{"id":9516,"date":"2021-11-19T02:35:06","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T02:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/?p=9516"},"modified":"2021-12-05T22:39:28","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T22:39:28","slug":"5-irregular-swedish-verbs-you-need-to-master","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/swedish\/5-irregular-swedish-verbs-you-need-to-master\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Irregular Swedish Verbs You Need to Master"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Photo by Anna Zdanowicz on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

A student recently reminded me how difficult it is to memorize irregular verbs in your foreign language. Well actually, she said, \u201cSwedish irregular verbs are the worst.\u201d <\/span>Att vara, att se, att g\u00f6ra, <\/span><\/i>to name a few, are among the most common words used in daily Swedish. Just as language learning is a balance of dedication and memorization, nailing these verbs is no different. Below are conjugations and example sentences using 5 Swedish irregular verbs that you must<\/strong> master.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

What makes these verbs irregular?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Simply put, irregular verbs don\u2019t follow patterns quite like the other verb groups. Oftentimes, the vowel changes between the tenses. For a comprehensive explanation of the verb groups, check out learningswedish.se’s site<\/a>.\u00a0 In this post, I’ll conjugate each of the following 5 verbs in infinitiv, presens, preteritum,<\/em> and supinum<\/em> tenses along with example sentences in each tense. I’ve left out the imperativ<\/em> tense here but never fear, your chance to practice the imperative form is in this blog: Bake Swedish Cinnamon Buns Using Imperative Verbs!<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

1. To be or not to be? VERB: att vara<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Beginners can say, jag \u00e4r, han \u00e4r<\/em> all day long, but often stumble on the other forms of the verb att vara<\/em>, “to be”.<\/span><\/p>\n

infinitive\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>present\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>past\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>perfect past <\/b>
\n<\/span>att vara<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00e4r<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0var<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 har varit<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span>to be<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0am\/is\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0were\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 has been\/have been<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Han tycker inte om <\/span><\/i>att vara<\/i><\/b> f\u00f6r varm.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>He doesn\u2019t like to be too warm. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Jag <\/span><\/i>\u00e4r<\/i><\/b> en soffpotatis p\u00e5 vintern.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>I am a couch potato in the winter.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Det <\/span><\/i>var<\/i><\/b> sv\u00e5rt att f\u00f6rst\u00e5 vad de sade.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i>It was difficult to understand what they said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>–<\/span>Har<\/strong> du varit<\/strong> p\u00e5 v\u00e4stkusten?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i>-Have you been to the West Coast?<\/span>
\n<\/span>–<\/span>Nej, jag har<\/strong> aldrig varit<\/strong> p\u00e5 v\u00e4stkusten.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/i>-No, I have never been to the West Coast.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Everyone has to eat! VERB: att \u00e4ta<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

infinitive\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>present\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>past\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>perfect past <\/b>
\n<\/b>att \u00e4ta\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span> \u00e4ter<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00e5t<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>har \u00e4tit<\/em>
\n<\/span>to eat\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 eat\/eats\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0ate\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0have eaten
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Alla beh\u00f6ver \u00e4ta<\/strong> ungef\u00e4r 500 gram gr\u00f6nsaker varje dag.
\n<\/span><\/i>Everyone needs to eat about 500 grams of vegetables every day.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u00c4ter<\/strong> Oskar fisk?\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i>Does Oskar eat fish? <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Vi \u00e5t<\/strong> sushi flera g\u00e5nger i Japan.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/em>We ate sushi several times in Japan.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Nej tack, jag har<\/strong> redan \u00e4tit<\/strong> lunch.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/i>No thanks, I have already eaten lunch.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Do it! Make it! VERB: att g\u00f6ra<\/span><\/h2>\n

