholm area, but I don't want to be rude. Would I just start speaking or would it be acceptable to first ask if I could use english. I usually learn a few words of the local language but never enough to carry on a discussion. Thank you in advance. JF

IMHO, Scandinavia (all of it: not just central Stockholm), with Holland and the Indian subcontinent, is one of the places where there's no point in a preliminary apology.

If you're more comfortable saying "Do you mind if I speak English? (Swedes learn English English and almost all happily use English English peculiarities), then fine. A few "tak"'s don't hurt either. But learning the Swedish for "I don't speak Swedish" would strike almost all Swedes as doolally. A word most will understand

Start your conversation with "Hej" (which is conveniently pronounced the same way as "hey" in English").
"Tack" (pronouce "tuck") means "thanks".
"Hej do" is "good-bye" - the "do" pronounced as in "do-mestic"

I doubt that you will run into any Swede who will consider you rude for using English. Swedes usually don't make a big fuss out of anything.

There may be difficulties speaking english with really old people. My mother, who is almost seventy, sometimes panics and has to call for translation help. But most younger adults in Sweden have learnt english as a second language from when they were about ten years old.

Or merely ask the question: "Do you speak English?"

And in my experience don't be the least bit surprised that the people you are speaking to are going to be happy to have a conversation with someone who is a native English speaker.

It is kind of hard to apologize in a language the hearer doesn't understand so unless you know some Swedish words I suspect you are going to have to start speaking in English and asking if someone else also speaks it is never rude..in fact, you are being about as polite as possible by asking and not assuming they do.

I am minded of my first encounter with a Swede in Sweden. My opening gambit was "Excuse me, do you speak English?" The reply was "Of course".

I did meet one Swede who was not comfortable dealing with me in English, and called a colleague over to help.

It's very common for Swedes to be able to speak English as it is for Danes and Norwegians. I lived in Danmark, during the summers, from the 70s to the 90s, nearly every summer, and used to also travel up to Sweden and Norway, from Danmark.

Even back then they spoke English as they learn it starting in elementary school. My friends' parents and grandparents even spoke it back then which would make it a bit hard on me because I spoke Danish and wanted to practice speaking Danish, but they wanted to practice their English. So in order to practice my Danish, I would talk to kids who hadn't learned English yet and would also use it in town when I was out shopping.

So, if I were you, I'd just smile and ask,"Do you speak English?". They are a friendly bunch, so I'm sure it will be fine for you. Happy Travels!

If I were you, I wouldn't even ask a person if they speak English in the first place. I used to live in Sweden, and as a Swedish-speaking American, I didn't often speak much English -- but my friends spoke a lot of English because Swedes heard their accents when trying to speak Swedish.

If they hear your American/English accent, a Swede will almost always speak English with you right away (especially if they are eager to speak English or want to show off their English).

So if I were you, I'd go right ahead with whatever kind of conversation you want to pursue in English (for example, "Excuse me, do you know where this bus goes?"), and if they respond without a lot of certainty, then they probably won't want to continue the conversation in English. If the person obviously wants to speak Swedish, you can say, "Jag kan inte prata svenska" (yah kahn IN-tuh PRA-tah svenska).

At a message board get-together in Paris a couple years ago, I had a conversation with a Swedish man and commented that he didn't have a Swedish accent. He told me the Swedish accent I was picturing is considered cheesy. I would have had a hard time placing his accent if he hadn't told me he was Swedish. He said in order to get any type of job in Sweden, one has to speak just about perfect English.

Still, I would feel more comfortable asking someone if they spoke English before launching into a question. They could be Italian, you never know.

You're right Nikki: Italians don't have Swedish accents.

Ha! That's silly. I've totally heard Swedish accents. Once can have great English but a ridiculous(-ly awesome) Swedish accent. I think it depends on the ear, because I can even recognize the Swedes with great English; everyone has an accent, it's merely perspective.

When I was in Copenhagen and Stockholm a few years ago, I didn't run into anyone that didn't speak english, but I didn't go out into the countryside either. I was surprised with the number of people who spoke american "accent" english rather than "english" english.

My neice was in school for a year in Copenhagen and she said kids there start learning english in about the third grade and take it all through school, also learning another language along the way, usually german or russian.

I just spoke in english and was answered in english. As soon as I greeted anyone, they spoke english.

<i>I was surprised with the number of people who spoke american "accent" english rather than "english" english.</i>

This is probably due to the fact that most of the TV and movies are in American English, rather than British English. I wouldn't be shocked if much of the texts used in University are also in American English. Also, at least a couple of the larger international companies using English as the workplace language in Denmark use American English as the standard. The only Danes I met with a noticeable British accent or that used British (mis)spellings were ones that had lived in the UK for an extended period.

But I agree that you can just start speaking in English. If addressed in Swedish or Danish, I always just respond, "sorry, I don't speak Swedish/Danish." Nobody cares and everyone speaks English.

When in Sweden, Denmark and Holland I first say " sorry I don't speak...." . Learning a few words like "Hi' and " Thank you" is not hard.
Last summer, I was not sure what road to take ( in a small town in Holland) , several older people I asked for directions did not speak English .

I once had an incredibly drunk man ask me in Danish, then Swedish, then in perfect English (ah now I understand) how to find the ferry terminal from Copenhagen to Malmo. Actually he asked where the f---ing ferry terminal was. Now we're speaking English.

I told him, but I doubt he found it.

I'd forgotten about TV. I noticed a lot of the TV programs were american TV shows and they were shown in English with
Danish sub-titles. They were not dubbed into Danish. I had a hard time sleeping and one early morning in Copenhagen, I turned on the TV and was "treated" to Jack LaLane peddling his juicer and Daisy Fuentes selling some darn thing...can't remember what is was now. I thought I was in another demension and looked out the window to be sure I was still in Denmark!!!!! LOL

Have you ever heard a Swedish NHL player speak? The vast majority of them speak "better" English than their Canadian counterparts.

Not a trace of an accent.

I talked to a lot of people in both Copenhagen and Stockholm, spoke perfect "american" English, no accent at all. I think because the start learning so young, and the TV as someone mentioned.

As a rough rule of thumb, people seem to speak foreign languages in inverse proportion to the usefulness of their own language outside of their country. Hence the linguistic skill of Scandinavians - take one step out of Denmark, and your Danish is pretty useless. The best of the Scandinavians are the Finns.

This also explains why Americans are so terrible with foreign languages - English is so widely spoken as a second language worldwide that there's no need for most Americans to spend several years learning a foreign language. They'll just forget it anyway, due to non-use.

And it explains why the French are also weak in foreign languages - for centuries, French was everyone's second language, as English is today. But it's finally sinking in to the French that this has now changed. Maybe in a few years we'll all be studying Chinese - English can't stay on top forever.

I'm not trying to put down the study of foreign languages - I love them. It's sort of a hobby for me, one from which I derive great pleasure. But for most Americans, the study of a foreign language is a great deal of effort with only a small practical payback.

Larry