SwedishPod101 Review: Can It Help You Learn Swedish Online?
Maria Claudia Alvarado
Published on January 2, 2024
A great resource for beginners to start studying the language
SwedishPod101 comes with podcast-style and video lessons to teach you everything you need to know to start speaking in Swedish. A native speaker introduces phrases and then breaks them down to syllables so you listen to the correct pronunciation. Each lesson includes a dialogue transcript so the content is easy to understand. There are also helpful review tools like vocabulary lists, flashcards, quizzes, a dictionary, and a word bank.
PROS
- Learn everyday phrases
- Breaks the language down to syllables
- Provides context and grammar explanations
CONS
- You can only study the language from English
- Lessons use a lot of English
- The interface isn’t very intuitive
Table of Contents
Who Should Use SwedishPod101 SwedishPod101 Overview SwedishPod101 Price SwedishPod101 Review: Overall Learning Experience SwedishPod101 Alternatives and Competitors SwedishPod101 Review FAQWho Should Use SwedishPod101
SwedishPod101 is a great resource for complete beginners who want to learn to speak Swedish as soon as possible. Its audio and video lessons are presented by native speakers and include detailed grammar, context, and cultural explanations. This is a comprehensive and effective Swedish language learning program that can improve your speaking and listening comprehension skills.
SwedishPod101 Overview
SwedishPod101 is one of Innovative Languages’ immersive language programs. It has a complete Swedish language course with audio and video lessons from the beginner to the advanced level. In each lesson, a native speaker introduces you to new vocabulary and phrases, and you can repeat them to improve your speaking and listening skills. They break down each phrase into sounds and speak at a slow pace, but there are also transcripts available to help you understand what you are hearing.
There are many useful learning tools, like flashcards, vocabulary lists, quizzes, a word bank, and a dictionary, but you might have to find your way around the app if you want to use them. SwedishPod101 has a structured learning path, but you can skip ahead or choose the order for your lessons. It’s important to note that you won’t find writing practice on SwedishPod101 unless you purchase a Premium Plus subscription, so you’ll need to use supplementary resources to reach fluency. Overall, SwedishPod101 is a great way to start your language-learning journey if you want to become highly conversational.
SwedishPod101 Price
SwedishPod101 has different subscription levels, and the price varies depending on which you choose. A monthly subscription costs $8.00 per month for the Basic plan, $25.00 per month for the Premium plan, and $47.00 per month for Premium Plus. However, there are also longer options available that can help you save some money. You can buy 3, 6, 12, or 24 months of SwedishPod101 and save up to 51% from its monthly price. SwedishPod101 has a free lifetime subscription that gives you access to some of its features so you can try the app.
SwedishPod101 is a valuable resource, and the quality and features it offers make it a worthy investment. If you are on a tight budget, I’d recommend choosing the Basic subscription. A Basic subscription unlocks all the lessons and features available on SwedishPod101, like the transcripts, flashcards, word bank, etc. With a basic subscription, you can have a similar learning experience to those with apps like Rocket Languages or Mondly.
The Premium Plus subscription gives you access to the guidance of a personal tutor, but its price is on the higher end for most language apps, like Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur.
SwedishPod101 Free Trial
SwedishPod101 has a 7-day free trial for its Premium subscription once you register for a free lifetime account. The platform doesn’t ask for payment information unless you want to extend your subscription past the 7-day period. During this time, you can access all of SwedishPod101’s tools and resources, except the 1-on-1 help of a personal tutor which is only available with a Premium Plus subscription.
SwedishPod101 Review: Overall Learning Experience
In my experience, SwedishPod101 is an effective way to start learning the language. I was a complete beginner when I started using the app, and I had no problems understanding the information presented in the Swedish course. In fact, one of my favorite features was the brief cultural and context notes included in its audio lessons. Knowing the context and the cultural meaning of the language is just as important as understanding grammar, and I found that SwedishPod101 did a good job of balancing these topics.
The audio lessons weren’t too long, which motivated me to listen to at least a couple each day. I thought the transcripts were a helpful way to ensure I understood the content. You can also use them to review what you learned, which is way easier than having to guess exactly at what point in the lesson you heard a specific explanation. Intermediate and advanced learners may find that the app uses a lot of English in its lessons, but this isn’t bad if you are a complete beginner learner trying to advance to the next level.
SwedishPod101 has plenty of lessons and useful review tools, but they aren’t necessarily in plain sight. For example, it took me a while to figure out how the lesson pathways worked and where to find the Slideshows. SwedishPod101 isn’t hard to navigate, but its interface isn’t as intuitive as it could be. The platform has so much to offer that it’s worth getting to know it!
SwedishPod101 Alternatives and Competitors
If SwedishPod101 isn’t the right choice for you, there are other options available. Pimsleur offers complete podcast-style language courses that focus on developing your conversational skills. It has a similar lesson structure to SwedishPod101, but Pimsleur has more interactive exercises to help you review what you learned. Glossika is another option that focuses on improving your listening comprehension skills and uses audio and a speech recognition tool to help you practice speaking.
Unlike SwedishPod101, Rosetta Stone completely immerses you in Swedish from the first lesson. Rosetta Stone uses audio and images to help you associate Swedish vocabulary with its meaning. Mango Languages has interactive lessons with audio voiced by native speakers and a speech recognition feature. It puts more weight on grammar and reading than SwedishPod101.
SwedishPod101 Review FAQ
SwedishPod101 is worth it if you want to develop your listening comprehension and conversational skills. Its language course gives you all the knowledge you need to start speaking Swedish from the first lesson. All SwedishPod101 lessons are voiced by Swedish speakers, so you can learn natural phrases.
It’s possible to learn basic Swedish in 2 months if you are consistent. There are many similarities between English and Swedish, so most native English speakers can easily learn basic Swedish. If you want to become completely fluent, you’ll probably need more time, though.
The fastest way to learn Swedish is to follow a study routine. To become fluent in Swedish, you need to exercise all language skills, including vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, writing, and reading. You can combine different study tools to help you practice the different skills and keep you motivated.
Swedish isn’t difficult to learn if you are an English speaker. The U.S. Department of State has classified Swedish as a Category I language, so it takes around 24-30 weeks to achieve proficiency. However, this is only an estimate, and how long it will take you to learn Swedish will depend on your consistency and natural ability to acquire a new language.
To see how long it will take you to learn Swedish, check out our fluency calculator.
About This SwedishPod101 Review
This is an independent SwedishPod101 review, and the company has not sponsored this article. To write this review, I signed-up for a Premium subscription to SwedishPod101 and used it for a few hours to thoroughly test its content and features. I also found additional information on the SwedishPod101 website to verify my findings.
