Learn Swedish – part 2: verbs

Hello again!

 
Welcome to the second part of our Learn Swedish blog series. We hope you had the chance to read the first post, where we explored Swedish interjections. This series serves as an introduction to our comprehensive Swedish online course. Let’s dive in!
 
Verbs play a crucial role in language, enabling us to describe various actions and states. For instance, we use verbs to express a state of being, as in the sentence “Hon är min syster” (“She is my sister”). Verbs also describe specific events, such as “Aj, jag har ramlat!” (“Ouch, I have fallen!”). Finally, they allow us to depict ongoing processes, as in “Jag har målat mitt hus” (“I have painted my house”).
 
Now, let’s explore some essential points about Swedish verbs. As in our first blog post, we will include authentic sentence examples accompanied by audio files, so you can listen and repeat. Let’s begin by examining verbs in relation to sentence structure.
 

The Swedish Word Order

 
Swedish is classified as a “verb-second language,” meaning that the verb typically occupies the second position in main clauses. Since there is no exact equivalent to the English do-construction, the structure is somewhat simpler.

For example, “I do not like her” translates to “Jag gillar inte henne” (literally, “I like not her”). The same rule applies to questions, such as “When did you eat?” which translates to “När åt du?” (literally, “When ate you?”).
 
However, in yes-or-no questions, the verb takes the first position. For instance, “Do you like her?” translates to “Gillar du henne?” (literally, “Like you her?”).
 
With modal verbs, the structure resembles English more closely: “Can you play the piano?“ becomes “Kan du spela piano?” We also place the verb first in imperative clauses, as in “Ge mig fjärrkontrollen!” (“Give me the remote!”).

The phrase “Do you want to dance?“ translates to “Vill du dansa?” (literally, “Want you dance?”). Here, we see once again that the verb takes the first position.
 
Let’s listen and repeat the sentences we have learned so far.

Hon är min syster. 

Aj, jag har ramlat!

Jag har målat mitt hus.

Jag gillar inte henne.

När åt du?

Gillar du henne?

Kan du spela piano?

Ge mig fjärrkontrollen!

Vill du dansa?
 
To summarize the aspects of word order, let’s look at finite verbs, which can stand alone:
 
Finite verbs
 

• Present tense: “Jag målar.” (“I am painting.”)
• Past tense: “Jag målade.” (“I painted.”)
• Imperative: “Måla!” (“Paint!”)

These forms take the primary position as the main verb in a clause. Now, let’s examine those verbs that cannot function independently and therefore take the second position.
 
Non-finite verbs
 

• Infinitive: “Det är kul att måla.” (“It is fun to paint.”)
• Perfect participle: “Väggen är målad.” (“The wall is painted.”)
• Present participle: “Han jobbar som målande konstnär.” (“He works as a painting artist.”)
• Supine 1: “Jag har målat i en timme.” (“I have painted for an hour.”)
• Supine 2: “Jag hade målat i en timme när du kom hem.” (“I had painted for an hour when you came home.”)

 
Let’s listen and repeat

The first example of the supine indicates the perfect tense, while the second illustrates the past perfect, describing an action that occurred before another, in the past.

In our Swedish online courses, we dynamically engage with applying word order to authentic sentences that you can use in your daily life. Now, let’s continue by exploring how Swedish tenses work.
 

The Swedish Tenses

 
In Swedish, the present tense is used to describe actions that are happening currently or in general.

For example, “Jag tränar” (“I exercise”) can indicate that I am exercising right now or that I exercise regularly. To express an intentional plan for the future, we use the verb ska: “Jag ska träna” (“I will exercise”). The present tense can also be used with a future time expression, as in “Jag tränar imorgon klockan tre” (“I am exercising tomorrow at three o’clock”). When discussing a consequence or a part of a logical process, we use kommer att: “Jag ska träna klockan tre, det kommer att bli roligt” (“I will exercise at three; it’s going to be fun”).
 
The past tense is used for actions that have been completed, such as “Jag tränade klockan tre” (“I exercised at three o’clock”). The perfect tense is used to indicate actions that are still ongoing or when the result is of interest, as in “Jag har tränat i en timme (så jag är trött)” (“I have exercised for an hour, so I am tired”).
 
Let’s listen and repeat

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The Swedish Verb Groups

 
The Swedish language has four main verb groups. The first one is regular and is also the largest group. This group consists of verbs that end in -ar in the present tense and -ade in the past tense.
 
Verb Group 1

The Second Verb Group
 
The second verb group consists of two subgroups and includes some exceptions. In subgroup 2a, the key distinction is that the present tense ends in -er, and there is no vowel in the imperative form. Additionally, the ending vowel in the infinitive is removed in past and supine.

This group also features some exceptions; for example, the verbs kör (to drive) and hyr (to rent) both end in -r in the imperative and present forms.
 
Verb Group 2a

Verb group 2b is similar, but the verbs in past end in -te and not -de.
 
Verb group 2b

The third verb group is the smallest among the groups. In this category, the imperative and infinitive forms are identical, although the vowel may vary depending on the specific verb. Another distinction is that the past tense conjugations end in -dde, while the supine forms end in -tt.

Verb group 3

The last verb group is the most challenging due to its irregularities. This group is divided into two subgroups. The first is commonly referred to as “starka verb” (strong verbs), which undergo vowel changes in the infinitive, past, and supine forms. There are several patterns within this group, but let’s focus on the i-a-u category.

Verb group 4a

The last verb group of irregular verbs is one that must be learned by heart through practice. It is important to note that many of the most commonly used verbs belong to this group, such as “to say,” “to take,” and “to know.” Now, let’s examine the essential verb “to be.”
 
Verb group 4b

Additional characteristics of Swedish verbs

 
Lastly, it’s worth noting that two other characteristics in Swedish are the frequent use of phrasal verbs, reflexive verbs, and even the two combined! A phrasal verb is a verb paired with another word, resulting in a specific meaning. To illustrate this, in English, the verb “step” (indicating a physical action) is not the same as “step up” (meaning to improve or take action). Sometimes the equivalent expressions in Swedish are identical, such as Ge inte upp! (Don’t give up!). But often, they are different. For example, the way we say “I agree” in Swedish is “Jag håller med”, which literally means “I hold with”.
 
A reflexive verb has an additional pronoun indicating who is being affected by the action, similar to the distinction between “They embarrassed themselves” and “They embarrassed us.” However, reflexive verbs are much more common in Swedish than in English, even when it might not be strictly necessary. For example, “Jag sätter mig” means “I’m having a seat,” though it literally translates as “I am seating myself.” The way we say “They embarrassed themselves” in Swedish is “De skämde ut sig”, which is both a phrasal verb and a reflexive verb.
 
To summarize the key points:
 

1. Swedish has no exact equivalent to the do-construction and the progressive verb form.
2. The verbs are categorized into four groups, with the last one being irregular and therefore the most challenging to learn.
3. One key challenge is the frequent use of phrasal and reflexive verbs, which often differ from English.