Taxi?

At Stockholm Central, the man at the taxi desk talks very fast. Mamma Mi needs him to slow down, and Tuss wants to know what every word means.

Taxi desk
Hej! Vart ska ni åka och hur många väskor har ni?
Hi! Where are you going and how many bags do you have?
Mamma Mi
Förlåt, jag förstår inte. Lite långsammare, tack.
Sorry, I don’t understand. A little slower, please.
Taxi desk
Vart ska ni?
Where are you going?
Mamma Mi
En gång till, tack.
Once more, please.
Taxi desk
Vart. Ska. Ni?
Where. Are. You. Going?
Tuss
Mamma, vad betyder ”vart”?
Mum, what does “vart” mean?
Mamma Mi
Storgatan tre, tack!
Storgatan three, please!
Olle’s grammar · Sounds and spelling · S4

One sound, several spellings

The sj-sound and the tj-sound can each be spelled in several ways.

The breathy sj-sound is spelled sj, sk (before e i y ä ö), stj or skj: sju (seven), sked (spoon), stjärna (star), skjorta (shirt).

The tj-sound, close to the ch in “cheap”, is spelled tj, k (before e i y ä ö) or kj: tjugo (twenty), kyrka (church), kjol (skirt).

It’s the k and sk rule from “Tuss läser högt” the other way round: from sound to letters.

SwedishEnglish
sju · sked · stjärnaseven · spoon · star
tjugo · kyrka · kjoltwenty · church · skirt
Watch out
sjed (spoon)sked
Hear the sj-sound before e, i, y, ä or ö? Try sk first. Before a, o, u or å? Try sj.