The Finns got disturbed when these Coronavirus recommendations came out - the two meter distance rule meant they had to get closer than they where comfortable with.

"Not wearing shoes inside" has nothing to do with snow.. at least, i've never heard of it. We vacuum just as much in the summer as in the winter.. The problem is more that.. outside is dirty, inside is clean. Edit: Pretty sure it's a cultural thing :) A lot of european countries don't wear shoes inside

Nummerkö system is great because if you are say nr 75 and nr 50 is being served you can estimate the time between the numbers and go do the rest of your shopping and come back hopefully in time to get served. This enables you to use your time in a better way than to just stand and wait!

Bring your own booze is mostly a thing with younger people with tighter budgets. I’d be slightly insulted if you brought your own booze to my house when you’re the guest. 🙂

Nr 6: Don't randomly strike up a conversation with a Swede, especially not in a bigger city. They will look at you funny and wonder why the hell you're talking to them. Unless you're a tourist speaking English asking for directions. Don't sit right next to someone on the Subway or bus if there are seats somewhere else.

Bring your own alcohol? No, perhaps in the younger generation, but definitely not if you are adult and invited to a party. You might bring a bottle of vine as a gift to the hostess/host.

Not removing shoes is just mindboggling to me. Even if you live in a "clean" area without much rain. Just because you don't see the dirt, doesn't mean it's not there. Also, you could have like a pointy tiny pebble lodged between any crevace at the bottom of your shoes without noticing. RIP expensive floor/carpet if you walk around on it with that.

When you are past 35 or something it is pretty unusual to bring alcohol to a smaller party. The host will provade for everything. Unless it is a ”knytkalas” or ”kräftskiva”.

When you talk about Jantelagen as a law it sounds like you're committing a crime if you brag 😂

I think a big reason for why we're expected to bring our own alcohol is because it's so prohibitively expensive. Providing alcohol for one person is going to be 20-40USD for a night (and it can easily be much more, especially if you're drinking snaps) and it'd be rude to expect the host to pay 400USD just for a small gathering.

Nr 1: True! That's why there are so much clutches between different cultures, for example many of my friends that are foreigners from middle east and especially eastern asia like china have families that loves to "show off" how much money they have, but usually the truth is that they are not as rich as they show. Swedes are the opposite, some families are very rich but don't show off that much. Nr 2: Depends! This changes with age. Trust me haha. Teens, early 20s and even early 30s always bring their own alcohol to parties (with maybe limited money and more people invited) meanwhile older generations are maybe abit more genereous! But it's definately a Swedish thing. Got a friend from Tanzania and got invited to family parties from time to time and in their culture it's important to be generous so it's kinda an insult to bring your own stuff to a party. I know many other cultures that are like this too. Nr 3: True! Only rich families living in castles don't do this! Joke aside, pretty accurate. Nr 4: True! Try sometime to stand in the middle of an elevator and look at the people pushing their backs to the wall. Social experiment that is very fun! (maybe not during covid-19 pandemic) Nr 5: True! I have actually seen a guy slap another guy in the backhead for cutting the line. The guy who cut the line immediately obey and went to the back of the line. Solid video! Keep it up! /from a Swede

"You need to keep your distance" "Got it" "It will help your health" "Yep" "And minimize the spread of the virus" "What virus?" My life as a Swede

I guess jantelagen helps us not be a "Karen". You aren´t more special than anyone else around you

Same don'ts in Denmark, Norway, Finland too 😉 (Iceland & the Faroe Islands) It's Nordic thing! 🤣👍

My family does these things and live we in America. And my great grandfather and grandfather is from Gothenburg.

Alternativ titel: "Stefans guide till att inte vara ett rövhål"

Jantelagen is nor has ever been an actual law. It is from a satirical book.

I’m leaving tmw to Sweden for the first time. My grandmother is from Sweden and this is my first time physically meeting my family and so excited. These videos are helpful, even tho I think because of my grandmother, the way I act is probably more Swedish normal than US typical.

About Byob, if it's a party then sure, everyone brings their own drinks. If you're at like a dinner party, the host normally will provide wine, beer, drinks or whatever. Though the host will expect you to not get shit faced drunk at a dinner party :).

