ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Languages of Sweden

Sweden is a country located in the northern part of Europe and the people who live there speak two official languages: Swedish and Finnish. Swedish is the most common language spoken in Sweden and it is spoken by more than 10 million people worldwide. Finnish is spoken by a minority of people in the country and is mostly spoken in the northern parts of Sweden.

Swedish is a Germanic language, which means it shares a lot of similarities with languages like English, Dutch, and German. It has a lot of different sounds and letters that might look weird at first, but once you learn them, you'll be able to read, write, and speak Swedish like a pro!

Some cool things about Swedish is that it has three letters that are not in the English alphabet: å, ä, and ö. These letters can make some unique sounds that are not found in other languages. For example, "ä" sounds like the "e" in the word "red", while "ö" sounds like the "i" in the word "bird".

Another interesting fact is that Sweden used to have its own language called "Old Norse". This language was spoken by the Vikings many years ago and has influenced both Swedish and English. So you might find some words in Swedish that sound familiar if you speak English.

Overall, Swedish is a cool and unique language that's worth learning if you're interested in the culture and people of Sweden. Just remember to practice saying "hej" (hello) and "tack" (thank you) a lot and you'll be on your way to speaking Swedish like a true Swede!