8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

1/16

2

CONTENTS

Introduction3

1. Swedish verb form in comparison with English verb form......41.1. The imperative..5

1.2. The infinitive5

1.3. The present tense..5

1.4. The past tense7

1.5. The supin and the past participle 7

1.6. The future tense9

2. Reflexive verbs10Conclusion11

Bibliography............................................................................................12

Appendices13

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

2/16

3

INTRODUCTION

A verb is often defined as a word which shows action or state of being. The verb is the heart of a

sentence - every sentence must have a verb. Recognizing the verb is often the most important step in

understanding the meaning of a sentence. One of the most important things about verbs is theirrelationship to time. Verbs tell if something has already happened, if it will happen later, or if it is

happening now.

In my research I used the works of different outstanding grammarians, such as Gustavus BrunnmarkJ. P., Fort H., Vickner E. J.. In this report I have investigated the differences between English and

Swedish verb. I compared the verb forms in both languages English and Swedish. The purpose was: 1.

to identify the special features of Swedish verb; 2. to found the differences between English and

Swedish verb. I used empirical methods, such as observation, description, comparison, analysis.

My purpose is to give a clear explanation of differences of English - Swedish verb and I hope that my

study will present a source of important information for those who want to find more about the verb

and its interpretation in a foreign language, especially in Swedish.

The result of the investigation proves that English and Swedish being Germanic languages have a lot

of similarites concerning the verb.

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

3/16

4

1. SWEDISH VERB FORM IN COMPARISON WITH ENGLISH VERB FORM

In old Indo-European languages like Latin and Greek each verb could have a hundred different forms

or more. One single verb could at the same time show when something happened, who did it or who

did what to whom, whether the action was completed or not, and if it actually had happened at all. And

all that just by adding a specific ending and/or slightly changing the stem of the verb.

In English and in Swedish there is fortunately very little left of this, even though English, in contrast to

Swedish, in some cases still has a separate ending if it is a he, she, or it doing something: "I sing"

("jag sjunger"), but "she sings" ("hon sjunger"). Instead of inflecting the verb, that is modifying it

through a change of vowels or through various endings or other ways, these two languages - like many

other modern languages - mainly use "helping" verbs (auxiliary verbs) to show the exact meaning of

the verb:

I speak. I will speak. I have spoken.

Jag tlar. Jag ska tla. Jag har tlat.

The Swedish verb groups.Verbs are traditionally divided into groups, based on the time aspect, the

tense, of the verb. In the sentence "I spoke", the word spoke is a past form of the verb speak,

while "I will have spoken" points to an action that will have been completed sometime in the future.

The Swedish verb system is somewhat more complex than the English. Depending on which ending a

verb takes in some tenses, it is referred to one of four groups. The fourth group consists of irregular

verbs, of which many are very common.

To learn all or almost all possible variants of a Swedish verb we should in theory memorize five

forms: the infinitive, the present, the past, the supine, and the past participle; if we know these we will

be able to easily deduce the rest. Such memorizing is facilitated by the fact that most verbs follow an

overall-pattern, but is still a rather dreary procedure on the whole.

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

4/16

5

1.1. THE IMPERATIVE

The imperative expresses a command or an exhortation, that is you tell someone to do something: Be

quiet!, Come here!, Run!. The imperative is the basic form of the verb in both English and

Swedish. English uses this basic form also for the infinitive, whereas the Swedish imperative is a

unique form and therefore should be learned separately.

1.2. THE INFINITIVE

The infinitive is a timeless form of the verb, the form given in the dictionaries. It is formed by adding

an -a to the imperative (the main exception to this rule is when the basic form already ends in an -a; in

such case no further ending is added). It is often used together with the word att, which usually has

the same function as the English to when it is combined with an infinitive:

Att vra ller [att] nte vra, det r frgan.

To be or not [to] be, that is the question.

Difference in use of the infinitive

In some cases English prefers or requires a verb with the ending -ing (e.g. after prepositions, that is

"direction/position" words like on, under, with, to), where Swedish would use the infinitive:

Im looking forward to [here used as a preposition] going to Stockholm.

Jag ser fram emt att rsa till Stckhlm.

I look forward towards to go/travel to Stockholm.

He has problems (with) getting up in the mornings.

Han har svrt att klva upp p mrgnarna.

He has difficult to step up on the mornings.

