Isof / our Swedish writing guide · Swedish writing
Write as if the idea began in Swedish
Write Swedish copy directly in Swedish, from the reader's situation and the sender's voice – not by way of English. Choose concrete words, verbs over nouns, natural word order and the most important point first.
When it helps
When Swedish copy sounds translated, impersonal or stiff, or is full of anglicisms and sweeping sales promises such as 'lås upp' (unlock), 'ta kontroll över' (take control of) and 'nästa nivå' (next level).
Keep in mind
When an expressive voice is deliberately right for the brand. Swedish copy doesn't have to be cautious, stiff or sound the same for everyone.
How to apply it
- Write directly in Swedish from the facts and purpose. Keep the message but rebuild the sentence when English is dictating the rhythm, and replace calques such as 'ta kontroll över', 'på daglig basis', 'adressera' and 'leverera värde' with what you actually mean.
- Prefer verbs to nouns and the active voice: 'vi skickar fakturan' (we send the invoice) rather than 'fakturering sker' (invoicing takes place). Address the reader as 'du' unless the sender has a reason not to.
- Put the most important point first and make it concrete: what the reader gets, what they need to do and what it costs. Keep humour, emotion and energy when they help.
- Choose the form of address, tone and terminology for the reader. Don't assume every Swedish audience wants the same tone – an estate agent, a games studio and a government agency all sound different.
- Check the form: write compounds as one word ('kundtjänst', not 'kund tjänst'), use Swedish quotation marks (”…”), sentence case in headings, amounts as '995 kr' and dates as '28 oktober 2026'. Never change the offer's facts, currency or terms to make it sound better.
Questions to work with
- Would someone in this audience say it this way?
- What does the wording mean in practice?
- Does it sound like this sender, or like a translated template?
- Could a noun become a verb, or one long sentence become two?
A fictional example
Fictional: a subscription tool shows what the user's subscriptions cost each month. No savings are guaranteed. The example is in Swedish, with literal glosses.
Draft
Lås upp besparingar och ta kontroll över din finansiella resa. ('Unlock savings and take control of your financial journey.')
Revised
Se vad dina abonnemang kostar varje månad, samlat på ett ställe. ('See what your subscriptions cost each month, all in one place.')
The borrowed phrases give way to an everyday verb and a concrete benefit. Isof's plain-language advice supports clarity, not claims about sales performance.
Read the original sources
The application and example are our own. The example is fictional and has not been conversion-tested.