I have become obsessed with your videos about Sweden and stuff. I happened to search about the country and came across your channel and ended up watching every single videos you posted. It is just fun to know all the details about Sweden thanks to you! Just wanted to drop a comment to show some appreciation :) Greetings from all the way from TURKEY!

Hahaha the queue part is sacred. just yesterday me and my friend were going out swimming and we were jumping from the speingboard to the water. This maybe 10 year old cut in line and my friend just said "Hey, there is a queue here!" and the child said sorry amd went in the back of the line. I laughed and i thought he was correct, so seemed to think the older adults too who saw that around us. We are almost 30.

Oh, you take of your shoes, is about politeness and respect. “we don’t take a shit were we eat” The culture is changing here in Sweden. The traditional Swedish manners is almost gone but in bigger parts of Scandinavia it’s still alive. I think it’s really cool that you’ve been paying attention, for real. 😇

I am moving to Sweden in 10 days and I love their way of life! The values described in this video resonate with me, and I hope more societies take these on.

Thank you for helping us in order to not fall in awkward situation🙏

Hey Stefan! I am learning Swedish at the moment and you videos are amazing! Thanks

I think another aspect of bring your own alcohol is that, being reserved, it can be hard to partake. If it's a wedding or something, I will certainly expect booze to be provided, but if I'm at someones house and they say "The beer is in the fridge, feel free to grab a drink", I'm going to feel uncomfortable because I would feel rude grabbing too much, I would constantly second-guess taking another drink. This has been a culture shock when I've been to american's houses outside of Sweden and I later heard that they were worried I didn't have a good time because I didn't drink, but it's because I don't want to go grabbing stuff from other peoples fridges unless they specifically hand it to me.

As an Swed myself who lived in Sweden all my life, most of these things you brought up is kinda common knowledge for me. Though, I Do have some things I wanna say about each point, which I will bring up below here. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1: don't brag.. That is just common knowledge, like its Ok to tell others you done something great in your life or tell them that ''Oh today, I was able to overcome this thing I have problem with'' That's Fine. its more that if you start telling others about ALL the things you're so great at, that's when it becomes an problem and it starts looking like you are just bragging at that point. not cause You really did something great that day, But You're just bragging for the right to brag, which is what I say is NOT Ok to do. 2: Don't forget to BYOB.. Ok so..... I have no experience with Alcohol, cause I don't drink. But, The idea of paying for your own stuff when you go out and eat or drink, is something that is expected of you most of the time, that is true. But ofc.. sometimes it can be that you are out with friends and one of the friends are fine with standing for the payment and you don't really need to pay back, they be happy if you do, but You aren't obligated to Do it all the time, Sometimes friends or someone you meet just want to be friendly with you and tell you that the bill is on them this time. 3: Don't leave your Shoes on.. Yes, 99% True. majority of the time when you go inside somewhere or at someones home, You are not allowed shoes inside and have to take them off by the door. Ofc, some places is fine walking with shoes inside, But majority of places..yea, shoes comes off. 4: Don't ignore Personal space.. Now this one is once again as I said in the beginning a bit of Common sense, Don't get up in others faces if they don't want you to. its called *Personal* Space for an reason, So Yea.. nothing more to say here, this is an 100% correct one. 5: Don't Cut in line.. Yes once again.. this is 100% true. Don't Cut in Line. some may just call you out on it, and you may just need to get last in line or have to deal with the security, other times.. it is possible that People may get really mad over it, and things could get really bad for someone. So Yea.. Don't Cut in Line, EVER. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Well that's was my thoughts on these points, hopefully it helped someone out. :)

as a swede i can confirm, you are always spot on with these vids haha quite fun to see and reflect

The whole bring your own alcohol thing also makes it so that everyone drinks what they like. Some may not like beer so they bring cider instead or what not.

I automatically hate when people brag about something, I guess I was just raised not to brag about anything (I don’t have anything to brag about so far anyways haha) but I know most Swedes hates it, especially when other Swedes does that 😂

We have this thing called "vuxenpoäng". Offering alcohol to your guests as a host is one of the criteria.

It is so interesting with different cultures. Those 5 things are so obvious to us. Great video.

