Have you ever looked at a decoded Swedish sentence and thought, “Wait… what?”
Maybe the English version seemed odd or even grammatically “wrong.” Or maybe your brain whispered, “Shouldn’t I just focus on the Swedish instead?”
If that’s you—you’re not alone. And you’re definitely not doing anything wrong.
In fact, feeling a little confused or uncomfortable when you start decoding is completely normal. It’s your brain adjusting to a new way of thinking. And here’s the exciting part: that discomfort? It means the method is working.
What Decoding Actually Is
Decoding is the first step in the Birkenbihl Method, a brain-friendly language learning approach I use in my courses like Now Drive We and in my Language Gym decoding sessions. It involves translating a Swedish sentence literally—word by word—into English.
For example:
Swedish: “Jag ska till affären.”
Decoded English: “I shall to the store.”
Sounds strange, right? But that’s the point.
Decoding helps you see how Swedish structure is different from English. It pulls you out of English grammar habits and shows you how Swedish really works.
“But the English Looks Weird!”
Yes—and that’s a good thing.
In one of my recent Language Gym breakout rooms, an English-speaking learner hesitated with decoding. She was worried the English version would confuse her and thought she might be better off just focusing on the Swedish.
That’s a common concern, especially for learners used to the “full immersion” approach.
Here’s what I told her (and what I want to tell you too):
When you come across something new, your brain naturally tries to fit it into familiar patterns—usually from your first language.
But this often leads to Swenglish: sentences that are structured like English but filled with Swedish words.
Seeing the weird English actually helps you spot the difference between Swedish and English more clearly. It’s not just amusing—it’s a powerful tool for rewiring your sentence-building habits.
That’s why my reels series “If English were spoken like Swedish” on Instagram and TikTok resonates so much. It’s silly, yes—but it’s also showing you, in real time, what decoding does. It makes the structure visible.
The Science Behind the Discomfort
Your brain craves patterns. When you throw it a new pattern—like Swedish word order—it resists at first. It wants to “translate” everything back into what it knows. That’s why decoding feels clunky in the beginning.
But as you decode more sentences, you start to build new neural pathways. You recognise sentence patterns. You stop translating in your head. And before you know it, you’re thinking in Swedish.
What to Do When Decoding Feels Awkward
Here’s how to work with that discomfort instead of against it:
✅ Embrace the weird English. It’s not “wrong”—it’s a map to how Swedish works.
✅ Keep going. Decoding feels smoother after just a few sessions. Your brain adjusts quickly when it gets repeated exposure.
✅ Use active and passive listening too. In my course Now Drive We, decoding is just the first step—we also train your ear and reinforce learning with practice exercises.
✅ Laugh a little. If it sounds silly, lean into it! Language learning is allowed to be fun.
Final Thoughts: Discomfort = Growth
If decoding feels a little strange, take it as a sign you’re doing something right.
You’re challenging old habits. You’re building new patterns. You’re learning Swedish in a way that’s effective, intuitive—and yes, sometimes a bit weird.
And trust me: that weirdness will lead to fluency faster than you think.
