15 tips that will help you navigate life in Sweden
A new Twitter thread with advice about living in Sweden is making the rounds on social media. We've picked out some of the best tweets.
Briton Tomas Spragg Nilsson, the author of Fear and Falukorv – a book about becoming Swedish – this week challenged Twitter users to like his tweet and receive "one piece of semi-useful advice for living in Sweden" in return. At the time of publication, the tweet has received around 200 likes, so he'll have his work cut out for him.
Coffee is not just a morning drink. We can attest to this. Swedes love coffee, they love it black, strong and in amounts you did not know a person could drink in a day.
2/ Coffee is not just a morning drink. Be prepared to drink more coffee than you imagined possible.
Sleeping is no longer an option.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Leave Stockholm in the summer months. This goes for a lot of Swedish city centres, which tend to empty out during the country's long summer holidays. Who knew so many of your colleagues owned summer houses?
8/ Leave Stockholm in the summer months.
(Unless you have a thing for ghost towns)
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Apply for a personnummer on day one. Sweden's personal ID number, personnummer, is the key to life in Sweden that unlocks everything from taxes and bank accounts to your library card or gym membership.
9/ This should really have been the first thing in the list:
If you plan to live here: apply for a personal number on day one. You basically cannot do anything else on this thread without one.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Don't believe anything you see on Young Wallander. The new Netflix origin series about Swedish detective Kurt Wallander has drawn scorn among Swedes for a fairly large number of inconsistencies about life in Sweden...
11/ Whilst we are at it: everyone in Sweden likes to complain about #YoungWallander.
Highlights include:
'We don't have carpeted floors!'
'Who has a washing machine in the kitchen?!'
'Someone forgot to tell the British actors how to pronounce words that contain Å,Ä or Ö'
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Learn how the angry note works. Sweden's communal laundry rooms in many apartment blocks often have their own legal universe, where the angry note is king. You don't want to be on the receiving end of one.
13/ If you use the tvättstuga when it's not your turn, then prepare to face the wrath of Sweden's most popular pastime: the angry note.
Learn how to read these. Learn how to write them. Taking the conflict face to face is often far too controversial for most neighbours.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Join an association. Swedes are – sometimes unfairly, sometimes accurately – often described as a reserved bunch of people, but they do organised fun better than most. Do you have a hobby? Find out if there's an association dedicated to that in your area. If there isn't one – why not make the first move and start one.
16/ I can't believe it's taken me until now to give my favourite piece of advice:
Join an association. Sewing, football, e-sports, whatever.
Much of Swedish life is carefully organised into such activities, and it's the easiest way to make friends in a new country!
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Try to learn Swedish. It is relatively easy compared to a lot of countries to get by with English in Sweden, but to truly get to know the country and increase your long-term career prospects, learning the language is key.
18/ SFI (Swedish for immigrants) is a good place to start. It's free and usually available close to where you live.
Most people who move to Sweden start here.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Practise learning four-digit codes. Remember that personnummer? It's not the only area of Swedish life where digits are essential. Who needs cash or a key? In tech-loving Sweden, there's a code for almost everything.
22/ Practice memorising four digit codes. They will rule you life.
Want to get into your building? There's a code for that.
Gym? Code
Work? Another code
Bank ID? Tricked you - that's six digits.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
There is more to restaurant lunches than meets the eye. Sweden may be an expensive country, but some things are good value for money, even cheap. A restaurant lunch (ask for dagens lunch) is often not much more than 100 kronor and includes free coffee, bread and an all-you-can-eat salad bar.
25/ Most restaurant lunches include more than meets the eye.
Pay a fixed price and get meal + bread + salad + coffee.
Fill your boots!
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Be careful of false friends. Oh and by the way, they get even more awkward than these.
28/ More false friends?
?? Kiss
?? Puss
?? Kiss
?? Wee
Try not to confuse any of these. Could get messy.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Swedes like to hug to say hello/goodbye. The French kiss on the cheek, the Swedes give each other a little cuddle. There are intricate rules to how and when a hug is appropriate, however – read more here.
29/ And whilst we are on the subject of kissing.
If you are from a country where you like to greet with a kiss, that might not go down well here.
Swedes like to hug to say hello/goodbye. These days it's much more of a wave from a distance though.
I miss hugs.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Almost everyone gets paid on the 25th of the month. This also means bars will be packed the following weekend.
31/ Almost everyone in the country gets paid on the 25th of the month.
Avoid IKEA on the weekend after the 25th at all costs.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Free coffee refills! Ask if påtår is included.
37/ If you buy bryggkaffe (brewed coffee) in a coffee shop, it almost always includes pårtår (free refills). Not always though, so if you are unsure - ask!
Pro tip: If you refill a second time, it's called tretår! (And you probably won't sleep tonight!)
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
If you dare to try the infamous fermented herring, you must do it outside! But even if some Swedish habits seem strange, embrace them – you may even end up appreciating them more than you thought you would.
38/ If you dare to try the infamous surströmming (fermented herring), you must do it outside!
And don't just open a can in a park - embrace the ritual of preparing it and you will be pleasantly surprised. I actually made a video about this a while back: https://t.co/kV74To9LS0
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
If a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, employers will usually give you Monday or Friday off. But even if they don't, learn how to work the system and ask to get the day off before your Swedish colleagues do.
40/ And if your employer doesn't give you a klämdag, book one off yourself.
No one else will be in the office - so you might as well enjoy a long weekend!
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Tomas Spragg Nilsson is the author of Falukorv och andra fasor (Fear and Falukorv, available in Swedish and English via publisher Lys Förlag). Follow him on Twitter and read more semi-useful advice about Sweden here.
