23 MARCH 2026 · SLOW SWEDISH · EPISODE 124

Making friends in Sweden isn’t always easy, and apparently, people have VERY strong opinions about why. 😅 This week, we’re talking about what it actually means to make an effort when you’re trying to make friends in Sweden.

We’ll talk about why repeatedly inviting the same people might not be the best strategy, where Swedes are more open to meeting new people, why everything needs to be planned three weeks in advance, and how different cultures can have completely different ideas about friendship.

You don’t need to listen to part 1 first. This episode works perfectly well on its own!

What you’ll learn

This week, you’ll learn how to:

  • Talk about friendship and making new friends
  • Describe social situations and interactions
  • Talk about making an effort and taking initiative
  • Talk about cultural differences and expectations
  • Describe one-sided and mutual relationships
  • Use natural Swedish for talking about social life in Sweden

Study materials

Download the study materials for this week to follow along and get more out of each episode.

Vocabulary ↓

Expressions ↓

Shadowing ↓

Transcript Easy Swedish ↓

Transcript Slow / Fast Swedish ↓

Your turn!

Do you think it’s difficult to make friends in Sweden? What has your experience been?