Swedish Verbs

When learning any language, a major milestone is learning how to use verbs properly. Verbs area an important element for any sentence, as they define the action that is taking place. When learning the Swedish language, it is very important to understand the rules for conjugating verbs. Unlike with many other languages, Swedish verbs do not inflect for the number or person. The verbs are unchanged regardless of whether the subject is plural or singular, or if the sentence is in first, second or third person.

Instead, Swedish verbs inflect for the tense of the sentence. The verbs are modified depending on if you are using the present, past, imperative, subjunctive, or indicative tense. The verbs also indicate the voice of the sentence, whether it is passive or active. The passive voice is used much more frequently in Swedish than it is in the English language.

All of the verbs will fall into one of four categories:

• Regular –ar verbs

• Regular –er verbs

• Short verbs that end in –r

• Strong and/or irregular that end in –er or –r

Once you identify which group the verb you are using belongs to, you can begin the process of conjugation. When conjugating Swedish verbs, you take the stem of the verb and change the suffix depending on the tense and voice.

Most verbs, over eighty percent, are included in the regular –ar category. Conjugating these verbs into the present tense is actually quite simple. All you must do is remove the –r from the end of the word, so that the word now ends in “a”. To conjugate regular –er verbs into the present tense, you simply remove the “-er” from the end of the word.

As with any other language, learning to conjugate Swedish verbs correctly is all about learning a series of rules and guidelines. Once you understand the fundamentals, you can begin conjugating verbs into any tense correctly, and use the correct voice. Majority of the verbs can be conjugated either by changing the suffix or using the correct participle.

The best way to learn how to correctly conjugate any Swedish verb is by practicing, and using the verbs, as frequently as possible. You can do this easily on your own time by finding an online Swedish language study resource that you can fit into your schedule. As you continue using the language more regularly, conjugating Swedish verbs will soon become second nature for you.