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Briton Tomas Spragg Nilsson, the author of Fear and Falukorv – a book about becoming Swedish – this week challenged Twitter users to like his tweet and receive "one piece of semi-useful advice for living in Sweden" in return. At the time of publication, the tweet has received around 200 likes, so he'll have his work cut out for him.
Coffee is not just a morning drink. We can attest to this. Swedes love coffee, they love it black, strong and in amounts you did not know a person could drink in a day.
2/ Coffee is not just a morning drink. Be prepared to drink more coffee than you imagined possible.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Sleeping is no longer an option.
Leave Stockholm in the summer months. This goes for a lot of Swedish city centres, which tend to empty out during the country's long summer holidays. Who knew so many of your colleagues owned summer houses?
8/ Leave Stockholm in the summer months.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
(Unless you have a thing for ghost towns)
Apply for a personnummer on day one. Sweden's personal ID number, personnummer, is the key to life in Sweden that unlocks everything from taxes and bank accounts to your library card or gym membership.
9/ This should really have been the first thing in the list:
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
If you plan to live here: apply for a personal number on day one. You basically cannot do anything else on this thread without one.
Don't believe anything you see on Young Wallander. The new Netflix origin series about Swedish detective Kurt Wallander has drawn scorn among Swedes for a fairly large number of inconsistencies about life in Sweden...
11/ Whilst we are at it: everyone in Sweden likes to complain about #YoungWallander.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Highlights include:
'We don't have carpeted floors!'
'Who has a washing machine in the kitchen?!'
'Someone forgot to tell the British actors how to pronounce words that contain Å,Ä or Ö'
Learn how the angry note works. Sweden's communal laundry rooms in many apartment blocks often have their own legal universe, where the angry note is king. You don't want to be on the receiving end of one.
13/ If you use the tvättstuga when it's not your turn, then prepare to face the wrath of Sweden's most popular pastime: the angry note.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Learn how to read these. Learn how to write them. Taking the conflict face to face is often far too controversial for most neighbours.
Join an association. Swedes are – sometimes unfairly, sometimes accurately – often described as a reserved bunch of people, but they do organised fun better than most. Do you have a hobby? Find out if there's an association dedicated to that in your area. If there isn't one – why not make the first move and start one.
16/ I can't believe it's taken me until now to give my favourite piece of advice:
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Join an association. Sewing, football, e-sports, whatever.
Much of Swedish life is carefully organised into such activities, and it's the easiest way to make friends in a new country!
Try to learn Swedish. It is relatively easy compared to a lot of countries to get by with English in Sweden, but to truly get to know the country and increase your long-term career prospects, learning the language is key.
18/ SFI (Swedish for immigrants) is a good place to start. It's free and usually available close to where you live.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Most people who move to Sweden start here.
Practise learning four-digit codes. Remember that personnummer? It's not the only area of Swedish life where digits are essential. Who needs cash or a key? In tech-loving Sweden, there's a code for almost everything.
22/ Practice memorising four digit codes. They will rule you life.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 9, 2020
Want to get into your building? There's a code for that.
Gym? Code
Work? Another code
Bank ID? Tricked you - that's six digits.
There is more to restaurant lunches than meets the eye. Sweden may be an expensive country, but some things are good value for money, even cheap. A restaurant lunch (ask for dagens lunch) is often not much more than 100 kronor and includes free coffee, bread and an all-you-can-eat salad bar.
25/ Most restaurant lunches include more than meets the eye.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Pay a fixed price and get meal + bread + salad + coffee.
Fill your boots!
Be careful of false friends. Oh and by the way, they get even more awkward than these.
28/ More false friends?
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
?? Kiss
?? Puss
?? Kiss
?? Wee
Try not to confuse any of these. Could get messy.
Swedes like to hug to say hello/goodbye. The French kiss on the cheek, the Swedes give each other a little cuddle. There are intricate rules to how and when a hug is appropriate, however – read more here.
29/ And whilst we are on the subject of kissing.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
If you are from a country where you like to greet with a kiss, that might not go down well here.
Swedes like to hug to say hello/goodbye. These days it's much more of a wave from a distance though.
I miss hugs.
Almost everyone gets paid on the 25th of the month. This also means bars will be packed the following weekend.
31/ Almost everyone in the country gets paid on the 25th of the month.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Avoid IKEA on the weekend after the 25th at all costs.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Free coffee refills! Ask if påtår is included.
37/ If you buy bryggkaffe (brewed coffee) in a coffee shop, it almost always includes pårtår (free refills). Not always though, so if you are unsure - ask!
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
Pro tip: If you refill a second time, it's called tretår! (And you probably won't sleep tonight!)
If you dare to try the infamous fermented herring, you must do it outside! But even if some Swedish habits seem strange, embrace them – you may even end up appreciating them more than you thought you would.
38/ If you dare to try the infamous surströmming (fermented herring), you must do it outside!
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
And don't just open a can in a park - embrace the ritual of preparing it and you will be pleasantly surprised. I actually made a video about this a while back: https://t.co/kV74To9LS0
If a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, employers will usually give you Monday or Friday off. But even if they don't, learn how to work the system and ask to get the day off before your Swedish colleagues do.
40/ And if your employer doesn't give you a klämdag, book one off yourself.
— Tomas Spragg Nilsson (@tjspragg) September 10, 2020
No one else will be in the office - so you might as well enjoy a long weekend!
Tomas Spragg Nilsson is the author of Falukorv och andra fasor (Fear and Falukorv, available in Swedish and English via publisher Lys Förlag). Follow him on Twitter and read more semi-useful advice about Sweden here.
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