Verb Basic
Conjugation workbench
Pick a verb and step through its tenses — watch the stem split from the ending.
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. See Tempus for how these forms are used in the six-tense system.
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. In a bisats, satsadverbial like inte is placed before the verb.
| 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.
Passiv (s-passiv och bli-passiv)
Swedish has two ways to form the passive voice. S-passiv adds -s to the verb and is most common in written language (skriftspråk). Bli-passiv uses bli + perfekt particip and is common in spoken language (talspråk). S-passiv focuses on the action itself; bli-passiv can emphasize a result or state change.
| S-passiv | Bli-passiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Presens | älskas | blir älskad |
| Preteritum | älskades | blev älskad |
| Perfekt | har älskats | har blivit älskad |
| Infinitiv | älskas | bli älskad |
| Exempel | Bilen tvättas varje vecka. | Bilen blir tvättad av Ove. |
Perfekt och presens particip
Perfekt particip (past participle) is formed from supinum and agrees with the noun (en-word, ett-word, or plural/bestämd). It is used after vara/bli (passive), as an adjective, and in absolute constructions. Presens particip (present participle) is formed with -ande or -ende. It never changes form. It is used as an adjective, adverb, or in absolute constructions.
| Grupp 1 (-a) | Grupp 2 (-a/-e) | Grupp 4 (stark) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfekt p. (en) | målad | byggd / körd | skriven |
| Perfekt p. (ett) | målat | byggt / kört | skrivet |
| Perfekt p. (plural/best.) | målade | byggda / körda | skrivna |
| Presens p. | målande | byggande / körande | skrivande |
Partikelverb
Many Swedish verbs combine with a particle (adverb or preposition) that changes the meaning. The particle is always stressed (unlike the unstressed preposition in a prepositional phrase). Common particles: av, på, upp, ner, in, ut, om, till, ifrån, med. In perfekt particip of partikelverb, the particle goes before the verb stem as one word (instängd, uppäten, avskedad).
| Verb | Partikelverb | Betydelse |
|---|---|---|
| stänga | stänga av | turn off |
| gå | gå ut | go out |
| komma | komma ihåg | remember |
| slå | slå upp | look up |
| ta | ta bort | remove |
| sätta | sätta på | turn on |
| klä | klä på sig | get dressed |
| flytta | flytta in | move in |
| bryta | bryta av | break off |
| ställa | ställa in | cancel |
Tempussystemet
Swedish has six tenses organized in two parallel systems. The presens-system (anchored in now) and the preteritum-system (anchored in the past). Each system has three tenses. When telling a story, you normally stay within one system. See Tempus for the interactive timeline.
| Presens-systemet | Preteritum-systemet | |
|---|---|---|
| Nutid / dåtid | presens: läser | preteritum: läste |
| Före nutid / före dåtid | perfekt: har läst | pluskvamperfekt: hade läst |
| Framtid (rel.) | futurum: ska läsa | futurum preteritum: skulle läsa |