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Pronunciation index

4.2 Fluency (Other)

4.2.1 Reductions

It is the regular change from stressed words with long syllables to unstressed words with short syllables that gives Swedish its typical rhythm. So the unstressed syllables must be pronounced quickly. You kind of "hurry past" them in pronunciation. This means that you cannot pronounce all the sounds. You take some away or change some in words. The unstressed words lose both length and the word accent.

EXERCISES with common reductions in Swedish

Listen to the words! Compare spelling and pronunciation!

Spelling / Pronunciation

bredvid /breeevi, breeeve/

dag /daaa/

dagen /daaan/

dagar /daaar/

det /de/

inget /ingngnge/

inte /nte/

jag /jaaa/

med /meee/

middag /middda/

morgon /mårrron/

mycket /mykkke/

nej /näää/

någon /nånnn/

något /nåttt/

några /nåååra/

och /å/

sedan /sennn/

tidning /tiiining/

till /ti/

vad /vaaa/

var /vaaa/

vid /vi/

vilken /vikkken/

vilket /vikkke/

vilka /vikkka/

är /e, ä/

When the words ends in -ig, -igt, -iga, -igen the /g/ is not pronunced.

Spelling / Pronunciation

trevlig /treeevli/

trevligt /treevlit/

trevliga /treeevlia/

äntligen /ännntlien/

When the words ends in -skt, the /k/ is not pronunced.

Spelling / Pronunciation

hemskt /hemmmst/

fantastiskt /fannntastist/

-r often "disappears" at the ends of words, especially if another consonant follows.

Spelling / Pronunciation

repeterar /repeteeera/

läser /läääse/

för /fö/

The endings -ade and -at are pronounced /a/. And the ending -it is pronounced /i/.

Spelling / Pronunciation

repeterade /repeteeera/

repeterat /repeteeera/

skrivit /skriiivi/

Numerals

Spelling / Pronunciation

tjugoett, tjugotvå /tjuettt, tjutvååå/

trettio /tretttti/

fyrtio /förrrti/

femtio /femmmti/

sextio /sekkksti/

sjuttio /sjuttti/

åttio /åttti/

nittio /nittti/

Days of the week

Spelling / Pronunciation

måndag /månnnda/

tisdag /tiiisda/

onsdag /onnnsda/

torsdag /tooorsda/

fredag /freeeda/

lördag /lööörda/

söndag /sööönda/

Pronouns that start with d- and are unstressed and follow a vowel sound get an /r/ sound. This also happens often to the word då.

Listen to the sentences! Compare spelling and pronunciation!

Spelling / Pronunciation

Vad ska du läsa? /Va ska ru läsa?/

Vad heter du? /Va hete ru?/

Hur är det? /Hur e re?/

Vad sa du? /Va sa ru?/

Tack ska du ha. /Tack skaruha/

Hur står det till? /Hurståretill?/

Vem var det, då? /Vem va re rå?/

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4.2.2 Aspiration

When p, t, and k are at the beginning of a stressed syllable, they are aspirated, that is, a lot of air is released between the consonant and following vowel. It is pronounced something like a /h/. Even at the end of words, /p, t, k/ can be aspirated if they come last in the sentence.

EXERCISES with aspiration

Listen and say the sentences together with the recorded voice!

Pappa tycker om mamma.

Kalle betonar orden rätt.

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4.2.3 Voicing assimilation

Swedish has ten voiced consonants /b, d, g, j, l, m, n, ng, r, v/ and eight voiceless consonants /f, h, k, p, s, t, tj, sj/. When these consonants "meet" in a word or between two words, they melt together into one sound, and in Swedish the voiceless consonant "beats" the voiced consonant, that is both sounds become voiceless.

EXERCISES with vocing assimilation

Listen and say the words together with the recorded voice!

till havs /till hafffs/

vet du /vetuuu/

onsdag /onnnsta/

snabbt /snapppt/

högt /hökkkt/

stadshus /statttshuuus/

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4.2.4 Nasal assimilation

The nasal phoneme /n/ adapts to the following sound. This happens both within and between words.

EXERCISES with nasal assimilation

Listen and say the words together with the recorded voice!

Before /k/ and /g/, it becomes an /ng/ sound.

bank /bangngngk/

hon kommer /hong kommmer/

tänka /tängngngka/

min gata /ming gaaata/

Before /b/ and /p/, it becomes an /m/ sound.

en båt /em båååt/

en present /em presennnt/

inbjudning /immmbjuuudning/

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4.2.5 Retroflexes

The consonant sounds /d, n, s, t/ are all pronounced with the tip of the tongue against or very close to the teeth, and are called dental consonants. But when these sounds come after an /r/, they are pronounced with the tip of the tongue a little farther back in the mouth, and get their own sound called a retroflex, which means “bent back”. The tongue moves from the /d, n, s, t/ sounds behind the teeth, and moves back towards the /r/ sound. These sounds are here written as /rd, rn, rs, rt/.

EXERCISES with retroflexes

Listen and say the words together with the recorded voice!

Norden /nooorden/

lördag /lööörda/

Björn /bjööörn/

barn /baaarn/

Märta /märtrtrta/

borta /bortrtrta/

Lars /laaars/

person /persooon/

Retroflexing can take place over a word boundary and even over several dental consonants.

Listen and say the words and sentences together with the recorded voice!

ärtsoppa /ärtrtrtrsåpppa/

borsta /bårrsrsrsta/

Mår du bra? /mååårdu braaa/

Hör nu på. /hööörnu pååå/

Hon blir så glad. /hon blirså glaaad/

Ni får tid. /nifårtiiid/

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