Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Swedish vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Swedish words like the food (maten), the drink (drycken), the cup (koppen) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Swedish | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | maten | The food is delicious. Maten är god. |
| the drink | drycken | I want a drink. Jag vill ha en dryck. |
| the cup | koppen | The cup is full. Koppen är full. |
| the bottle | flaskan | The bottle is empty. Flaskan är tom. |
| the plate | tallriken | The plate is clean. Tallriken är ren. |
| the spoon | skeden | I use a spoon. Jag använder en sked. |
| the fork | gaffeln | I eat with a fork. Jag äter med en gaffel. |
| the knife | kniven | The knife is sharp. Kniven är vass. |
| the breakfast | frukosten | I eat breakfast. Jag äter frukost. |
| the lunch | lunchen | We have lunch at noon. Vi äter lunch klockan tolv. |
| the dinner | middagen | They eat dinner together. De äter middag tillsammans. |
| the bread | brödet | I buy bread. Jag köper bröd. |
| the butter | smöret | I put butter on the bread. Jag brer smör på brödet. |
| the cheese | osten | I eat cheese. Jag äter ost. |
| the milk | mjölken | I drink milk. Jag dricker mjölk. |
| the coffee | kaffet | I drink coffee in the morning. Jag dricker kaffe på morgonen. |
| the tea | teet | I like tea. Jag gillar te. |
| the juice | juicen | I drink juice. Jag dricker juice. |
| the soda | läsken | I drink soda. Jag dricker läsk. |
| the rice | riset | I eat rice. Jag äter ris. |
The 100 most important Swedish words →
The 100 most important Swedish verbs →
| to borrow | att låna |
| to buy | att köpa |
| to clean | att städa |
| to close | att stänga |
| to cook | att laga mat |
| to do | att göra |
| to drink | att dricka |
| to eat | att äta |
| to find | att hitta |
| to get | att få |
| She is my friend | Hon är min vän |
| They have fun together | De har roligt tillsammans |
| We eat lunch together | Vi äter lunch tillsammans |
| She smiles a lot | Hon ler mycket |
| He tells funny jokes | Han berättar roliga skämt |
| I visit my friends | Jag hälsar på mina vänner |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Swedish vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.