Swedish listening practice: small talk at the bus stop
An A1 Swedish listening dialogue. Two strangers wait for a late bus and do what Swedes do best, complain gently about the weather. With transcript.
Two strangers, one bus stop, light rain. If small talk happens in Sweden, this is what it sounds like: the weather, a sigh about November, a shared dream of summer. Eight of these ten lines will be reusable your first week in the country.
Listen for how the bus question is asked and answered before you read along.
Swedish
— Ursäkta, när kommer bussen?
— Om fem minuter, tror jag.
— Tack. Vilket dåligt väder i dag!
— Ja, det regnar och regnar.
— Är det alltid så här i november?
— [sighs] Ja, tyvärr. November är mörk och grå.
— Men sommaren i Sverige är fin.
— Ja, det är den. Vi väntar på den.
— Här kommer bussen!
— Äntligen!
English
Excuse me, when does the bus come?
In five minutes, I think.
Thanks. What terrible weather today!
Yes, it just rains and rains.
Is it always like this in November?
Yes, unfortunately. November is dark and grey.
But summer in Sweden is lovely.
Yes, it is. We're waiting for it.
Here comes the bus!
Finally!
Passage vocabulary
- Ursäkta: excuse me. The polite way to open with a stranger, and worth learning before anything else.
- tror jag: I think, I believe
- Det regnar.: it's raining
- så här: like this
- tyvärr: unfortunately. Swedes use it constantly, often as a complete answer.
- grå: grey
- väntar på: waits for
- Äntligen!: finally! at last!