infinitive\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>present\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>past\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>perfect past <\/b>
\n<\/span>att g\u00f6ra<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0g\u00f6r<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0gjorde<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>har gjort<\/em>
\n<\/span>to do\/to make\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 do\/does\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0did\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 have done
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sn\u00e4lla pappa, kan vi <\/span><\/i>g\u00f6ra<\/i><\/b> saffransbullar idag? <\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span>Please dad, can we make saffron buns today?<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>-Vad g\u00f6r<\/strong> du?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/i>-What are you doing?
\n-Jag tittar p\u00e5 Natalies fotbollsmatch<\/i>.\u00a0 \u00a0 -I am watching Natalie\u2019s soccer game.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Note that when someone in Swedish asks, “vad g\u00f6r du?<\/em> (what are you doing?)\u201d you should omit the verb g\u00f6r<\/strong><\/em> in your answer <\/span>unless you are making something, then use g\u00f6r<\/em> indeed! For example:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

“Vi bes\u00f6kte 3 nationalparker och vandrade.”
Photo by Anita Peeples on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n


\n<\/span>-Vad g\u00f6r<\/strong> du?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i>-What are you doing?<\/span>
\n<\/span>-Jag g\u00f6r<\/strong> julkort!\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/i>-I am making Christmas cards.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>-Vad gjorde<\/strong> ni p\u00e5 semestern?
\n-Vi bes\u00f6kte 3 nationalparker och vandrade!<\/em><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

-What did you all do on vacation?
\n<\/span>-We visited 3 national parks and hiked!<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Henrik har<\/strong> aldrig gjort<\/strong> det sj\u00e4lv. <\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span>Henrik has never done it himself.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Did you see that? Yes, I saw it! VERB: att se<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/h2>\n

infinitive\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>present\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>past\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>perfect past <\/b>
\natt se\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0ser\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 s\u00e5g\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 har sett
\n<\/em>to see\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 see\/s\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0saw\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0have seen<\/span><\/p>\n

Vill du se<\/strong> Spidelmannen eller Frost p\u00e5 bio?
\n<\/em>Do you want to see Spider-Man or Frozen at the movie theater?<\/p>\n

Hur m\u00e5r Jessica?\u00a0 Hon ser<\/strong> lite tr\u00f6tt ut*.<\/em>
\nHow is Jessica?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 She looks a little tired.<\/p>\n

*ser ut<\/strong> – to look\/or resemble<\/p>\n

Kom Erika till konferensen?\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Vi s\u00e5g<\/strong> aldrig henne.<\/em>
\nDid Erika come to the conference? We never saw her.<\/p>\n

Har<\/strong> du sett <\/strong>Valkyrian p\u00e5 Kungliga Operan?\u00a0<\/em>
\nHave you seen The Valkyrie<\/em> at the Royal Swedish Opera?<\/p>\n

5. Let’s go! Want to walk?! VERB: att g\u00e5<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

infinitive\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>present\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b>past\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/b>perfect past <\/b>
\natt g\u00e5\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0g\u00e5r\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 gick\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0har g\u00e5tt
\n<\/em>to go\/walk\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 go\/goes\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 went\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0have gone<\/span><\/p>\n

Det b\u00f6rjar bli sent! Ska vi g\u00e5<\/strong>?\u00a0<\/em>
\nIt’s starting to get late. Shall we go?<\/span><\/p>\n

Cyklar du eller g\u00e5r<\/strong> du till \u00e4ffaren?<\/em>
\nDo you bike or walk to the store?<\/p>\n

-Hur gick<\/strong> det p\u00e5 jobbet idag?<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 -How did it go at work today?
\n-Det gick<\/strong> bra tror jag!\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 -It went well I think!<\/p>\n

-Hej, var \u00e4r du? Har<\/strong> du g\u00e5tt<\/strong> hem?<\/em>
\n-Hi, where are you? Have you gone home?<\/p>\n

Now it’s time to practice! Don’t give up on these irregular verbs because you’ll need to use them ALL the time. Besides these ones, which Swedish verbs trip you up?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

A student recently reminded me how difficult it is to memorize irregular verbs in your foreign language. Well actually, she said, \u201cSwedish irregular verbs are the worst.\u201d Att vara, att se, att g\u00f6ra, to name a few, are among the most common words used in daily Swedish. Just as language learning is a balance of…<\/p>\n

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