Been following you all the way from 6000 subs in Norrköping, and soon you'll hit a 100k! Be proud & drop the Jante for a while! ;)

A German guy said about Sweden and rules, to test if Swedes are obsessed with rules is to stand on the wrong side of the escalator when riding the subway. After that experience you know Swedes are far more obsessed with rules than Germans.

I am Spanish USA born & raised and I am and was Swedish raised. Thank you for sharing; you speak clearly & concisely. You speaking background & white t-shirt do not distract from your Focus of Communication. I have lived in Southern California Laguna Niguel, South Florida & after The Univ of Miami, moved up to work (Economics & Finance) in McLean Virginia I was seeking Govt Employment.

A swedish comic said it best. An american athlete says " i'm gonna be the champion. THE BEST! NR 1" A Swedish athlete says "i'll be extremely happy if i am amongst the 5 first"

1. It's ok to show off your accomplishments or w/e but you don't have to BRAG about it. "Oh hey look I got full score on my finals, I'm so happy", versus "Look I got full score on my finals, I'm so good at this, it was so easy for me I'm the best blah blah". See the difference? 2. It completely depends on the type of party. Going to a friend to drink some booze before heading out to the club, you'd normally bring your own booze. However you wouldn't bring your own booze to a wedding party for example. For birthday parties you'd usually bring your own booze unless specified otherwise in the invite. Oh and if you're just out drinking with a couple friends it's not uncommon to do the "I buy first round, you buy the next". If it's a larger group however, or if you're out having dinner or something, it would obviously be too expensive for one person to pay the whole thing. It's just about being reasonable. 3. Outside = dirty, inside = clean. Like mentioned, we have a lot of rain and snow, don't wanna bring that inside obviously. 4. I can agree that we may be a bit more reserved in Sweden. This is especially true with strangers. People usually comes off as weird if they're too open and forward to strangers. It's a bit unfortunate to be honest, I think a lot of Swedes can be too judgemental. 5. When and where would it ever be ok to cut in line lol? We do have a queue ticket system in some stores, but not all. It's to prevent long queues, and people can still walk around in the store while waiting for their turn. It's just convenient. If there is one, obviously you should use it and wait for your turn. Also even if there's a queue ticket system, that's just for the cashier. If personnel walks around in the store it's perfectly fine to ask them for help.

I found the most wonderful Danish woman who paid my fare to take the train to Denmark. She wanted to know all about California and I gave surfing stickers (from Hungington Beach) to a young Swedish man. They were so kind! Tack tack.

Love your shirt Stefan!

Big fan of your videos and started watching it before coming to Sweden,, hope we can do something together 🇸🇪🙌

The alcohol is mainly with a few of the younger crowd 20-25-ish? planning to drink…a bit. Because of the prices. Haven’t experienced that past those ages and that would be awkward to me and my friends.

I live the intro!🤘🏻

About the BYOB part; commonly when being invited to someone else, you're expected to bring your own alcohol. But if you are a few friends in the bar, it is pretty common to buy the 1st, 2nd and 3rd round etc. This is mostly because of convenience as the bars can sometimes be full and you do not want to lose your seats. I seem to recall you covering this "friend circle" mentality way back, it kinda ties into that. :P And yeah... When we hear someone brag about themself we only think they're missing something in their life, I am one of those people who can be a little of an imp to bragging people. Most of the times, bragging is 10% truth and 90% exaggeration and breaking down those 90% to the truth, people usually feel worse about themself instead of good. It can be pretty mean at times, but it'll definitely teach them a thing or two.

There is a very famous music band in Sweden called "Larz-Kristerz" who come from my village (Älvdalen), and those guys definitely follow Jantelagen. I sometimes see some of those members casually visit the local coffee shop in my village, and they will sit around with friends and have casual chats just like everyone else. I also know some of those members quite well personally, and I will often have conversations with them when I run into them.

Hi Stefan when you have a fresh video I always watch and listen

I subscribed! 🙌 Jag tycker om dina videor ^^ 👍

Spot on! 👏🏼 👏🏼

I grew up in a small town in Sweden (sub 20k county population) And at places like the pharmacy they still have the number queue system. But I always experienced that if there is literally no one else there, they will help you even if you don't take the number. But I do think it is different in cities like Norrköping etc.

