One of the best shortcuts for sounding like a local, “alltså” is a handy word to perfect.
Source: Linnea, OLS Community Manager
Alltså: Pronounced as [AL-tso]
Alltså means "so" or "therefore", as well as "in other words" or "that is to say" when you are clarifying something or saying that it happened as a result of something else.
Example:
Problemet är alltså ingen nyhet ("The problem is, in other words, nothing new")
Jag föreslår alltså att regleringen ändras ("Therefore, I propose that the regulation is changed")
Hans barn är sjuk, han kommer alltså inte idag ("His child is sick, so he's not coming today")
That's the first meaning of "alltså", but there are two other ways to use it.
First, you can use it as a filler word, especially at the start of sentences when you're still trying to figure out what to say.
Example:
Alltså, det är svårt att säga ("Well, it's hard to say")
Alltså, ja ("Um, yes")
Alltså, ja ba', va? ("So I was like, 'what?'")
And secondly, it's used as an interjection or exclamation.
Example:
Alltså! Kommer hon inte? ("For God's sake! Isn't she coming?")
Vilken idiot, alltså! ("Ugh, what an idiot!")
These second two meanings are more informal, and if "alltså" is used this way in writing, it's often written more phonetically (close to the way it's pronounced): asså.
Linnea, OLS Community Manager – Swedish