This article analyses the language teachers use when teaching, and its importance for students.

In tune with creating a positive and efficient work atmosphere in the classroom, the language teachers use is important for setting the tone. Teacher instructions influence student motivation and willingness to work. Teachers´ way of speaking also decides if the work instructions are clear and understandable. Moreover, we suggest, the tonality and way in which we speak, can inspire students to be willing to work on a certain topic, or not.

In all these areas of responsibility: clarity, structure, tone and tonality certain principles can be followed to ensure optimal success. What are these? To find out we carried out research interviewing students in focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews, as well as administering a questionnaire to find out their preferences.

The study was carried out during the 2023/2024 academic year in two groups of students learning Swedish as a foreign language at the University of Tartu, Estonia. Although every cultural context has its implications, we hope that certain aspects of our results are genrealisable across cultures and contexts.

Keywords: Methodology, Language teaching, Teacher-student interaction, Communication, Language of Teaching.