1.3. THE PRESENT TENSE

A verb in the present tense is sometimes a bit carelessly described as referring to an action taking

place now, but should more accurately be seen as showing an continuous action or state or a series of

actions that is not completed, or something which someone usually do: "I play football" will most

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

5/16

6

likely mean that you sometimes play football, or that you can or know how to play football, not

necessarily that you are playing football at this very moment. To show that something is happening

right now, English, by using an auxiliary verb and by adding the ending -ing to the main verb, has a

special "progressive" form: "I am playing football". In Swedish there is strictly speaking only one

form for the present that you will have to pay attention to, however, a form that almost always end in

an -r.

The endings of the verbs in the present are, to be more specific:

Group 1: -ar (or -[a]r, since the a technically speaking is a part of the stem of the verb and not the

ending)

Group 2A and 2B: -er

Group 3: -r

Group 4: The verbs in this often - but not always - end in -er and -r as well.

It may be comforting to know that the third group is quite small and only comprises a couple of themore frequent verbs.

Progressive expressions

The on-going (progressive) -ing form in English can in Swedish often be expressed by adding an

additional verb:

Jag splar ftbll. Jag hller p att spla ftbll.

I play football. I hold on (i.e.I am busy with) to play football.

Vi tttar p tv. Vi stter och tttar p tv.

We watch on TV. We sit and watch on TV.

Han lgar mat. Han str och lgar mat.

He cooks food. He stands and cooks food.

Hon sver. Hon lgger och sver.

She sleeps/is asleep. She lies and sleeps.

This way of showing that the action is progressive can also be used in other tenses in Swedish.

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

6/16

7

1.4. THE PAST TENSE

The past tense is used in different ways in different languages. In German, for instance, the perfect has

assumed some of the function of the past ("Ich hab ihn gesehen" - "I saw him"). In Swiss German the

past tense has been replaced entirely by the perfect. A Romance language like Spanish does not only

focus on the time aspect of the verb when forming the past, but also on whether the action is seen as

demarcated and completed (pretrito: "Grit" - "I shouted") or not completed, alternatively repeated

(imperfecto: "Gritaba" - "I was shouting", "I shouted [several times]", "I began to shout" etc.). In

spoken French the old preterite (pass simple) has disappeared in favour of the pass compos

(resembling the German perfect), while the imperfect tense has a similar usage as in Spanish. In spite

of its close relationship to German, the Swedish uses the past tense just about the same way as

English, however.

The past is formed by adding the ending -de or -te to the basic form (the imperative); the -te ending isused after any of the voiceless consonants p, t, k, and s. (Some irregular verbs form the past by

changing their vowel instead.)

Jag rbtade [basic form: arbeta] hrt frra vckan.

I worked/was working hard previous the week [i.e. last week].

Jag lste [basic form: ls] en ny bok vrje dag nder semstern.

I read a new book every day during the vacation.

1.5. THE SUPINE AND THE PAST PARTICIPLE

I have closed the door.

The door is closed.

In these two sentences the word closed is a form of the verb which in English is called the past

participle. Combined with the auxiliary verb have it forms the perfect tense, and with the same

"help" verb in the past you have the past perfect form: "I had closed the door."

Perfect is derived from a Latin word for complete(d), finished, which fairly well describes the

primary function of the perfect tense, namely to show that a certain action or state is completed in

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

7/16

8

relation to present time. That sounds more complicated than it is. The pluperfect refers to an action or

state that was completed in relation to an event in the past "The door was [past] closed; he had closed

[pluperfect] the door." The usage of the perfect and the pluperfect tenses is on the whole the same in

English and Swedish.

Now, Swedish has actually two forms for the English past participle: The supine and the past

participle.

THE SUPINE

The supine, which is made by adding a -t to the basic form (the imperative), is always used after the

auxiliary verb have:

Jag har stngt drren.I have closed the door.

THE PAST PARTICIPLE

The past participle is composed by adding -d, -t, or -dd to the basic form (depending on the final

letter). It is used like an adjective, and takes endings similar to the adjectives:

With an en word: Psten r stngd idg.The post office is closed today.

With an ett word: Allt r stngt.Everything is closed.

With a word in the plural: Till och med affrerna r stngda.To and with (i.e. even) the shops/stores are closed.

After an identifying word: De ["dom"] stngda drrarnaThe closed doors

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

8/16

9

1.6. THE FUTURE TENSE

English and Swedish have several ways to show that something will take place in the future, since theyboth lack a proper future tense.

