Tourist in the Matrix (Intro)

Swedish movies & TV are key to an immersive experience. Video keeps it fresh & lets you set the pace, building a custom curriculum from what interests you.

Absent the means and opportunity for a prolonged visit or a move to Sweden, or to attend one of the summer language-immersion sessions, the most thorough way to immerse yourself -- to embed yourself in the matrix -- is the tsunami of Swedish video content which is at arm's length in our Internet-driven global marketplace.

Building and enjoying a video curriculum entails only a few practical considerations, along with some hardware and software. I’ll share my methods – most are better described as “pointers” really – which matter a lot at the outset and will save you some time. I’ll break these topics into separate upcoming posts:

1) What criteria should you use when selecting content, and where can you find it?

2) What hardware (and maybe software) do you need?

3) How do you make the most out of your viewing time?

Maybe you’re thinking already that this is biting off a big chunk. Watching shows in Swedish is better described as actively decoding rather than watching, until the acceleration begins. Dive in headlong though and you’ll net impressive rewards:

• You will build a varied, useful vocabulary, and have fun doing so;

• You will enroot Swedish syntax naturally, intuitively, and rapidly;

• You will hear Swedish from generally native actors and actresses with different accents;

• You will learn natural Swedish phrasing, and lots of colloquialisms;

• You will gain insight into Swedish culture and personalities.

In the next part, I’ll hit the key points for selecting and finding movies and shows to get you started.