Swedish Essential grammar

Abbreviations used in this guide

Each example below has three parts: the original text, a literal gloss describing how every word works, and a natural translation. The glosses use a few shorthand labels so they stay short. Don't worry about memorising them — this is a reference you can come back to.

Person and number · 1sg / 2sg / 3sg — first / second / third person singular (I, you, he/she/it) · 1pl / 2pl / 3pl — first / second / third person plural (we, you-all, they)

Gender and case · m / f / n — masculine / feminine / neuter · sg / pl — singular / plural · m.sg — combined: masculine singular (and similarly f.pl, n.sg, etc.) · NOM / ACC / GEN / DAT / INS / LOC — grammatical cases (nominative/accusative/genitive/dative/instrumental/locative) — which role the word plays in the sentence

Tense and aspect · PRES — present · PRET — preterite (a finished past event) · IMPF — imperfect (an ongoing or habitual past situation) · FUT — future · PERF — perfect (an action completed with present relevance) · PROG — progressive (action in progress, e.g. am eating) · COND — conditional (would…)

Mood · IND — indicative (regular statement) · SUBJ — subjunctive (uncertainty, wishes, doubts) · IMP — imperative (commands) · INF — infinitive (dictionary form: to go, to eat)

Other · REFL — reflexive (action on oneself: myself, yourself) · PERS — personal a (Spanish only — marks a human direct object) · HON — honorific (extra-polite form, common in Japanese/Korean) · TOP / SUB / OBJ — topic / subject / object markers (Japanese, Korean) · CL — classifier (Chinese, Japanese, Korean — a counter word for nouns) · NEG — negation

Word order: V2 main, verb-late subordinate

Swedish is a V2 language: in a main clause the finite verb must sit in the second position, regardless of what comes first. If the subject opens the sentence, you get plain Subject–Verb–Object order. If a time expression, object, or adverb is fronted, the subject jumps to just after the verb (inversion) so the verb stays second. In subordinate clauses (introduced by 'att' that, 'eftersom' because, 'om' if, 'när' when), the order is subject–adverb–verb: any sentence adverb such as 'inte' (not) comes before the finite verb. Learners remember this as the BIFF rule: in a Bisats (subordinate clause), Inte comes Före (before) the Finita verbet.

• Jag dricker kaffe på morgonen. — I drink coffee in-the morning.
  I drink coffee in the morning.
• På morgonen dricker jag kaffe. — In-the morning drink I coffee.
  In the morning I drink coffee. (inversion: the verb stays in 2nd position)
• Jag stannar hemma eftersom jag inte mår bra. — I stay home because I not feel good.
  I'm staying home because I don't feel well. (subordinate: 'inte' before the verb)

Gender and articles: en / ett

Swedish nouns belong to one of two genders: en-words (common gender, the 'utrum', roughly 75% of nouns) and ett-words (neuter, the 'neutrum'). The gender is mostly unpredictable, so learn each noun together with its article: 'en bil' (a car), 'ett hus' (a house). The indefinite article is the free word en/ett, exactly like English a/an. The definite article ('the'), however, is a suffix glued onto the end of the noun, not a separate word: bil → bilen (the car), hus → huset (the house). When the noun already ends in a vowel you add only -n or -t: flicka → flickan (the girl), äpple → äpplet (the apple).

• en bil — bilen — a car — the car
  a car — the car (en-word: definite suffix -en)
• ett hus — huset — a house — the house
  a house — the house (ett-word: definite suffix -et)
• Jag har en katt. Katten är svart. — I have a cat. Cat-the is black.
  I have a cat. The cat is black.

