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Swedish Course Outline

The Cactus Course Outlines provide a learning framework for the Cactus Foreign Language Evening Courses. They are designed to provide you with a good idea of what you might cover over a 10-week period, and include typical themes, grammar and vocabulary fields. They are flexible rather than prescriptive, in that our teachers may decide to adapt their learning plans to the specific level, aims and interests of their classes. Use the tabs below to view the relevant Swedish course outline for your level. If you want to cover the same course outline in a shorter period of time, we also offer One-Week Online Courses and 5-week Courses.

Beginner 1

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Introducing yourself and others
  • Greetings and goodbyes
  • Family
  • At home
  • Daily routines
  • At work
  • In the shop
  • Ordering food and drink
  • At the station
  • Professions
Grammar
  • Word order – questions
  • Personal pronouns
  • Indefinite form of nouns
  • Present simple
  • uestion words
  • Questions with interrogatives
  • Pronunciation – long and short vowel
  • The indefinite form of nouns
  • Normal word order
  • The Swedish alphabet
  • Numbers
  • Times of the day
  • Definite form of nouns
  • Word order
  • The present tense and imperative form of verbs
  • The infinitive form of verbs
  • The plural form of nouns
  • Modal verbs
  • Prepositions “i” and “på”
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Live and work in Sweden
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as introducing yourself and others, asking basic questions and buying and ordering food
  • Basic pronunciation such as short and long vowels
  • Listening for basic information
  • Writing short messages

Beginner 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Leisure
  • Activities – what do you want to do?
  • Culture
  • The future
  • Family and friends
  • Then and now – talking about past events
  • In the supermarket
  • In a new country
  • Food and drink – likes and dislikes
Grammar
  • The infinitive and present tense form of verbs
  • Adverbs: aldrig, sällan, ibland, ofta, alltid
  • Weekdays
  • Modals
  • Inflection of adjectives
  • Word order
  • Adjectives
  • The future with “ska”, “planerar”, “tänker” etc.
  • Past tense of verbs
  • Possessive pronouns
  • Time expressions in the past
  • Relative pronoun “som”
  • Prepositions “bakom”, “under”, “framför” etc.
  • Adjectives: comparative and superlative
  • Word order
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Indefinite and definite plural forms
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish food
  • Live and work in Sweden
  • Famous Swedes
  • Formal and informal greetings
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as asking for help and clarification, talking about past events and arranging meetings
  • Basic pronunciation
  • Listening exercises
  • Writing short messages

Beginner 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Tourism
  • Sweden – country and climate
  • Travelling in Sweden
  • Transportation
  • Getting around in Sweden – asking for directions
  • On the phone
  • Writing messages – sms, emails, notes
  • Typically Swedish
  • Facts about Sweden
Grammar
  • Present Perfect
  • Prepositions with time
  • Weather, months and seasons
  • Time adverbs
  • Revision of dates
  • Revision of modal verbs
  • Means of transport
  • Time prepositions
  • Verbs “går” and “åker”
  • Prepositions – place
  • Pronouns objective
  • Word order – review
  • Prepositions – review
  • Compound words
  • Swedish – informal and formal language
  • Verb forms – review
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish traditions
  • Education in Sweden
  • Swedish at work
  • Travelling in Sweden
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as describing likes and dislikes , telephone conversations, asking for and giving directions
  • Writing practice such as text messages and emails
  • Listening exercises
  • Pronunciation rules

Elementary 1

Topics u0026 Vocabulary
  • Internet
  • Giving instructions
  • Making plans
  • Eating out
  • At work
  • Professional life
  • In the city and on the countryside
  • Swedish etiquette
  • At the party
Grammar
  • Adjectives – characteristics
  • Nouns – review
  • The pronoun “man”
  • IT vocabulary
  • Demonstrative pronouns “den här”, “den där”
  • Conjunctions “eller”, “men”, “för” and “så”
  • Adjectives: comparative and superlative – review
  • Verbs – review
  • Time expressions
  • Adverbs
  • Time prepositions – review
  • Reported speech
  • Pronouns ”ingen, inget, inga”
  • Subordinate conjunctions
  • Word order – Subordinate clauses
  • Writing invitations
  • Comparing options
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Working in Sweden
  • Swedish etiquette
  • Cultural differences
  • Swedish nature
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as giving instructions, making suggestions and giving advice, giving and asking for personal information, expressing opinions and beliefs, ordering food and drinks
  • Pronunciation
  • Listening exercises
  • Writing practice such as emails, invitations, CV and letters

