Present Tense of Swedish Verbs
In this lesson you'll learn some more very common Swedish phrases, as well as some more tips on how to pronounce Swedish.
You'll also learn the Swedish words for some common colors.
A short conversation in Swedish is included to help you learn how to speak conversational Swedish.
Flashcards are included at the end of the lesson to help you learn the Swedish phrases and words for colors introduced in this lesson.
Swedish Subject Pronouns
The following table shows the subject form of Swedish pronouns.
Swedish | English |
---|---|
jag (Note: The final g is often not pronounced.) | I |
du | you (refering to a single person) |
han | he |
hon | she |
vi | we |
i | you (when refering to more than one person) |
de (usually pronounced dom) | they |
Present Tense of Swedish Verbs
Verbs are words that describe an action, state of being, or occurrence. Verbs have different tenses that indicate when the action happens. In this lesson, you'll learn about the present tense of Swedish verbs.
The present tense of a verb is used to talk about actions that are currently happening as well as habitual actions. The present tense of most verbs is formed by adding r to the end of the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive is the form of a verb shown in dictionaries. For some verbs the ending a of the infinitive is replaced by er. There a few irregular verbs in the present tense as well. Examples of the present tense are given below.
To make a negative statement add inte after the verb.
To make a question, put the subject of the sentence after the verb.
kalla
Kalla, which means to call, is an example of a verb that forms its present tense by adding r to the infinitive.
Swedish | English |
---|---|
jag kallar | I call |
du kallar | you call (referring to one person) |
han kallar | he calls |
hon kallar | she calls |
vi kallar | we call |
i kallar | you call (referring to more than one person) |
de kallar | they call |
stänga
stänga, which means to close, is an example of a verb that forms its present tense by adding er to the stem of the verb.
Swedish | English |
---|---|
jag stänger | I close |
du stänger | you close (referring to one person) |
han stänger | he close |
hon stänger | she close |
vi stänger | we close |
i stänger | you close (referring to more than one person) |
de stänger | they close |
Common Verbs
The present tense of some common Swedish verbs is shown below. Not the irregular present tense for the verbs vara, veta, vilja, and kunna.
Infinitve | Present Tense | English |
---|---|---|
gå | går | go |
ge | ger | give |
komma | kommer | come |
kunna | kan | be able, can |
spela | spelar | play |
ta | tar | take |
tala | talar | speak |
veta | vet | know |
vara | är | be |
vilja | vill | want |
Swedish Phrases
Here are some very common Swedish phrases along with the English equivalent. Press the audio icon to hear how the phrase is pronounced.
Swedish | English |
---|---|
Var försiktig! | Be careful! |
Kom hit. | Come here. |
Kom in. | Come in. |
Oroa dig inte! | Don't worry! |
Lycka till! | Good Luck! |
Jag kan inte tro det! | I can't believe it! |
Jag vet inte. | I don't know. |
Det är viktigt. | It's important. |
Vad betyder det? | What does that mean? |
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Conversations
Read the following conversation between Nils, Erik, and Ana.
Swedish
Nils och Maja är på väg till en restaurang för att äta lunch. På vägen ser de Nils kompis Erik.
Nils: Hej Erik. Hur går det?
Erik: Bra.
Nils: Det här är Maja. Hon är från Göteborg.
Erik: Trevligt att träffa dig Maja.
Maja: Trevligt att träffa dig också. Är du hungrig? Vi ska äta lunch.
Erik: Jag är hungrig, men jag måste tillbaka till jobbet. Vi ses kanske senare.
Maja: Hejdå.
Nils: Nu går vi. Lars är redan där.
English
Nils and Maja are walking to a restaurant for lunch. On the way they see Nils' friend Erik.
Nils: Hi Erik. How's it going?
Erik: Good.
Nils: This is Maja. She is from Göteborg.
Erik: Nice to meet you.
Maja: Nice to meet you too. Are you hungry? We're going for lunch.
Erik: I'm hungry, but I have to go back to work. Maybe we can meet up later.
Maja: Bye.
Nils: Let's go. Lars is already at the restaurant.
People and Family
In this section you'll learn some common Swedish words for people and family.
en man | a man |
män | men |
en kvinna | a woman |
kvinnor | women |
en flicka | a girl |
flickor | girls |
en pojke | a boy |
pojkar | boys |
ett barn | a child |
barn | children |
en familj | a family |
en mor | a mother |
en far | a father |
en syster | a sister |
systrar | sisters |
en bror | the brother |
bröder | brothers |
en son | a son |
söner | sons |
en dotter | a daughter |
döttrar | daughters |
Flashcards
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the Swedish phrases, the present tense of verbs, and the Swedish words for people and family included in this lesson.