Swedish keeps its grammar comparatively lean, no noun cases to speak of, but it makes up for that with two genders, verb-second word order, and pronunciation you really only learn by listening. This list gathers the hundred words carrying the most weight in daily conversation, so you can start recognizing them everywhere once you know them.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Swedish | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | och | and | Jag gillar att läsa och skriva.I like reading and writing. |
| 2 | att | to / that | Jag tror att han har rätt.I think that he's right. |
| 3 | det | it / that | Det är kallt idag.It's cold today. |
| 4 | är | is / are | Hon är läkare.She is a doctor. |
| 5 | jag | I | Jag bor i Stockholm.I live in Stockholm. |
| 6 | en | a / an | Jag har en katt.I have a cat. |
| 7 | i | in | Vi bor i Göteborg.We live in Gothenburg. |
| 8 | inte | not | Jag förstår inte det.I don't understand it. |
| 9 | för | for / because | Den här gåvan är för dig.This gift is for you. |
| 10 | du | you | Du är min bästa vän.You are my best friend. |
| 11 | han | he | Han jobbar på ett kontor.He works in an office. |
| 12 | som | who / which / as | Flickan som står där är min syster.The girl who is standing there is my sister. |
| 13 | på | on | Boken ligger på bordet.The book is on the table. |
| 14 | den | it | Var är boken? Den är på bordet.Where's the book? It's on the table. |
| 15 | med | with | Jag går en promenad med hunden.I'm going for a walk with the dog. |
| 16 | till | to | Jag åker till Malmö imorgon.I'm going to Malmö tomorrow. |
| 17 | av | of / by | Han är trött av jobbet.He's tired from work. |
| 18 | vi | we | Vi ska åka till havet.We're going to the seaside. |
| 19 | de | they | De bor i Uppsala.They live in Uppsala. |
| 20 | om | if / about | Jag vet inte om han kommer.I don't know if he's coming. |
| 21 | så | so | Jag var trött, så jag gick och la mig.I was tired, so I went to bed. |
| 22 | men | but | Jag går hem, men hon stannar.I'm going home, but she's staying. |
| 23 | ett | a / an | Hon har ett hus.She has a house. |
| 24 | har | have | Jag har två bröder.I have two brothers. |
| 25 | vad | what | Vad gör du ikväll?What are you doing tonight? |
| 26 | hon | she | Hon gillar att laga mat.She likes to cook. |
| 27 | kan | can | Kan du hjälpa mig?Can you help me? |
| 28 | man | one / you | Man ska inte ljuga.One shouldn't lie. |
| 29 | eller | or | Vill du ha te eller kaffe?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 30 | var | where / was | Var bor du nu?Where do you live now? |
| 31 | ni | you (plural) | Ni är mycket vänliga.You all are very kind. |
| 32 | sig | oneself | Barnen roar sig i parken.The children are enjoying themselves in the park. |
| 33 | skulle | would / should | Jag skulle vilja ha en kaffe.I would like a coffee. |
| 34 | bara | only / just | Jag har bara en syster.I only have one sister. |
| 35 | också | also | Jag gillar också kaffe.I also like coffee. |
| 36 | mycket | very / much | Den här filmen är mycket bra.This movie is very good. |
| 37 | här | here | Jag har bott här i tio år.I've lived here for ten years. |
| 38 | där | there | Affären ligger där borta.The store is over there. |
| 39 | nu | now | Jag måste gå nu.I have to go now. |
| 40 | sedan | then / since | Vi äter först, och sedan pratar vi.We'll eat first, and then talk. |
| 41 | alltid | always | Jag vaknar alltid klockan sju.I always wake up at seven. |
| 42 | aldrig | never | Jag har aldrig varit i Amerika.I've never been to America. |
| 43 | redan | already | Jag har redan ätit lunch.I've already eaten lunch. |
| 44 | ännu | still / yet | Det regnar ännu.It's still raining. |
| 45 | måste | must | Jag måste gå till jobbet.I have to go to work. |
| 46 | vilja | to want | Jag vill lära mig svenska.I want to learn Swedish. |
| 47 | veta | to know | Jag vet inte var min nyckel är.I don't know where my key is. |
| 48 | se | to see | Jag ser ett berg i fjärran.I see a mountain in the distance. |
| 49 | gå | to go / walk | Jag går till affären.I'm going to the store. |
| 50 | komma | to come | Kom hit imorgon klockan åtta, snälla.Please come here tomorrow at eight. |
| 51 | säga | to say | Vad ville du säga?What did you want to say? |
| 52 | göra | to do / make | Jag måste göra läxan.I have to do my homework. |
| 53 | ta | to take | Ta ett paraply, för det kommer att regna.Take an umbrella, because it's going to rain. |
| 54 | tänka | to think | Vad tänker du om det här?What do you think about this? |
| 55 | tala | to speak | Jag talar svenska och engelska.I speak Swedish and English. |
| 56 | titta | to watch / look | Jag gillar att titta på fotboll.I like watching soccer. |
| 57 | tid | time | Jag har inte tid för det här.I don't have time for this. |
| 58 | år | year | Nästa år ska jag åka till Italien.Next year I'm going to Italy. |
| 59 | dag | day | Idag är en vacker dag.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 60 | människa | person | Varje människa är olik.Every person is different. |