Pronouns: subject, object, possessive

Subject and object pronouns are different words: jag/mig (I/me), du/dig (you/you), han/honom (he/him), hon/henne (she/her), vi/oss (we/us), ni/er (you-pl/you-pl), de/dem (they/them). The non-personal pronouns 'den' (for en-words) and 'det' (for ett-words) mean 'it' and stay the same as subject and object. In speech 'de' and 'dem' are both pronounced 'dom', and many people write 'dom' informally. Possessives agree with the gender and number of the thing owned: min/mitt/mina (my), din/ditt/dina (your), vår/vårt/våra (our), er/ert/era (your-pl); but hans (his), hennes (her), dess (its), and deras (their) never change. A special reflexive possessive — sin/sitt/sina — is used when the owner is the subject of the same clause: 'Han älskar sin fru' = he loves his (own) wife.

• Jag ser dig. — I see you.
  I see you.
• Det är min bok, inte din. — It is my book, not yours.
  It's my book, not yours. (min agrees with the en-word 'bok')
• Han tar med sin hund. — He brings with REFL.POSS dog.
  He brings his (own) dog. ('sin' = the subject's own; 'hans hund' would be someone else's)

Verb conjugation: one form for every person

Here is the single best piece of news in Swedish grammar: verbs do not change for person or number. 'Jag är', 'du är', 'han är', 'vi är', 'de är' — the verb is identical for I, you, he, we and they. So you only ever learn one present form, one past form, and one supine (the -t form used after 'har') per verb. Regular verbs fall into four groups by how they form the past tense, and the irregular 'strong' verbs (group 4) change their stem vowel instead of adding an ending. Compare the very irregular 'vara' (to be): är (present) / var (past) / varit (supine).

• Jag är trött. Vi är trötta. — I am tired. We are tired.
  I'm tired. We're tired. (the verb 'är' is the same for both)
• Hon talar svenska. De talar svenska. — She speaks Swedish. They speak Swedish.
  She speaks Swedish. They speak Swedish. ('talar' never changes for person)
• Du har en hund och jag har en katt. — You have a dog and I have a cat.
  You have a dog and I have a cat. ('har' is identical for both subjects)

Present tense

The present tense is formed by adding -r or -er to the stem, and it covers both English 'I work' and 'I am working' — Swedish has no separate continuous form. Group 1 verbs add -ar (jobba → jobbar), group 2 add -er (ringa → ringer), group 3 add only -r (bo → bor), and group 4 (strong) add -er with no vowel change in the present (skriva → skriver). A handful of common verbs are irregular in the present: vara → är, ha → har, göra → gör, veta → vet, and the modals vill, ska, kan, måste, får, bör.

• Jag jobbar i Stockholm. — I work in Stockholm.
  I work in Stockholm. (group 1: jobba → jobbar)
• Hon bor i ett gammalt hus. — She lives in an old house.
  She lives in an old house. (group 3: bo → bor)
• Vad gör du nu? — What do you now?
  What are you doing now? (no separate continuous form; 'göra → gör' is irregular)

Past: preteritum and perfekt

Swedish has two everyday past tenses. The preteritum (simple past) states a finished event, often with a time word: 'I worked yesterday'. The perfekt (har + supine) links the past to now or leaves the time vague: 'I have worked'. The supine is the special -t form used only after har/hade and never changes. Group endings: group 1 preteritum -ade / supine -at (jobbade / jobbat); group 2 -de or -te / supine -t (ringde/ringt, läste/läst); group 3 -dde / -tt (bodde/bott); group 4 strong verbs change the vowel and take supine -it (skrev/skrivit, drack/druckit). The pluskvamperfekt 'hade + supine' (had worked) is the past-in-the-past.

• Jag jobbade hela dagen igår. — I worked whole day-the yesterday.
  I worked all day yesterday. (preteritum: a finished past event)
• Jag har bott i Sverige i tre år. — I have lived in Sweden for three years.
  I have lived in Sweden for three years. (perfekt: still relevant now)
• Hon hade redan gått när jag kom. — She had already gone when I came.
  She had already left when I arrived. (pluskvamperfekt: hade + supine)

Future: ska, kommer att and the present

Swedish has no future verb form. To talk about the future you use one of three strategies. 'ska' + infinitive expresses intention or a decision ('I'm going to / I will'). 'kommer att' + infinitive expresses a prediction or something that will simply happen, often outside anyone's control ('it's going to rain'). And the plain present tense works for scheduled or near-certain events, usually with a time word ('the train leaves at three'). Note that 'ska' takes a bare infinitive but 'kommer' needs the marker 'att'.

