Verb
The Swedish verb system
Four conjugation groups
Swedish verbs belong to one of four groups. Groups 1-3 are weak (regular); group 4 is strong or irregular. The stem is the imperative form.
Pick a verb to see its conjugation. Click a cell to see an example sentence.
Hjälpverb (auxiliary verbs)
Auxiliary verbs combine with a main verb. The form of the main verb depends on which auxiliary precedes it.
| After this auxiliary | Main verb takes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ska, måste, böra, kunna, vilja, få, lär | infinitiv | Hon ska resa. |
| bruka, behöva, orka, våga, börja, sluta, hinna, tänka, försöka, slippa, låta, råka | infinitiv (some allow att) | Jag försöker göra mitt bästa. |
| ha (har, hade) | supinum | Har du varit i London? |
| vara, bli | perfekt particip | Huset var nerbrunnet. |
Key details
måste has no infinitiv form. Its negation is behöver inte, not "måste inte".
lär only exists in presens.
skall is the formal written variant of ska.
Many auxiliary verbs also function as main verbs: Jag kan allt nu. Martin har en söt hustru.