{"id":6903,"date":"2015-06-01T16:11:10","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T16:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=6903"},"modified":"2015-06-01T16:11:10","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T16:11:10","slug":"important-swedish-verbs-att-bli-to-become","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/important-swedish-verbs-att-bli-to-become\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Swedish verbs: att bli, “to become”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Also known as bliva<\/em>*, the Swedish verb bli<\/em> is one of the most useful ones to know<\/strong>. It has several uses, but the main meaning is “to become”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

(*Bliva<\/em> is an older variant of the word that you might see in older texts or songs. Bli<\/em> is the variant used in modern Swedish, so this is the one you should learn.)<\/p>\n

As you can see in the examples, the present tense of bli<\/em><\/strong> is blir<\/em><\/strong>. While English has two present tense forms of \u201cto become\u201d \u2013 \u201cbecome\u201d and \u201cbecomes\u201d \u2013 the Swedish language only has one: blir<\/em>. In other words, whether it\u2019s jag<\/em>, du<\/em>, hon<\/em>, vi<\/em>, ni<\/em> or de<\/em>, the present tense conjugation is always blir<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In its most basic meaning, bli<\/em> is used to indicate that something is becoming more of something<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Det blir<\/span> sv\u00e5rare att hitta bostad allteftersom tiden g\u00e5r.<\/em>
\nIt is becoming<\/span>\/getting<\/u> harder to find a place to live as time goes on.<\/p>\n

Bli<\/em> is also used to indicate that someone is taking on a new endeavor<\/strong>. This is often used in the future tense:<\/p>\n

Jag ska bli pilot<\/span> efter universitetet.<\/em>
\nI am\u00a0going to become a pilot<\/span>\u00a0after university.<\/p>\n

But if\u00a0it is something that will happen soon or is already in the process, the present tense is usually used. In this case, the meaning is similar to “will be” but with the specific meaning as bolded above:<\/p>\n

Snart blir<\/span> hon mamma.<\/em>
\nSoon, she will be<\/span> a mom. [Literally: “Soon, she becomes a mom.”]<\/p>\n

Bli<\/em> can also mean “would be” when used with an adjective describing a theoretical situation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

A: Ska jag h\u00e4mta honom ist\u00e4llet?
\nA: Shall I pick him up instead?<\/em><\/p>\n

B: Nej, det beh\u00f6ver du inte. Det blir<\/span> omst\u00e4ndigt f\u00f6r dig.
\nB: No, you\u00a0don’t need to\u00a0do that. It would be<\/span> inconvenient for you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally, bli<\/em> is used to form passive sentences<\/strong>. In this case, it is an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle:<\/p>\n

F\u00f6retaget blev grundat<\/span> \u00e5r 1952.<\/em>
\nThe company was founded<\/span> in 1952.<\/p>\n

Bli<\/strong><\/em> is conjugated as follows:<\/strong>
\npresent:<\/span> blir<\/em>, “become(s)”
\npast:<\/span> blev<\/em>, “became”
\npresent perfect:<\/span> har blivit<\/em>, “have\/has become”
\npast perfect:<\/span> hade blivit<\/em>, “had become”<\/p>\n

Have you seen any other uses of bli<\/em> that aren’t mentioned here? Let us know in the comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also known as bliva*, the Swedish verb bli is one of the most useful ones to know. It has several uses, but the main meaning is “to become”. (*Bliva is an older variant of the word that you might see in older texts or songs. Bli is the variant used in modern Swedish, so this…<\/p>\n

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