• Jag ska resa till Spanien i sommar. — I shall travel to Spain in summer.
  I'm going to travel to Spain this summer. (intention)
• Det kommer att regna i morgon. — It comes to rain tomorrow.
  It's going to rain tomorrow. (prediction; note 'att')
• Tåget går klockan tre. — Train-the goes o'clock three.
  The train leaves at three. (present tense for a scheduled event)

Negation: inte and its placement

Negation is the single word 'inte' (not); there is no equivalent of English 'do'-support. The tricky part is where it goes. In a main clause 'inte' comes after the finite verb: 'Jag dricker inte kaffe'. After inversion it still follows the verb: 'På morgonen dricker jag inte kaffe'. But in a subordinate clause 'inte' moves in front of the finite verb (the BIFF rule): 'att jag inte dricker kaffe'. To negate 'some/any', use 'ingen / inget / inga' (no, none), which agree like adjectives: 'ingen bil', 'inget hus', 'inga böcker'.

• Jag förstår inte. — I understand not.
  I don't understand. (main clause: 'inte' after the verb)
• Hon säger att hon inte kommer. — She says that she not comes.
  She says she isn't coming. (subordinate: 'inte' before the verb)
• Vi har ingen mjölk hemma. — We have no milk home.
  We have no milk at home. ('ingen' agrees with the en-word 'mjölk')

Questions: inversion and question words

A yes/no question is made purely by inversion — put the finite verb first, then the subject, with no helper word: 'Dricker du kaffe?' (Do you drink coffee?). A wh-question opens with a question word (frågeord) followed by the same verb-then-subject inversion: vad (what), vem (who), var (where), vart (where to), när (when), hur (how), varför (why), and the agreeing 'vilken / vilket / vilka' (which). Because Swedish has no 'do'-support, the English 'do/does' simply disappears.

• Talar du engelska? — Speak you English?
  Do you speak English? (inversion, no helper verb)
• Var bor du? — Where live you?
  Where do you live?
• Vilken bok läser du? — Which book read you?
  Which book are you reading? ('vilken' agrees with the en-word 'bok')

Plural of nouns: the five declensions

Swedish nouns form their plural with one of five endings, and the ending is loosely tied to the gender. The five declensions are: -or (most en-words ending in -a: flicka → flickor), -ar (many en-words: bil → bilar), -er (many en-words, often loanwords: park → parker), -n (ett-words ending in a vowel: äpple → äpplen), and -∅ no ending (most ett-words ending in a consonant: hus → hus, ett hus / flera hus). The plural definite ('the cars') adds -na to en-words (bilarna) and -en/-a to ett-words (husen, äpplena).

• en flicka → tre flickor — a girl → three girls
  a girl → three girls (declension 1: -or)
• en bil → många bilar → bilarna — a car → many cars → cars-the
  a car → many cars → the cars (declension 2: -ar, definite -arna)
• ett hus → flera hus → husen — a house → several houses → houses-the
  a house → several houses → the houses (declension 5: no plural ending)

Adjective agreement and double definiteness

Adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. In the indefinite form there are three shapes: bare form with en-words (en stor bil), add -t with ett-words (ett stort hus), add -a in the plural (stora bilar). In the definite, Swedish uses 'double definiteness': you place the free article den/det/de in front, put the adjective in its -a form, and keep the definite suffix on the noun: 'den stora bilen', 'det stora huset', 'de stora bilarna'. So the definiteness is marked twice — once by den/det/de and once by the noun ending.

