'Along with being hilarious, this is actually so useful for learning how to speak Swedish the Swedish way and not like my English brain wants to!'
Do you want to THINK in Swedish?
...and not think in English, and then try to translate it in your head before you speak (and hope your translation is correct)?
Are you just starting out learning Swedish and would like to learn Swedish in a brain-friendly way?
...or have you studied a bit of Swedish already, but find that you can't remember vocabulary or grammar rules?
Do you struggle to understand Swedish when you listen?
Do you find that spoken Swedish sounds REALLY different from written Swedish, and don't know how to improve?
You can't translate each English word into Swedish and just speak or write that. That's not Swedish, it's 'Swenglish'.
It has the wrong word order, wrong grammar and wrong word compositions.
But you CAN do the opposite!
You can translate each Swedish word into English, and learn how Swedish is actually put together. How it works.
This is how you start THINKING in Swedish.
This course started with me doing reels on Instagram just for fun...
'Great job, for english speakers you can't imagine how helpful this is. Perfect repetition.'
'Ok but this would make it 100x easier to learn different languages, if language teachers taught different languages this way instead of “it’s backwards, just flip that in (x language)”'
'Omg it makes so much more sense now'
'The way I’ve been saying that I wish people would do this cause literally this helps with understanding grammar better but with a more familiar subject. It helps you learn grammar and word placement so nicely.'
'I think you highlight why many people struggles with swedish grammar. It is not only English speakers. Swedish uses SVO and V2 word structure. Which is only common in mostly germanic languages and rare. A lot of people can communicate perfectly but that doesn't mean the grammar is correct '
It made me think... is there a way I can teach Swedish like this?
Then I came across the Birkenbihl method for learning languages, which inspired me to create NOW DRIVE WE.
I will help you learn new Swedish vocabulary and grammar through the brain-friendly method of decoding (using the Birkenbihl method).
I will provide you with a completely laid-out Swedish learning programme that will save time as you don't have to think about what you need to study. It's all done for you.
I will teach you the difference between spoken and written Swedish, so you can actually understand what people say and move beyond the Duolingo phase.
This way you can start using Swedish to express yourself.
I will also be on hand, personally, with LIVE support for as long as you need.
After the programme, you will feel confident about the foundations of Swedish grammar.
You will be able to listen and understand when people speak at 'normal speed'.
And you will have increased your Swedish vocabulary by over 700 words and phrases.
' Now I understand why it has been so incredibly difficult for me to learn this language.
It doesn’t make any sense how the Swedish people talk.
It makes me mad. '
***
IMAGINE...
...being able to remember and produce Swedish phrases and sentences in the correct order
...being able to learn grammar in context
...not having to think about what to do when you're studying Swedish, just following a programme
...being able to understand spoken Swedish
...feeling confident about what you say and hear
...learning while giggling!
***
TRAINING PROGRAMME
Detailed study guidance in the NOW DRIVE WE Training Programme with varied exercises.
Decoding, Active Listening, Passive Listening, Quizlet vocabulary exercises, and exercises in Teach Yourself Complete Swedish.
Evaluate your progress for each chapter and plan your revision sessions with my revision planner.
You will know exactly what to do each study session!
Decode with Anneli
Learn through literal English translations in a brain-friendly way.
Decode Swedish along with me, learn Swedish pronunciation and reductions, and practice Active & Passive Listening.
Smart Flashcards
Practice 700+ words and phrases with my smart flashcards (including voice recordings by me). Learn Swedish literally, which will help you remember grammar and syntax.
LIVE Q&A SESSIONS
Meet up with me on a regular basis on Zoom to ask questions and get feedback. Ask all the questions that you've felt too silly to ask, or never found the answers to. Access to recent recordings if you miss a session or need a recap.
NDW ONLINE COMMUNITY
Get access to the exclusive Now Drive We Community where you can ask questions and make connections with others. Share your highs and lows, get support and support others.
You must have the book Teach Yourself Complete Swedish to do this course.
You won't be able to do the course without it.
NOW DRIVE WE follows chapters 1-7 in this book.
'These videos help me so much with grammar!'
'Yeap this explains a lot and why my google translate makes me mad from time to time.'
'These are so good for English speakers like me, it really helps put me in the headspace to speak/write more naturally instead of literally saying something in English with Swedish words.'
'I always knew Yoda was a Swede'
Not sure if it will work for you?
'What if it's just another programme what I won't finish?'
*Structure and simplicity built into the training programme to avoid overwhelm
*One step at a time - do the training sessions at a pace that suits you, which may vary over time
*Continued access to materials and future Live Q&A's - you can come back again and again and again
*Revision planner and Evaluation tool to help you organise, track and revise
*LIVE Q&A sessions with Anneli for guidance if you feel stuck and/or have questions
*Online Community access for further support, inspiration and sharing of experiences
NOW DRIVE WE - COURSE CONTENT
- Training Programme
- Decode with Anneli (Ch3Con1) (13:14)
- Active Listening (Ch3Con1 session 1 & 2) (13:15)
- Passive Listening (Ch3Con1)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch3Con2) (14:06)
- Active Listening (Ch3Con2 session 1 & 2) (15:10)
- Passive Listening (Ch3Con2)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch3Con3) (16:32)
- Active Listening (Ch3Con3 session 1 & 2) (15:14)
- Passive Listening (Ch3Con3)
- Evaluation and Revision Planner
- Training Programme
- Decode with Anneli (Ch4Con1) (18:51)
- Active Listening (Ch4Con1 session 1 & 2) (18:21)
- Passive Listening (Ch4Con1)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch4Con2) (12:03)
- Active Listening (Ch4Con2 session 1 & 2) (15:13)
- Passive Listening (Ch4Con2)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch4Con3) (13:05)
- Active Listening (Ch4Con3 session 1 & 2) (11:38)
- Passive Listening (Ch4Con3)
- Evaluation and Revision Planner
- Training Programme
- Decode with Anneli (Ch6Con1) (10:14)
- Active Listening (Ch6Con1 session 1 & 2) (15:05)
- Passive Listening (Ch6Con1)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch6Con2) (11:46)
- Active Listening (Ch6Con2 session 1 & 2) (19:23)
- Passive Listening (Ch6Con2)
- Decode with Anneli (Ch6Con3) (5:56)
- Active Listening (Ch6Con3 session 1 & 2) (8:28)
- Passive Listening (Ch6Con3)
- Evaluation and Revision Planner
Common Questions
'What level of Swedish is this course for?'