The Swedish and English variants of the future are not synonymous, and that the chart below onlygives a rough outline of the usage of the future in Swedish. It is not always easy to tell why one way of

expressing a future action is favored instead of another. But since they all convey a clear future sense,

you will not have any problems in making yourself understood, regardless of which variant youchoose.

Future construction Swedish English1. kmmer att + infinitive:

neutral, pure future [verycommon]

Jag kmmer att studra.I come to study.

I will study.

2. ska (formal: skall) +infinitive:

future (neutral, intention)

Jag ska studra.I will study.

I am going to study.

3. tnker + infinitive:

showing intention

Jag tnker studra.I think/intend [to] study.

I am going to study.

4. using the present tense:

future (neutral, intention)[very common]

Jag ker till Stckhlmnsta vcka.I go to Stockholm nextweek.

I will go to Stockholmnext week.

THE PASSIVE

All the verbs you have met so far have been active, that is someone or something is doing something.If you want to show that something is being done in English and the person who does it is either not

identified or mentioned after the word by, you use a form of the verb be together with the pastparticiple:

The car has been repaired.

They were killed in an accident.We have not been informed by anyone.

This passive construction is very simple to make in Swedish: You just add an -s to the other endings ofthe verb. The main exception is the present tense, where the final -r disappears before the -s.

Blen reparrades (instead of: Han reparrade blen).

The car was repaired. (He repaired the car.)

Sklan ska stngas (instead of: Rktorn ska stnga sklan).

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

9/16

10

The school is going to be closed. (The headmaster is going to close the school.)

In everyday Swedish an active construction is often preferred to the passive: "De ska stnga sklan"

("They are going to close the school"). It is also very common to use a construction with 'bli' (become)

instead, without any significant change in meaning: Blen blev reparrad.

ACTIVE VERBS WITH A PASSIVE ENDING

There are a few verbs, which, in spite of having this -s form characteristic for the passive, always havean active function. Three of the most common are:

fnnas (to be, exist): "Finns det ngon mjlk kvar?" ("Is there any milk left?")hppas (to hope): "Jag hppas det" ("I hope it", that is "I hope so.")

mnnas (to remember): "Jag minns nte" ("I remember not.")

2. REFLEXIVE VERBS

In the sentence "I wash myself" English uses the pronoun myself to show that the action is reflexive,that it is I who am the object of the washing. Some Swedish verbs are likewise used together with aspecial pronoun, which is identical with the objective forms of the personal pronouns,with one

exception: The reflexive pronoun for the persons he, she, it, and they is always sig (in spite of

its spelling pronounced like the English word 'say').

Jag tvttar mig (mej). I wash myself.Du tvttar dig (dej). You wash yourself.Han tvttar sig (sej). He washes himself.Hon tvttar sig (sej). She washes herself.

Den/det tvttar sig (sej). It washes itself.Vi tvttar oss. We wash ourselves. Ni tvttar er. You wash yourselves.De tvttar sig (sej). They wash themselves.

The use of verbs with reflexive pronouns is more frequent in Swedish than in English.

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

10/16

11

CONCLUSION

y In Swedish, a verb employs the same form in all persons, whereas English for example usesdifferent forms for different persons.

y The Swedish verb system is somewhat more complex than the English. Depending on whichending a verb takes in some tenses, it is referred to one of four groups. The fourth groupconsists of irregular verbs, of which many are very common.

y The imperative is the basic form of the verb in both English and Swedish.

y In Swedish there is strictly speaking only one form for the present.

y The endings of the verbs in the present are:Group 1: -ar

Group 2A and 2B: -er

Group 3: -r

Group 4: -er and -r as well.

y The past is formed by adding the ending -de or -te to the basic form (the imperative); the -teending is used after any of the voiceless consonants p, t, k, and s.

y The supine, which is made by adding a -t to the basic form (the imperative), is always usedafter the auxiliary verb have.

y The past participle is composed by adding -d, -t, or -dd to the basic form (depending on thefinal letter). It is used like an adjective, and takes endings similar to the adjectives.

y The use of verbs with reflexive pronouns is more frequent in Swedish than in English.y Most Swedish verbs are regular, but the most frequently used are irregular.

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

11/16

12

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Bjorkhagen I. (1923) Modern Swedish grammar (Stockholm, P.A. Norstedt).

2. Vickner E. J. (1914) A brief Swedish grammar (Rock Island, Ill.: Augustana book concern).

3. Fort H. (1911) Elementary Swedish grammar, combined with exercises, reading lessons andconversations (London, New York).