• en stor bil — ett stort hus — stora bilar — a big car — a big house — big cars
  a big car — a big house — big cars (indefinite: -∅ / -t / -a)
• den stora bilen — the big car-the
  the big car (definite: den + adjective-a + noun-definite — marked twice)
• Jag köpte ett rött äpple och de gröna äpplena. — I bought a red apple and the green apples-the.
  I bought a red apple and the green apples. (rött agrees with ett-word; de gröna äpplena is definite plural)

The genitive: -s, no apostrophe

Possession is shown by adding -s straight onto the owner, with no apostrophe (unlike English): 'Annas bok' (Anna's book), 'Sveriges huvudstad' (Sweden's capital), 'barnens leksaker' (the children's toys). The thing owned takes its bare, indefinite form even though the phrase as a whole is definite: 'min systers bil' = my sister's car (not 'bilen'). If the owner's name already ends in -s, -x or -z, you add nothing at all and only the context (or, in writing, sometimes an apostrophe) shows the genitive: 'Lars bok' (Lars's book).

• Annas bok ligger på bordet. — Anna's book lies on table-the.
  Anna's book is on the table. (genitive -s, no apostrophe)
• Vad är Sveriges huvudstad? — What is Sweden's capital?
  What is Sweden's capital?
• Det är min brors hus. — It is my brother's house.
  It's my brother's house. (the owned noun stays indefinite: 'hus', not 'huset')

Particle verbs and reflexive verbs

Many Swedish verbs combine with a small stressed particle that changes the meaning, much like English 'turn off' or 'give up': 'tycka om' (to like), 'stänga av' (to turn off), 'känna igen' (to recognise), 'gå sönder' (to break). Unlike German, the particle is not glued to the front — it stays as a separate word right after the verb, and it carries the main stress. Reflexive verbs use the object pronoun for oneself: mig, dig, sig, oss, er, sig — note the special third-person 'sig' for han/hon/den/det/de. Common examples: 'tvätta sig' (wash oneself), 'känna sig' (feel), 'gifta sig' (get married), 'sätta sig' (sit down).

• Jag tycker om dig. — I like PRT you.
  I like you. (particle verb 'tycka om'; stress falls on 'om')
• Kan du stänga av lampan? — Can you turn off lamp-the?
  Can you turn off the lamp? (particle 'av' stays separate after the verb)
• Han känner sig trött. — He feels REFL tired.
  He feels tired. (reflexive 'känna sig', 3rd-person 'sig')

PRESENT TENSE: the four conjugation groups

Every regular Swedish verb belongs to one of four groups, and the group decides every other form too. Because the verb never changes for person, one line per group is enough. Start from the infinitive (the form after 'att'), and form the present:

Group 1 is by far the largest and the default for new verbs (jobba, prata, titta, fråga). Group 2 splits by whether the stem ends in a voiced or voiceless consonant, which decides -de vs -te in the past. Group 3 verbs are short and end in a stressed vowel (bo, tro, sy, by). Group 4 are the irregular 'strong' verbs that change the stem vowel in the past (skriva → skrev, dricka → drack, springa → sprang). Remember: the present is the same for jag, du, han, hon, vi, ni and de.

• Jag talar tre språk. — I speak three languages.
  I speak three languages. (group 1: tala → talar)
• Hon ringer sin mamma varje dag. — She calls her mum every day.
  She calls her mum every day. (group 2a: ringa → ringer)
• Vi bor i Göteborg. — We live in Gothenburg.
  We live in Gothenburg. (group 3: bo → bor)
• Han skriver ett brev. — He writes a letter.
  He's writing a letter. (group 4 strong: skriva → skriver)
• De läser tidningen på morgonen. — They read newspaper-the in-the morning.
  They read the newspaper in the morning. (group 2b: läsa → läser)

VILJA + infinitive (want to)

To say you want to do something, use the modal verb 'vilja' (to want) followed by a bare infinitive — no 'att' in between. 'Vilja' is irregular: its present is 'vill' (the same for every person), its past is 'ville', and its supine is 'velat'. Be careful: 'vill' means 'want', not 'will' (the future) — a classic false friend for English speakers. To want a thing (a noun) rather than an action, use 'vill ha' (literally 'want to have'): 'Jag vill ha en kaffe' = I'd like a coffee.

