WHEN AND WHERE IS THE SPRÅKCAFÉ HELD?
Our Swedish språkcafés take place on Wednesdays and Sundays, and English on Mondays at 19:00 (Swedish time). Exceptions are major holidays, in which case subscribers will be notified of schedule changes. We use Zoom.
DO I PAY FOR THE SPRÅKCAFÉ?
No, the språkcafé is free. All are welcome.
HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
You need to subscribe. We have two språkcafé, one for practicing Swedish and one for English. You can subscribe to both or just one.
Once you have subscribed, your address will be added to our email list. You will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours.
After that, you will start receiving invitations to the språkcafé on the same days as the språkcafé is held, at 16:00. The invitation contains instructions on how to join a språkcafé session and a 3-digit Zoom passcode.
I SUBSCRIBED BUT I DIDN'T GET AN INVITATION TO THE SPRÅKCAFÉ - WHAT DO I DO?
If you don't see the invitation in your inbox, check your trash or spam folder. Google sometimes sorts it there.
HOW DO I STOP GETTING INVITATIONS?
The unsubscribe link is located at the bottom of each invitation email. You are always welcome back.
WHAT IS THE SPRÅKCAFÉ SCHEDULE?
19:00 general information
19:10 Kahoot quiz (grammar on Wednesdays, vocabulary on Sundays)
19:20 1st conversation session (40 min)
20:00 2nd conversation session (40 min)
20:40 3rd conversation session (40 min)
21:20 the språkcafé ends
The schedule above applies to our Swedish språkcafés, at the English språkcafé there is no quiz so the conversation sessions start about 10 minutes earlier.
SPRÅKCAFÉ ETIQUETTE - HOW DOES ONE BEHAVE AT A SPRÅKCAFÉ?
1) Have your camera on. It is much easier to communicate when you can see a person during online communication.
2. Find a quiet place. It is difficult to understand each other if there is noise in the background.
3) Make an effort. Speak as much Swedish as you can and as best as you can. Be interested, keep the conversation going.
4) Help others. We were all beginners at one point and others helped us. We get the most out of life by giving our best.
DO I NEED TO BE ON TIME?
No. It is good to be on time, but you can come whenever you want, you will have someone to talk to.
You can also leave whenever you want. If someone is left alone in the group before the session ends, they just need to wait a few minutes to be transferred to another group.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE IN THE GROUP?
We talk in groups of three people (sometimes in pairs) to give participants as much time as possible to talk. After each session, we change conversation partners.
WHO DO I TALK TO AT THE SPRÅKCAFÉ?
You will be talking to people who are learning Swedish (English) themselves and who are approximately at your level (up to one level below or above).
Writing your level next to your name, for example Ivana C1, helps me adjust the groups.
WHAT LEVEL OF SWEDISH (ENGLISH) DO I HAVE?
We use the EU level system for all languages called CEFRL (for example A1, A2, B1, etc.). Terms like SFI A or SVA 1 belong to the Swedish level system for learning Swedish.
A1
SFI A, B
beginner
I have just started learning.
A2
SFI C, D
elementary
I can conduct simple conversations about my family, hobbies or work.
B1
SVA grundläggande
intermediate
I can participate in any conversation but I lack a lot of vocabulary, not to mention my grammar.
B2
SVA 1, 2
upper-intermediate
I speak fluently, but I still make a lot of grammatical mistakes.
C1
SVA 3
advanced
I can use Swedish in almost all situations, my grammar is finally satisfying.
C2
mother tongue
I am a native speaker or as good as one.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO LEARN SWEDISH (ENGLISH) BY TALKING TO THOSE WHO ARE ALSO LEARNING IT?
Yes. It is even easier to practice speaking with non-native speakers, until one reaches a higher level.
Since språkcafés are not designed to help us learn new information but to help us achieve speed, our Swedish (English) depends not so much on who we speak to, but on how much we focus on speaking it as well as possible.
IS IT TOO EARLY TO START WITH SPRÅKCAFÉS AT A1 LEVEL?
In most cases, yes, because one still doesn't have the necessary vocabulary and grammar to hold a conversation.
The first level to start with, in my opinion, is A2. However, some people underestimate their level, so it's best to come and check.
CAN SPRÅKCAFÉS REPLACE LESSONS?
No. Lessons or other forms of studying feed our brain with information. And at språkcafés we practice using what we've previously learned in order to gain speed (fluency). So we need both.
SHOULDN'T SOMEONE CORRECT ME WHEN SPEAKING?
No, at A2 level we make about 3 mistakes per sentence and it doesn't get much better until C1 level. Constant correcting ruins our brain's chances of establishing fluency. As we've said before, språkcafés are not a substitute for lessons.
WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT AT THE SPRÅKCAFÉ?
Participants can talk about anything they want. To make the conversation more interesting and expand the vocabulary usage, I prepare over 40 questions on a specific topic each week. The questions are divided into two parts, one for Wednesday and the other for Sunday.
You can use our discussion questions to practice your speaking or writing skills on your own.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO PREPARE FOR KAHOOT QUIZZES?
Yes. Our grammar Kahoots are based on the language workshops I post every week on the website.
The vocabulary I use for our Sunday quizzes are the colored words in our discussion questions. You can check their meanings before the quiz to get better results.
Welcome!
Ivana
the owner of Online Språkcafé