| 61 | folk | people | Det är mycket folk på torget.There are a lot of people in the square. |
| 62 | barn | child | Barnet skrattar högt.The child is laughing loudly. |
| 63 | make | husband | Hennes make jobbar som läkare.Her husband works as a doctor. |
| 64 | fru | wife | Min fru lagar middag.My wife is making dinner. |
| 65 | hus | house | Vi köpte ett nytt hus.We bought a new house. |
| 66 | stad | city | Stockholm är Sveriges huvudstad.Stockholm is Sweden's capital city. |
| 67 | värld | world | Jag skulle vilja se världen.I would like to see the world. |
| 68 | vatten | water | Kan du ge mig ett glas vatten?Can you give me a glass of water? |
| 69 | mat | food | Den här maten är väldigt god.This food is very tasty. |
| 70 | pengar | money | Jag har inte tillräckligt med pengar.I don't have enough money. |
| 71 | jobb | work / job | Hennes jobb är mycket intressant.Her job is very interesting. |
| 72 | skola | school | Barnen går till skolan klockan åtta.The children go to school at eight. |
| 73 | vän | friend | Han är min bästa vän.He is my best friend. |
| 74 | familj | family | Min familj är stor.My family is big. |
| 75 | ord | word | Jag känner inte till det här ordet.I don't know this word. |
| 76 | bok | book | Jag läser en mycket intressant bok.I'm reading a very interesting book. |
| 77 | bra | good | Det här är en mycket bra idé.This is a very good idea. |
| 78 | stor | big | De har en stor trädgård.They have a big garden. |
| 79 | liten | small | Vi bor i en liten stad.We live in a small town. |
| 80 | ny | new | Jag köpte en ny telefon.I bought a new phone. |
| 81 | gammal | old | Det här huset är mycket gammalt.This house is very old. |
| 82 | vacker | beautiful | Idag är en mycket vacker dag ute.Today is a very beautiful day outside. |
| 83 | lång | long | Vägen till havet är lång.The way to the sea is long. |
| 84 | första | first | Det här är min första dag på jobbet.This is my first day at work. |
| 85 | andra | other / second | Ta den andra bitan tårta.Take the other piece of cake. |
| 86 | allt | everything | Tack för allt.Thanks for everything. |
| 87 | hel | whole | Jag åt en hel pizza.I ate a whole pizza. |
| 88 | liv | life | Livet är kort.Life is short. |
| 89 | hand | hand | Han höll boken i handen.He held the book in his hand. |
| 90 | huvud | head | Jag har ont i huvudet.I have a headache. |
| 91 | hem | home | Jag ska åka hem nu.I'm going home now. |
| 92 | pojke | boy | Pojken spelar fotboll.The boy is playing soccer. |
| 93 | flicka | girl | Flickan läser en bok.The girl is reading a book. |
| 94 | sak | thing | Det här är en viktig sak.This is an important thing. |
| 95 | plats | place | Det här är en vacker plats.This is a beautiful place. |
| 96 | gång | time / occasion | Jag har varit här en gång förut.I've been here once before. |
| 97 | börja | to begin | Filmen börjar klockan sju.The movie begins at seven. |
| 98 | sluta | to stop / finish | Regnet slutade äntligen.The rain finally stopped. |
| 99 | kväll | evening | Vi ses ikväll.See you tonight. |
| 100 | morgon | morning | Jag dricker kaffe varje morgon.I drink coffee every morning. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
en words vs. ett words
Swedish nouns split into two genders, common (en) and neuter (ett), and there's no reliable rule for which a given noun takes, so "en bok" (a book) but "ett hus" (a house). The gender also determines the definite ending later, so it's worth learning gender alongside every new noun rather than trying to fix it after the fact.
The definite article attaches to the end of the word
Unlike English, Swedish usually marks "the" with a suffix rather than a separate word, so "bok" (a book) becomes "boken" (the book) and "hus" (a house) becomes "huset" (the house). A separate word, "den" or "det," only appears in front when there's also a descriptive adjective, as in "den stora boken" (the big book).
Verb-second word order
Swedish follows a strict rule that the finite verb must be the second element in a main clause, even when something other than the subject starts the sentence. "Idag går jag till skolan" (Today I go to school) keeps "går" in second position, which feels backwards to English speakers used to more flexible placement.
The sj-sound and pitch accent
The "sj" sound in words like "sju" (seven) has no real English equivalent, somewhere between an "sh" and a breathy "h." Combined with pitch accent, where the same word can shift meaning slightly by tone, Swedish pronunciation takes real listening practice beyond just reading the spelling.
de and dom aren't pronounced the way they're spelled
The written pronoun "de" (they) is, in casual speech, almost always pronounced "dom," which is also how "dem" (them) is said. Many Swedes now write "dom" in texts and informal writing even though it isn't the standard spelling, which can confuse learners following textbook Swedish.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Swedish and following it.