Note the bare infinitive after vill: 'Jag vill resa' (I want to travel), never 'Jag vill att resa'.

• Jag vill lära mig svenska. — I want learn REFL Swedish.
  I want to learn Swedish. (vill + bare infinitive; reflexive 'lära sig')
• Vill du dansa? — Want you dance?
  Do you want to dance? (inversion for the question)
• Jag vill ha en kopp kaffe, tack. — I want have a cup coffee, thanks.
  I'd like a cup of coffee, please. ('vill ha' to want a thing)
• Hon ville inte komma. — She wanted not come.
  She didn't want to come. (past 'ville'; 'inte' after the verb)
• Vi har alltid velat resa till Japan. — We have always wanted travel to Japan.
  We have always wanted to travel to Japan. (supine 'velat' after 'har')

KOMMER ATT + infinitive (going to)

To predict that something is going to happen — a forecast, an expectation, an outcome no one is choosing — Swedish uses 'kommer att' + infinitive. Unlike the other modals, this construction keeps the infinitive marker 'att'. It contrasts with 'ska', which expresses a decision or intention; 'kommer att' is more neutral and predictive. In everyday speech the 'att' is often swallowed and barely heard, but in writing you should keep it.

The finite verb here is 'kommer' (present of 'komma'), which never changes for person.

• Det kommer att bli en fin dag. — It comes to become a fine day.
  It's going to be a nice day. (prediction; note 'att')
• Du kommer att klara provet. — You come to pass test-the.
  You're going to pass the exam. (confident forecast)
• Jag tror att det kommer att regna. — I think that it comes to rain.
  I think it's going to rain. (inside a subordinate clause)
• Vi kommer att flytta nästa år. — We come to move next year.
  We're going to move next year.
• De kommer inte att hinna. — They come not to make-it.
  They're not going to make it in time. ('inte' between 'kommer' and 'att')

HAR + supine (perfekt)

The perfekt (present perfect) is formed with the present auxiliary 'har' plus the supine — the special -t form of the verb that is used only with har/hade and never agrees with anything. It describes a past action with present relevance, or a past event with no stated time. Swap 'har' for 'hade' to get the pluskvamperfekt ('had done').

Key strong supines to memorise: vara → varit, ha → haft, göra → gjort, gå → gått, få → fått, se → sett, ta → tagit, komma → kommit, säga → sagt. The supine is invariable: 'jag har skrivit', 'vi har skrivit', 'breven har skrivits' — same -it form.

• Jag har redan ätit. — I have already eaten.
  I've already eaten. (supine 'ätit' of strong verb 'äta')
• Har du sett min telefon? — Have you seen my phone?
  Have you seen my phone? (supine 'sett'; inversion for the question)
• Vi har bott här i tio år. — We have lived here for ten years.
  We've lived here for ten years. (group 3 supine 'bott')
• Hon har gjort sina läxor. — She has done her homework.
  She has done her homework. (irregular supine 'gjort')
• Tåget hade redan gått. — Train-the had already gone.
  The train had already left. (pluskvamperfekt: hade + supine 'gått')

SKULLE VILJA + infinitive (would like to)

For a polite or hypothetical wish — 'I would like to…' — Swedish stacks two modals: 'skulle vilja' + a bare infinitive. 'Skulle' is the past form of 'ska' and works like English 'would'; followed by 'vilja' it softens 'want' into 'would like'. Add 'gärna' (gladly, willingly) for extra warmth: 'Jag skulle gärna vilja…'. To wish for a thing, end with 'ha': 'Jag skulle vilja ha…' = I would like (to have)…

'Skulle' alone + infinitive also forms the plain conditional: 'Jag skulle resa om jag hade pengar' = I would travel if I had money.

