Learn Swedish with SVT Play, SVT Barn and UR Play

Swedish public TV is free, huge, and almost every pre-recorded programme has Swedish subtitles. With dual subtitles you see the Swedish line and the same line in your own language at once – this guide shows how to turn that into a daily practice.

Why TV works for learning Swedish

When you watch a programme with Swedish subtitles you hear real Swedish, read it at the same moment and see what is happening on screen. That is a lot of input for very little effort. The problem is the player: SVT Play shows one subtitle language at a time. Swedish only goes too fast when you are starting out, and a translation only means you stop reading Swedish.

Nordic Dual Subs is a free Chrome extension that puts both on screen: the broadcaster's own Swedish line, and the translation right under it, in sync with the speech. It works on SVT Play, SVT Barn and UR Play (and on NRK TV and DR TV for Norwegian and Danish).

What to watch, from easy to hard

Tip: news is good material because the same story runs for several days, so the same words come back again and again.

Step by step

1. On a computer, open Chrome and install Nordic Dual Subs from the Chrome Web Store (button above).
2. Pin it: click the puzzle-piece icon at the top right of Chrome, then the pin next to Nordic Dual Subs.
3. Open a programme on svtplay.se, svtbarn.se or urplay.se and press play. The Swedish line and the translation appear at the bottom of the player. The player's own subtitles are hidden so nothing overlaps.
4. Click the extension icon to pick your language (29 languages; it starts with your browser's language), the text size and which lines to show.
5. Click any word you don't know. The video pauses and shows its meaning, its base form (sprang → springa) and an English gloss from the Folkets lexikon dictionary. Click ⭐ to save it.

A 15-minute practice routine

1. Watch a short piece once – one news item or a few minutes of a programme – with both lines on.
2. Go line by line. Turn on pause after every line in the extension. Read the Swedish line aloud before you look at the translation. Turn on blur translation to see your language only when you hover over it.
3. Use the keys: A previous line, S repeat the line, D next line. Shift+S replays the line slowly and then goes back to normal speed. You can also watch the whole programme at 0.85× or 0.75×.
4. Save 5–10 words, not every word you miss. Each saved word keeps its sentence and the programme it came from.
5. Review them with the built-in word review (spaced repetition), or export them as CSV and import them into Anki.
6. Come back later. A few days on, watch the same piece with only the Swedish line. You will notice how much more you catch.

For SFI students

Nordic Dual Subs is not a course, but it fits well next to SFI (Svenska för invandrare): it gives you listening and reading practice at home with real Swedish. The translation can be in your first language – for example Arabic, Persian, Dari, Somali, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, Turkish or English – so you are not translating twice. Ask your teacher which programmes match your level; as a rough guide, start with SVT Barn and Nyheter på lätt svenska, and move on to Lilla Aktuellt and Rapport as you go.

Good to know

• Free, and no account needed. During the launch offer (until 30 June 2027) every feature is free, including slow replay and word review. Signing in with Google is optional and only syncs your saved words between computers.
• It can only show lines when the broadcaster provides subtitles. Live broadcasts are not supported yet – watch the programme on SVT Play after it has aired.
• Some programmes on SVT Play can only be watched in Sweden. That is SVT's rule, and the extension doesn't change it.
• Some foreign films on SVT have the Swedish text burned into the picture. Click the extension icon (or press Alt+Shift+S) and it reads the text from the picture on your computer and translates it.
• Learning Norwegian or Danish too? See NRK TV and DR TV.

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