One of the first language books I had learning Swedish explained "fika" and pointed out some topics of conversation that should be avoided. The usual controversial subjects like "politics" and "religion", but the also advised against talking about "your wonderful life" and that made me giggle.

Notes taken: if you're from Finland, remember to do these things in Sweden. Bragging especially about ice hockey. Always remember to take someone's akvavit, but leave a conspicuous Finlandia vodka on the table. Insist on using euros. Walk around in your sandals plus Finland -socks. Surprise someone from behind, smelling like alcohol and in a thick Finnish accent ask where the toilet is. If you cut in line, make sure that you do it in the cruise ship terminal. Use elbows if you have to. Speak in Finnish about "bättre folk" if you're drunk enough, for special effects.

The number system has a purpose. First off, the way you notify them that you want attention is by producing a number, they get alerted and can stop doing the day-to-day maintenance work at a natural stopping point to take care of you. Workers in places with a numbering system, like pharmacies and whatnot, aren't expected to drop everything at a moment's notice and help you. But to, when they've reached a point in whatever task they're doing that they can halt without losing track of where they are or similar, and then go and take care of the pending customer(s). There's more to it than just a queue system, you're also queuing with "the tasks of the day" which are basically in effect when there's nobody queued up in the system. This is about the modern digital system, the older analogue "ticket rolls" systems are a bit different, since there's no feedback when a ticket got produced, and the places with those are generally more "you can just walk up to the register if you're the only one in there"-y

L enjoy your videos. I can see where my father had more of a Swedish temperement he probably got from his parents and grandparents. He was more laid back and calm where my mother was Italian and passionate. I try to keep a balance between them.

Spot on! Regards from a native swede 😀

I think number 5 is connected to the personal space issue. I think it’s about not being bothered unless you ask for it. I personally hate when I’m in a store and people come up to me asking if I want help if I don’t need it. I will ask if I have to. 😄

"BOYB"... lmao, in agreement! So on point! I didn't even think about it tiö you mentioned it in this video. LOL

As a Swede I think it is very funny to watch your videos 😅😳

The beer thing confused me since where I live in the US everyone brings their own beer to parties already, same with the shoes inside thing, most people I know have shoe areas near entrances.

Seattle area here ... we take off our shoes and often just before entering the house as opposed to once inside the door

Spot on as usual! haha ;)

Like your videos man 👍

I think Swedish culture can be summarized as "be respectful, don't impose on others". That's why we also don't like bragging, keep a wide personal space, expect people to not be loud in public, be considerate and so on. It's also why we can come off as less social.

No bragging…ample personal space…no small talk… Awesome. I want to live in Sweden!

The BYOB was a strange experience for me! Being from England, alcohol is a lot cheaper there so it’s way more common for booze to be shared around. I don’t hate the system here, but it definitely takes some getting used to.

Im a swedish woman and your'e right about much. I have always hated Jantelagen because its just so sad and contraproductive. I personally like people who are proud of themselves and want to improve in life.

This all seems like common courtesy and respect/good manners. The Swedes are lovely. 😊🙏

Not sure I’m a Swede anymore 😂 We brag a lot, we keep our shoes on inside often in the summer and so doesn’t our guests. We always offer booze to our guests when we have a party. Personal space is just now during Corona. I live in the country down in Österlen 😊

Big like my friend . full watch full support always 😍😍😍😍😍😍

You gotta show us around a bit more, i mean a lot more. It is good talking indoors but i would really enjoy if you record yourself outdoors. Thanks for the insights.

I am an Egyptian and I moved to Sweden for work with my family since one year, I like Sweden because they have robust social culture and I like that because we have robust social culture in Egypt as well, for sure there are big variance in details but I respect keeping and inheriting culture habits through generations. What I also like here Swedes people not affected too much with social media and damn internet addiction, they living a normal life ( playing sports , gathering face to face , ... ) while a lot of people around the world spending more than 50% of their life on social media! swedes have a fear of talking to strange people in the beginning but once they know you things become easier😂

Spot on! :D

Haha love this!

It's a fictional law from a novel that sums up the mentality of the Scandinavian peoples. In a nutshell, it says "don't think you're better or more special than anyone else".