• Jag skulle vilja boka ett bord. — I would want book a table.
  I'd like to book a table. (skulle vilja + bare infinitive)
• Jag skulle vilja ha en kopp te. — I would want have a cup tea.
  I'd like a cup of tea. (wishing for a thing: + 'ha')
• Vi skulle gärna vilja träffa dig. — We would gladly want meet you.
  We'd really like to meet you. ('gärna' adds warmth)
• Skulle du vilja dansa? — Would you want dance?
  Would you like to dance? (polite invitation, inversion)
• Jag skulle resa om jag hade tid. — I would travel if I had time.
  I would travel if I had time. ('skulle' alone = conditional)

Progressive: hålla på att and verb + och + verb

Swedish has no -ing form, so the present tense already covers 'I am working'. When you really want to stress that an action is in progress, there are two idiomatic constructions. 'hålla på att' + infinitive means 'to be in the middle of doing': 'Jag håller på att laga mat' = I'm (busy) cooking. A very common spoken alternative pairs a posture verb (sitta, stå, ligga) with 'och' + a second verb in the same tense: 'Han sitter och läser' = he's (sitting) reading. Both forms simply add a sense of ongoing activity to the plain present or past.

• Jag håller på att laga mat. — I hold on to cook food.
  I'm (in the middle of) cooking. (hålla på att + infinitive)
• Vänta, jag håller på att klä på mig. — Wait, I hold on to dress on REFL.
  Wait, I'm getting dressed. (action clearly in progress)
• Han sitter och läser en bok. — He sits and reads a book.
  He's reading a book. (posture verb + och + verb)
• Barnen ligger och sover. — Children-the lie and sleep.
  The children are sleeping. (both verbs in the present)
• Vi stod och väntade på bussen. — We stood and waited for bus-the.
  We were waiting for the bus. (the pattern works in the past too)

KUNNA + infinitive (can, be able to)

'Kunna' is the modal for ability and possibility — English 'can' / 'be able to' — and like every modal it is followed by a bare infinitive (no 'att'). Its present is the irregular 'kan' (identical for all persons), the past is 'kunde', and the supine 'kunnat'. 'Kunna' also covers 'to know how to' a skill or a language: 'Jag kan svenska' (I know Swedish), where it can even stand without a following verb.

The other core modals behave the same way (bare infinitive): måste (must), får (may / be allowed), bör (ought to), ska (shall / will), vill (want).

• Kan du hjälpa mig? — Can you help me?
  Can you help me? (kan + bare infinitive; inversion)
• Jag kan inte komma i kväll. — I can not come tonight.
  I can't come tonight. ('inte' right after the modal)
• Hon kan tala fyra språk. — She can speak four languages.
  She can speak four languages.
• Jag kan svenska. — I can Swedish.
  I know Swedish. ('kunna' = know a skill/language, no following verb)
• Vi kunde inte hitta huset. — We could not find house-the.
  We couldn't find the house. (past 'kunde')

Modal verbs overview (bare infinitive)

Swedish modal verbs share two traits: they are irregular in the present (one form for all persons) and they take a bare infinitive with no 'att'. Learn the present forms — they are the ones you use constantly:

'måste' is the same in present and infinitive. The negative simply inserts 'inte' after the modal: 'Du får inte röka här' (you may not smoke here). Watch the false friends: 'vill' = want (not 'will'), and 'får' = may/get (not 'far').

• Jag måste gå nu. — I must go now.
  I have to go now. (måste + bare infinitive)
• Får jag sitta här? — May I sit here?
  May I sit here? (får = be allowed; inversion)
• Du bör dricka mer vatten. — You ought drink more water.
  You should drink more water. (bör = ought to)
• Vi får inte glömma biljetterna. — We may not forget tickets-the.
  We mustn't forget the tickets. ('inte' after the modal)
• Ska vi gå på bio? — Shall we go on cinema?
  Shall we go to the cinema? (ska = suggestion/intention)