If you're a beginner, this course will be great. However, you may have studied Swedish for a while and maybe you're still confused about Swedish word order, when to use 'i' or 'på' in time expressions, or how to exactly use the verb forms (what the difference is between preteritum and present perfect, for example).
Maybe you feel you can read Swedish, but you can't recognise the words and phrases when you hear them. This could be because of the pronunciation, and/or the speed of speech, as 'natural' speech includes a lot of contractions and reductions.
Maybe you're still making mistakes with your noun plural forms (or maybe you have forgotten how they work). Maybe you keep using English word order. Maybe you find it difficult to remember basic vocabulary. If this is the case, then this course will also be really great (or should I say 'giant good'?) for you.
I've had clients on intermediate+ level who have still found the Decoding and Active listening method immensely useful and it has highlighted aspects that they hadn't realised, even though they had studied Swedish for many years.
NOW DRIVE WE follows the Teach Yourself Complete book, chapters 1-7.
'How do I know if the course is too easy for me?'
If you can do the following confidently and correctly, you don't need this course:
-use the present perfect to talk about things you have done
-talk about things you or someone did (past tense)
-use personal pronouns in subject and object form
-express likes and dislikes of things and activities
-use indefinite and interrogative pronouns
-use imperatives to give instructions and directions
-use possessive pronouns to describe who owns something
-use all numbers (cardinal and ordinal)
-discuss hobbies and interests
-talk about the weather
-talk about future plans
-form plural endings for nouns
-order things and ask for prices
-ask and tell the time
-use short answers
-talk about what you usually do in a day
-use two-verb constructions
-talk about yourself, your family and where you live
-use nouns in indefinite and definite forms
-give basic opinions
-greet someone and introduce yourself
-use present tense
-use the correct word order to ask and answer questions
-understand when someone else does all the above
'How many hours per week do I need to study?'
The training programme sets out each study session for you.
You can choose how often you'd like to do a study session. If you have a lot of time, you can do them more often.
But if you have less time, you might do one session when you have time. You might even break one session up into two. Some sessions might take longer than others, depending on what you find easy/hard.
You will do one step at a time, at a pace that suits you.
Since you will have continued access to all the material, the Live Q&A's and the online community, you can be flexible, and you will always have support if/when you get stuck.
You can take as little or as long as you need.
'When are the Live Q&A's?
Fortnightly Wednesdays at 8am Pacific | 11am Eastern | 4pm UK | 5pm Central Europe
It might change later, but for the coming few months, this is the time.
Recordings and option to ask questions beforehand when you can’t make it live. Call recordings will be available at least 5 weeks back.
'I can't make the Live Q&A's... is it still worth it?'
NOW DRIVE WE is built as a self-study program that you can move through on your own, while the live Q&A's are support and guidance for when you have questions, get stuck or need examples of how to apply something. Nothing extra is being taught there that you’re missing if you can’t be there live.
You can also ask questions even if you can’t be on the call by sending them to me and then watch the recording with my answer.
Even if there’s definitely an added dimension to being there live, the benefit of watching the recordings FAR surpasses not doing the course at all…
'What's the refund/cancellation policy?'
NOW DRIVE WE is a non-refundable course. As soon as you enrol, you will have access to my tools, the flashcards and so on. Once you're in, you're in.
'Will I have access to the materials once I've completed the course?'
Yes, you’ll keep it and will be able to attend future live Q&A's for as long as I choose to continue the course.
'Do I need to get any material before starting the course?'
Yes! You have to get my book Teach Yourself Complete Swedish.
You won't be able to do this course without it.
'Is the course material in 'English as if it were spoken like Swedish'?'
Yes, most instructions are! Just because it makes it more fun. :) However, I speak 'normal English' in the decoding videos, in the Quizlet demo video and I speak 'normal English' during the Live Q&A's. The Quizlet instruction PDF is also in 'normal English'. I have added a note/warning whenever I'm using 'normal English', so you know. :)
Hej, I'm your Swedish teacher!
I am Dr. Anneli B. Haake. I'm the founder and director of Swedish Made Easy, and I offer online Swedish lesson and courses. I'm the author of 'Teach Yourself Complete Swedish', and 'The Language Teacher Rebel'. I've taught over 20,000 hours online, and I'm particularly passionate about developing speaking and listening skills.
I am based in Brighton, UK, but I was born and bred in Sweden (Stockholm and Dalarna) and lived there until I was 25. When I am not teaching Swedish online, I board dogs or house sit with my husband in Brighton and help other language teachers setting up their own businesses. I love swimming and baking bread. I also occasionally make music in the music project Janis.