Stefan...is your shirt monagrammed?

Do you have any videos of: Waiting in the (Q)?

Well done there! I laughed so hard at nr 5. Kicki från Enskede

As a swede I very much like my personal space. One of the most irritating things for me is when there's a lot of empty space at the subway station, but that ONE person just HAS to stroke your arm while passing by. I just don't get that kind of behaviour. 🤯🤯

hi stefan so what's the other's things can do around in sweden country. ?

Damn, I shoulda been born a Swede. I had always been fine with just being quiet and in the US, that is NOT seen as being NORMAL. I will NOT go into all of the problems that I had growing up in the US as a quiet person, plus, problems as an adult as a shy and quiet person. BUT, I will just say that in the US, people can be really JUDGEMENTAL about you, and it CAN affect your career, and you keeping your job, and you can be fired because some people will say that you aren't friendly, and as in MY case, that you have an "attitude problem", just because you will NOT talk all friendly with everybody. And, IF your "boss" is used to having people soothing her ego, and being her "buddy" she just MAY see that maybe YOU have a "attitude problem" so, YOU can be fired in MY home state, with NO reason given. I had worked at that job for almost a year before they had fired me. Now, the whole thing about taking your shoes off in Sweden before you enter a persons home, that is actually popular in many homes here in the US. NOT in MY home growing up though. But, as a young kid, I do recall having to do so in a few of my friends homes. In MY home, people tracking dirt inside is NOT the real problem, WE have 3 dogs that can go in and out of the house into a yard with grass, and then the cats, all 14 of them, they bring in some REALLY fowl things. IF it were JUST ME, I would NOT have all of these cats here, and they are NOT "Clean animals" like many people think they are. The dogs are cleaner than our cats, the cats 'spray" where they seem to THINK is their territory, even the females do it, and ALL of the cats are either spayed or neutered. But, it is NOT just me here, my whole family lives here,. so, I have to just NOT get upset by it, IF I do, what can I do to change it anyway? We have NO rugs in our house, so, I can just vacuum it up and then mop, so that is what I do. The whole "personal space" thing, makes me really think that, I shoulda been born in Sweden. In the US IF they see and know that you are shy or quiet, they will purposely stare at you to make you feel weird, and when or IF you show a "reaction" to what they have done, what can YOU really say that they have done to you? They LOOKED AT YOU, and what CAN you really say they have done wrong? ANYWAY, I had just gotten really upset, and ended up looking like I was some NUTJOB, and when I had gotten so mad that I cussed them out, well, THEN my ass got fired. SO, in the end, THAT was the reason given, BUT, the whole "Attitude problem" thing had happened BEFORE I had gotten fired. I had worked at that job for about 3-4 days after the whole thing about how I had an attitude problem. It had been the 3-4 days later that I had gotten fired. Anyway, people in the US really think different than Swedes or maybe even many Northern Europeans. I do love alot about my home Country, BUT, there is alot that is just SO messed up with our popular culture. That "take a number" thing used to be kinda normal in the US, BUT, lately a store will have a "number machine' BUT, they have NOT used it for a while, so, you just have to stand there, and kinda take note of who you are behind, and make SURE that you get your turn. Basically, in the US, you just HAVE to be loud, aggressive, mean and in many cases, a real "ass kisser" in order to either "get ahead" or maybe even just to keep your job,,and to NOT become a target for bullies, and I mean even after High school. And, I do NOT even live in New York city. OR any CITY.

One funny and peculiar thing with queuing in Spain; they seldom have number tickets, instead you ask when you enter: " Who is the last in line" and then only have to keep track on that person. At the bus stop same thing, but usually without asking - people just let people enter in the order they arrived to the bus stop. Very polite ☺👍💃

As a native Swede: Spot on! 💯🤣🇸🇪

Bring your own alcohol in Sweden? Perhaps when your a teenager going to a party with the intension of getting drunk, but not as an adult.

