Swedish Verbs

Verbs

In this lesson you'll learn how to use verbs in Swedish. Verbs are words that describe an action, state of being, or occurrence.

You'll learn how to form the present, past, conditional, and future tenses of Swedish verbs. A list of common swedish verbs is also included, as well as online flashcards to help you learn them.

Introduction

Swedish verbs can be categorized as verbs that end in ar in the present tense, verbs that end in er in the present tense, and a few verbs that are irregular in the present tense. As in English, many common Swedish verbs are irregular. To learn about these verbs, have a look at the lesson Irregular Verbs.

Regular Verbs

A majority of verbs in Swedish append ar to form the present tense and ade to form the past tense. The future tense is indicated by using ska with the infinitive of the verb.

att kalla to call
kalla imperative as in call me!
kallar present tense
kallade past tense
har kallat has/have called
hade kallat had called
ska kalla will call
skulle kalla would call

There are also many verbs that form the present tense by adding er and form the past by adding de.

att stänga to close
stäng imperative as in close it!
stänger present tense
stängde past tense
har stängt has/have closed
hade stängt had closed
ska stänga will close
skulle stänga would close

To make a negative statement add inte after the verb. To make a question, put the subject of the sentence after the verb.

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Swedish Vocabulary

Here is a list of some common Swedish verbs. Use the flashcards below to help you learn them.

besluta decide
börja start, begin
flytta move
fråga ask
fråga efter ask for
fånga catch
föreställa sig imagine
förlora lose
förändra change
glöda glow
gå in enter, go in
gömma hide
hjälpa help
hoppa jump
hämta fetch, pick up
kasta throw
komma ihåg remember
landa land
lyfta lift
lyssna listen
lägga sig ner lie down
lämna leave
mena mean
peka point
plocka upp pick up
påpeka point out
röra move, touch, stir
skriva in enter (write)
skynda sig hurry
skratta laugh
slänga throw, toss
spela play
stiga på get in, enter
stoppa stop
stänga shut
svara answer
tacka thank
titta look
titta på look at, watch
trycka press
undra wonder
verka seem
visa show
vänta på wait for
växa grow
älska love
öka increase
önska wish

Examples

Jag pratade med min vän igår. I talked with my friend yesterday.
Elias lyssnar på musik. Elias listens to music.
Studerade du för provet? Did you study for the test?
Hon arbetade hela dagen. She worked the entire day.
Hon köpte en ny bil. She bought a new car.
Jag läste en bok. I read a book.
De spelade fotboll. They played football

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Verb Flashcards

Here are some flashcards to help you learn the Swedish verbs included in this lesson.

Swedish Audio

The following is a sample of spoken Swedish from the Edgar Alan Poe poem "The Raven".

Korpen



Korpen The Raven
Att en fågel så kan svara, hör ju till det underbara; dock, han säger ett ord bara, som han kanske övats i av en skald, vars hårda öde, förrn han lades till de döde, ville, att hans strängar ljöde till det enda ord: förbi - att hans sång, den brustna, ljöde i det enda hjärteskri: förbi, förbi! That a bird so can answer, belongs to the wonderous; However, he says one word only, as he maybe practiced as a poet, whose hard fate, ere he was added to the dead, wanted his strings to sound the word: gone - that his song, the broken, sounded in the only heart-cry: gone, gone!

Quiz

Here is a quiz to help you learn the infinitive, present, past, and present perfect tense of Swedish verbs. Each time you take the quiz the questions will be a bit different.