Elementary 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Swedish news
  • Travelling in Sweden
  • Describing people
  • Education
  • At work
  • In the future
  • Housing
  • How do you live?
  • Living in the city and countryside
Grammar
  • Possessive pronouns – review
  • Verbs tycka, tänka, tro
  • Asking for and giving information
  • Adjectives – review
  • Reflexive pronouns
  • Listening for information
  • Word order – review
  • Giving personal background information
  • Different ways to talk about the future
  • Time prepositions – review
  • Prepositions of place
  • Adjectives: comparatives and superlatives revision
  • Describing and comparing
  • Irregular adjectives
  • Subordinate clauses
Cultural content
  • Sweden in the news
  • Swedish culture
  • Living and working in Sweden
  • Studying in Sweden
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as making future plans, asking for and giving travel information and making arrangements
  • Writing practice such as emails, letters and short articles
  • Pronunciation
  • Listening exercises

Elementary 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Communication
  • In the work place
  • Small talk
  • Health
  • ow are you feeling?
  • Life style
  • Mass media
  • News
Grammar
  • Word order: subordinate clauses
  • The definite form of adjectives
  • Formal and informal
  • Question words – review
  • Short answers “Ja, det gör jag”, ”Nej, det gör jag inte”
  • The word ”Jo”
  • Time prepositions: How often?
  • Subordinate conjunctions
  • Noun forms – review
  • Regular verbs – revision
  • Irregular verbs
  • Irregular verbs
Cultural Content
  • Travelling in Sweden
  • Swedish culture
  • Formal and informal language
  • Sweden in the news
  • Living in Sweden
  • Swedish etiquette
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as opening and closing phone calls, agreeing and disagreeing and asking for advice
  • Writing practice such as messages and short articles
  • Pronunciation
  • Listening exercises

Intermediate 1

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport and healthy living
  • Swedish traditions
  • Social life
  • Friends and family
  • Famous Swedes
  • Money, money, money
  • Professional life
  • Debating – pros and cons
Grammar
  • Prepositions review
  • Adverbs
  • Nouns review
  • Abbreviations
  • Verb review
  • Personal and reflexive pronouns – review
  • Reflexive verbs
  • Word order in main and sub clauses
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Conjunctions
  • Compounds
  • Adjective+noun
  • Irregular verbs
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish traditions
  • Working in Sweden
  • Famous Swedes
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as stating point of view, indicating preferences, agreeing and disagreeing
  • Listening exercises
  • Writing practice such as responding to letters, emails and short articles
  • Pronunciation

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Intermediate 2

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Wildlife in Sweden
  • Nature in Sweden
  • In the news
  • Leisure
  • Social life
  • Good and bad habits
  • Facts about Sweden
  • Sweden – politics and laws
  • Taboos
Grammar
  • Verbs review
  • Present participle
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Word order review
  • Prepositions review
  • Reported speech
  • Relative pronoun “vilken”
  • Second conditional
  • The future tense review
  • Word families
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Nature and wildlife in Sweden
  • Sweden in the news
  • Living in Sweden
  • Taboos
  • The Swedish royal family
  • Politics and laws
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as discussing current issues, talking about the course of events
  • Pronunciation
  • Writing practice such as emails, letters and short articles
  • Listening exercises

Intermediate 3

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Swedish regions
  • Swedish food culture
  • Swedish films
  • Swedish history
  • Kings and queens
  • Scandinavia
  • Facts and myths
  • True or false?
  • Did you know that…?
Grammar
  • Relative pronouns and adverbs
  • Prepositions review
  • Perfect participle
  • Verb tenses review
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Time expressions
  • Verbs: “tycker, tanker, tror”
  • Modal verbs
  • Adjectives: comparative and superlative
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish film
  • Swedish history
  • Swedish food culture
  • The Scandinavian countries
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as presenting thoughts and opinions, asking for information and clarification, giving reasons and explaining opinions, discussions
  • Writing practice such as emails and letters
  • Listening exercises
  • Pronunciation