When it comes to alcohol, it's an age and money thing. In your twenties before you have a solid income, you pretty always bring your own since you simply don't have the money to buy all of your guests booze, and neither does anybody else, so the only other alternative is to not have a party at all. Once you get older and dinner parties outnumber party parties by quite a margin, hosts are definitely expected to provide the alcohol, although it's not all that unusual for a guest to offer to provide it so that the hosts can concentrate on the food and everything else that comes with hosting. That said, even at a more mature age, it's not all that unusual to pool your resources together for a larger party, either by having a potluck or by everyone paying their share. But then you do it for everything, food as well as drinks, and it's 100% established well in advance, and once again it only really happens when the alternative is not to have a party at all - at least not of that size - or like when the family member with largest house ends up hosting Christmas dinner year after year.

Among older married people, the hosts usually offer their friends wine and booze if they invite you for dinner.

Eric Northman,who is also in Northman movie (Alexander Skarsgard)

thanks now im goingt to this. GREAT VIDEO 5 STAR

BYOB - never seen that in Sweden, been to hundreds of parties all over the country. Of course you bring some wine or something as a gift for the host, but that is not necessarily meant for consumption that day. One time a guest of mine brought his own beer, and I found it quite rude.. What did he expect? That I didn't had enough for him? 😂😂

I live in Sweden too but far away from Stockholm

Great tips! ❤

Like the proper Swede that I am, I get VERY uncomfortable when a stranger comes up close😂 Talking to neighbors is also very uncomfortable for us. “Hi” and “How are you?” is okay, but further than that makes me SUPER uncomfortable

Who is the actor that is speaking with colbert in the video ?

The thing with the number in que, are that they might have other things to do, so you take a number and wait. In that way you don't stress them and they can give 100% focus when it's your turn.

Good to know ❤

Note! Jante lagen is not Swedish (it is Danish), but we live by it sometimes...

The whole video I was like "don't ignore the queue/don't cut the line". Of all the social no-nos, that's probably the one that rubs me the wrong way the most. To me, it's close to barbaric and Hobbesian when bottlenecks form around busses and lines are cut at stores, like, what happened to civility?

Big reason why we have the BYOB mentality is because alcohol is rather expensive compared to other countries. As an example, a bottle of Absolut costs 352 sek per liter, which is about 30 euro (as of right now) Outside of Sweden, that goes down to like 20 euro per liter. So it's 50% more expensive for us to buy our own made in Sweden vodka than for Germans to have it shipped to them.

I think the byob is an age thing. When we were younger you would always bring your own, but now when I'm in my thirties it's kind of expected that you provide drinks and food if you throw a party. Also it's a bit more common to buy rounds at the bar. Perhaps it's due to the fact that alcohol is so expensive so when you're younger you cannot really afford it.

The whole not buying rounds is kinda expected cause 1) we don't wanna owe others something and 2) it would also maybe put expectation on some people to pay, but might not have the money to pay for all.

If we would talk to the king we would talk to him in the exact same way as talking to another stranger. My mum gave the king alot of things to hold because she was cleaning and he accidentally bumped in to her so she dropped everything

It’s ok to be proud of things you’ve achieved. It’s all about how you say things and not what you’re saying. As an example, say that you have fought very much for something and eventually it paid off. You’re happy, proud of yourself & it means a lot to you. That’s ok and people are happy for you! But if you only tell things, to tell things. It’s not appreciated. Like “I own these cars, earn this much & have a summerhouse in Marbella” and there’s no purpose behind it. You just want to tell people what you have. Then Swedes get like “ok. Thank you for the info!” And you get perceived as bragging. It’s all about Swedes don’t appreciate when you portraying yourself as better and higher than others. While belittle others who’s not achieved the same things.

It might sound aggressive but i just want to clear things up since Stefan said it seems to be a stereotype of americans keeping their shoes on inside. Some swedes make it sound like you guys never have your shoes on in the house/apartments. What if you are bringing in groceries and need to come back in another 1-3 times? Do u take off ur shoes, put the groceries in the kitchen, then put them back on to go back outside? I'm curious what you guys do because that sounds really annoying and i doubt anyone does that. All the houses I've been to (in the u.s) no one wears shoes inside (except for indoor shoes/slippers) and the owners usually tell the guests to keep the shoes by the door. We take off our shoes when we know we are staying inside. But if we're doing something outside and need a cup of water real quick, ya we'll keep the shoes on. But we dont keep the shoes on for several hours walking through the house wherher its carpet or wooden floors