Learn Hardcore Swedish: Hej, jag heter Sara.

Heter is the present tense of the verb heta, which means “to be called/ named.” So Jag heter Sara literally means “I am called Sara,” which is the most natural way to introduce yourself in Swedish. You can also say Jag är Sara (“I am Sara”), which is fine. Mitt namn är Sara (“My name is Sara”) is grammatical but sounds formal or scripted in everyday speech.

How do you pronounce the words in Hej, jag heter Sara?

Hej: [hej] (like English “hey”)
jag: often [jɑː] in casual speech (the final g is usually dropped), or [jɑːg] in careful speech. The j is like English “y.”
heter: [ˈheːtɛr] (long “eh” in the first syllable; clear final r)
Sara: [ˈsɑːra] (stress on the first syllable, “sah-rah”) It’s normal for Swedes to use a tapped/trilled r; in southern dialects you may hear a uvular r. Both are fine.

Is jag capitalized like English I?

No. jag (“I”) is only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or in titles. Swedish does not capitalize the first-person pronoun by default.

Why is there a comma after Hej? Can I write Hej! instead?