Frequently asked questions
When and why did you start learning Swedish?
It all started on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020.
When the pandemic hit, I was very bored at home, and wanted to learn a new language. So, I chose Swedish. The reason why was because my dad had a geography book that had a picture of Sweden on it. Also, I love ABBA (the Swedish music band), so that's why I wanted to learn Swedish.
Was it hard to learn Swedish? If so, what was hard about it?
The hardest part of learning Swedish for me was finding people to practice with. I had no friends that knew Swedish (my friend group at the time), and I knew no one in Sweden, neither online or in person that I could practice with. The pronunciation was okay for me, but finding someone to talk to was harder.
Did you take a course? If so, how did it go?
I actually did take a course for a little while from January to March 2023 with a guy named David. It went really well at first, but by March, I had to cancel because I didn't have the funds to cover for March. I felt ashamed for even taking it in the first place.
Did you feel like giving up?
I felt like giving up my dream of learning Swedish forever. I felt hopeless. I thought I was the only one who was learning Swedish, and that I was never going to find someone to talk to or a free course.
Were you ever judged for learning the language?
I was never judged for learning the language, but I did feel like that if I told my friend group that I was learning Swedish, they would judge me for it, laugh at me, reject me and simply not want to be my friend because I was learning a language they didn't speak or understand. But, that was not the case.
Have you ever taught someone Swedish?
Yes. I have taught a few of my friends words like goodnight (god natt), tack (please and thank you), god Jul (merry Christmas), etc. Every teacher starts from 0. And as they say... every pro was once a beginner.
Have you ever been to Sweden?
Not yet. But, I am planning a trip to Sweden within the next 2 years. So, I might go in 2027 or 2028. Sweden is #1 on my bucket list of places I want to go.
How can I pay you? And can I pay all at once or slowly?
Yes. You can absolutely pay me slowly or in full if you wish to do so. You can only e-Transfer me for now as I am currently setting up Stripe. You can e-Transfer me at christopher_cipiti@hotmail.com to get started.
For my first 5 students, I have a price lock guarantee for $25/hour. That means for a 4 lesson 1-hour basic beginner's conversational package on how to ask for help in Sweden or virtually if needed, how to say the alphabet, etc, if you pay the $25 either in full or slowly for the first month of learning, as long as you remain a student of our course, you will only $25/hour forever. That means your prices will not go up, even after I start raising prices. You will also unlock a starter's PDF with words that sound like English, but mean something totally different in Swedish.
What Time Zone Am I In?
I am in the Eastern Standard Time zone. So, if you are in any other time zone within Canada...
Alberta, parts of BC, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon: Mountain Time
BC: Pacific Time
Parts of Ontario, Nunavut, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan: Central Time
Ontario, Quebec, and some parts of Nunavut: Eastern Time
Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick: Atlantic Time
Newfoundland: UTC (Universal Coordinated Time/Newfoundland Time)