Upper Intermediate

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Tourism
  • Travelling in Sweden
  • Swedish culture
  • Crime
  • Law and order
  • In the news
  • Challenges
  • Moving to a new country
  • Sport
Grammar
  • Verbs “tycker, tror, tänker”
  • The definite and indefinite form of nouns review
  • The passive form of verbs
  • Pronouns: man, en, sin
  • Deponent and intransitive verbs
  • Perfect participles with verbs “vara” and “bli”
  • Second and third conditionals
  • Adverbs: “ju”, “väl”, “nog”
  • Present perfect in the future
  • Words for making comparisons
  • Verb tense review
Cultural Content
  • Travelling in Sweden
  • Swedish culture
  • Sweden in the news
  • Moving to Sweden
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as comparing views and ideas, talking about past experiences, stating and responding to points of view
  • Pronunciation
  • Writing practice such as emails and letters
  • Listening exercises

Advanced

Topics & Vocabulary
  • Swedish traditions
  • Swedish festivals
  • Swedish literature
  • Stereotypes
  • In the office
  • Consumer rights – making complaints
  • Working in Sweden
  • Professional life
  • Employment
Lexis
  • Indefinite form of nouns review
  • Verb tenses review
  • Idioms
  • Irregular verbs
  • Adjectives review
  • Word order review
  • Transitive and intransitive verbs
  • Demonstrative pronouns review
  • Word order review
  • Prepositional phrases
  • Evaluative adjectives
Topics u0026 Culture
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish traditions
  • Swedish festivals
  • Swedish literature
  • Working in Sweden
  • Idiomatic expressions
  • Formal and informal language
Grammar
  • Speaking activities such as making complaints, discuss problems and suggest solutions, expressing opinions
  • Writing practice such as emails and letters
  • Pronunciation
  • Listening exercises

Proficiency

Functional Language
  • Family and friends
  • Home- and family life
  • Swedish film
  • Norse mythology
  • Heroes
  • The old and the new
  • Swedish codes
  • Typically Swedish
  • Working in Sweden
Grammar
  • Verbs “ligger, står, sitter”
  • Idioms colours
  • Prepositions review
  • Adjectives review
  • Verb tenses review
  • Conjunctions
  • Informal and formal language
  • Phrasal verbs
  • Nouns review
  • Adjectives review
Cultural Content
  • Swedish culture
  • Swedish film
  • Swedish history
  • Religion in Sweden
  • Swedish codes
  • Working in Sweden
Skills Work
  • Speaking activities such as discussing current issues, advantages and disadvantages and comparing views
  • Writing practice such as emails and letters
  • Pronunciation
  • Listening exercises

Understanding Language Levels

If you are taking a language course with Cactus you can find out more about our language levels and how you can track your progress using the ‘can do statements’ below. These statements outline the key things that you should be able to say and understand once you have completed each level. Can do statements are officially recognised as a set of performance-related scales describing what a learner is able to do in a foreign language, in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the CEFR defined levels.

CEFR Levels

If you are taking a language course with Cactus you can find out more about our language levels and how you can track your progress using the ‘can do statements’. These statements outline the key things that you should be able to say and understand once you have completed each level. Can do statements are officially recognised as a set of performance-related scales describing what a learner is able to do in a foreign language, in accordance with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) and the CEFR defined levels.

Beginner (A1)

  • You can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type
  • You can introduce yourself and others
  • You can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where you live, what you do, people you know and things you have
  • You can ask and give directions
  • You can order food and drink
  • You can make very basic travel and accommodation arrangements
  • You can have a basic conversation, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Elementary (A2)

  • You can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas including basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography and employment
  • You can communicate in simple and routine tasks, requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters
  • You can describe, in simple terms, aspects of your background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need
  • You can comfortably ‘get by’ when visiting the country, albeit with some difficulty.

Intermediate (B1)

  • You can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
  • You can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken
  • You can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest
  • You can describe experiences and events
  • You can talk about dreams, hopes and ambitions
  • You can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans
  • You could consider working in the country using the language (e.g. bar/counter work, waiting service in cafes or basic office work).

Upper Intermediate (B2)

  • You can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in your field of specialisation.
  • You can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible, without strain for either party.
  • You can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue, giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
  • You can do business with speakers of the language in most run-of-the-mill situations.

Advanced (C1)

  • You can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning
  • You can express yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions
  • You can use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes
  • You can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, logical flow of text, and clear awareness of the audience.

Proficient (C2)

  • You can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read
  • You can summarise information from different spoken and written sources
  • You can reconstruct arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation
  • You can express yourself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely
  • You can differentiate finer shades of meaning, even in the most complex situations.

How to book with Cactus

Select language

Simply select which language you would like to learn and from the box below and click lets go.

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