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[eido]

I'm not even sure how to take this but I laughed regardless

I didn't mean it to offend you. It just sounded similar because of the words you used. I know I feel like 'a piece of garbage' when I have wanderlust, so maybe it might relate that way too. I don't know, though. Just don't eat me.

[smallwhite]

If you mean that "O" in Swedish can make one of 4 sounds, I agree it is more complicated. And if that's not what you meant, is it brief to explain what you did mean? (If it's not brief, don't feel obligated to explain.)

If I remember correctly, the correspondence is the simplest between Ö and /øː/ and /œ/ --- Ö is pronounced either /øː/ or /œ/ and nothing else, while /øː/ and /œ/ are only ever spelt with Ö. While it's more complicated both ways with O, /o:/ and /ɔ/. (I might have remembered incorrectly but anyway that's what I meant by the latter being more complicated).

[smallwhite]

I’m so relieved this is what you meant, I was worried maybe there was something even worse I missed

You've made me want to revise Swedish pronunciation. Let's see if I find anything even worse...

[renaissancemedici]

I've been having a similar problem, and I am trying to get back to my former interested and motivated self (about the things I used to like and lost interest). I'm not sure how to do it properly yet, but I reached the conclusion that it is merely life that changes us. We don't have to stay where we used to be, and it is ok to change direction, interests etc. It could also be a mild depression, early mid life crisis, sloth, being tired of things, whatever (not talking about you, just in general). There could be many reasons, so in order to find the solution we should identify the cause. In my case it's a combination of all of the above, but I keep in mind that it is my life and if I want different things than before it's fine I do have negative feelings thinking that it's like giving up, wasting all my past efforts, but in the end nothing is wasted. Experiences are all with us.
I hope I don't speak out of place, I am just sharing my small experience on the matter.

[Mista]

Lars vill inte åka bort på semestern, utan han vill stanna hemma.

I would never say this like this in English. If it had said, "Lars doesn't want to go on vacation, ____ his family is dragging him along," then utan would be the clear choice. But, "Lars doesn't want to go on vacation, ____ he wants to stay home," I just want to make it into two sentences, or use "because," though that's a little awkward too. *shrug*

i agree that in English, no conjunction is the best option in that sentence. But if you need a word to attach the meaning to, maybe you could think of it as meaning "rather"?

[Ani]

Why are you studying Swedish? Seems like you've forgotten. What benefits of Swedish will make your life better? I know you're probably just having a moment but.. if Swedish can't do anything to make your life better and you're not enjoying the process, you should definitely quit.

Or maybe it's all just Anki and the fear you won't learn if you quit?

[eido]

Piggybacking on @Ani's post, if Swedish can't do anything for you, what language could? What language just sounds so intoxicating and magical that you can't avoid it? What sounds good in your mouth - natural? What can you picture speaking? What country, when you imagine going there, makes you jump for joy?

[tiia]

I'm rather disillusioned with language study. I'm seemingly not able to reconcile how much work I feel I've put in over the last 20ish months since starting Swedish and what my actual level is. I'm not able to convince myself that the cost over all that time has been worth whatever result I've achieved. I am unable to see any benefits. For the record:
benefit != improving at TL
benefit = life better somehow

Have you travelled to Sweden, and if so, could you make use of the language there?
Have you tried to find Swedes, wherever you live? Have you gotten information through Swedish that was not available to you otherwise?

Could social interaction be something? (I think I remember it wasn't really yours, was it?)
At least for me that has always been something that actually made a noteable difference, even when it just meant I met other learners. In case of Finnish I've gotten quite a lot that would not have happend without learning the language.

[Xenops]

For what it's worth, I'm contemplating dropping my *useful* Spanish and French and learning something off-beat, like maybe Scottish Gaelic and Finnish. Why? They just interest me more. If I'm doing this for fun, I might as well pick languages that are fun to me.

[aaleks]

I just want to listen, and I just want to read.

These were exactly my thoughts when I started studying English. And actually writing always was the last thing on my list. I started writing in English by accident, if I may call it that . But I think it wouldn't happen if I wasn't ready for that. I had been studying English for more than 4 years by then.
So my point is that if you don't feel the need (or like) to speak or write in a language right now you don't have to do it, and at the same it's never late to start. It took me about a year and a half to bring my writing up to the level it is right now. Not impressive but I dare to think that under the circumstances it's not too bad either And I do believe that if language-learning is not a necessity but a hobby there's no point turning it into kind of a chore.