Do Swedes address everyone by their first name?
Sunny ambon
We do it at the university, too. I have a German colleague who is getting red, white, and blue in the face and sweating bullets every time he talks to an academic who insists on being called simply Lasse, Pelle, or Tobbe, and not “Herr Professor Doktor von Hohenhausen” or something. It’s a hoot.
There is an antiquated way of adressing people we sometimes use jokingly, “mina damer och herrar, Ni…” which is basically ladies and gentlemen, you… (and that plural “you” is also an old fashioned singular you, exactly like the formal, German “Sie”, which also can be used to say You in plural, or respectful You in singular mode).).
But the point is, Sweden is entirely on first name basis, and informal forms of “you”. Which is even more informal than in English, because there, you still have the possibility that it is a “polite you.” Whereas here in Sweden, we’re all kids for life.