4. Gustavus Brunnmark J. P. An introduction to Swedish grammar, adapted for the use ofEnglishmen, with exercises (London, Royal Exchange).

5. SikeborgUrban (1998) Introduction to Swedish (Stockholm).

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

12/16

13

APPENDICES

Group 1 (-ar verbs)

Infinitive Imperative Present Past Supine Past participle

bertta(to) tell

Bertta!Tell!

berttar(I) tell

berttade(I) told

berttat(I have) told

(r) berttad,berttat, berttade(It is/they are) told

brka

(to)use/cultivate

Bruka!

Cultivate!

brkar

(I) useto/cultivate

brkade

(I) usedto/cultivated

(har) brkat

(I have) usedto/cultivated

(r) brkad, brkat,

brkade(It is/they are)used/cultivated

brja(to) begin

Brja!Begin!

brjar(I) begin

brjade(I) began

(har) brjat(I have)begun

(r) [p]brjad,[p]brjat,[p]brjade(It is/they are)started

frga(to) ask

Frga!Ask!

frgar(I) ask

frgade(I) asked

frgat(I have) asked

(r) [tll]frgad,[tll]frgat,[tll]frgade

(It is/they are) askedklra(to) manage

Klra (avdet)!Manage (it)!

klrar(I) manage

klrade(I) managed

klrat(I have)managed

(r) [v]klrad,[v]klrat,[v]klrade(It is/they are) takencare of

lmna(to) leave

Lmna(den)!Leave (it)!

lmnar(I) leave

lmnade(I) left

lmnat(I have) left

(r) lmnad,lmnat, lmnade(It is/they are) left

prta(to) talk

[colloquial]

Prta!Talk!

prtar(I) talk

prtade(I) talked

prtat(I have)

talkedstnna(to) stop

Stnna!(Stop!)

stnnar(I) stop

stnnade(I) stopped

stnnat(I have)stopped

(r) stnnad,stnnat, stnnade(It is/they are)stopped [rarelyused; replaced bythe regular verb'stoppa' (group 1) inthe past participle]

tla(to) speak,

talk

Tla!Speak!/Talk!

tlar(I) speak/talk

tlade(I)

spoke/talked

tlat(I have)

spoken

[tll]tlad, [tll]tlat,[tll]tlade

(It is/they are)addressed

ttta(to) look

Ttta!Look!

tttar(I) look

tttade(I) looked

tttat(I have)looked

(r) [t]tttad,[t]tttat, [t]tttade(It i/they ares)stared at

ndra(to) wonder

Undra!Wonder!

ndrar(I) wonder

ndrade(I) wondered

ndrat(I have)

(r) [fr]ndrad,[fr]ndrat,

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

13/16

14

wondered [fr]ndrade(It is/they are)wondered

vsa(to) show

Vsa!Show!

vsar(I) show

vsade(I) showed

vsat(I have)shown

(r) vsad, vsat,vsade(It is/they are)shown

Verb group 2 (-er verbs)Group 2 A

Infinitive Imperative Present Past Supine Past participlebehva(to) need

Behv!Need!

behver(I) need

behvde(I) needed

(har) behvt(I have) needed

(r) behvd,behvt, behvda(It is/they are)needed

flja(to) follow

Flj (mig)!Follow (me)!

fljer(I) follow

fljde(I) followed

(har) fljt(I have)followed

(r) fljd, fljt,fljda(It is/they are)followed

hra(to) hear

Hr!Hear!

hr(I) hear

hrde(I) heard

(har)

hrt(I have) heard

(r) hrd, hrt,hrda(It is/they are) heard

knna(to) feel, (to)know[someone]

Knn!Feel (it)!

knner(I) feel, know

knde(I) felt, knew

(har) knt(I have) felt,known

(r) knd, knt,knda(It is/they are) felt,known

lva(to) live

Lev!Live!

lver(I) live

lvde(I) lived

(har) levt(I have) lived

(r) [t]lvad,[t]lvat, [t]lvade(It is/they are)decrepit

lra [sig](to) teach[reflexive: tolearn]

Lr [dig]!Teach[reflexive:Learn]!

lr [mig](I) teach[reflexive: (I)learn]

lrde [mig](I) taught[reflexive: (I)learned]

(har) lrt [mig](I have) taught[reflexive: (I)have learned]

(r) lrd, lrt, lrda(It is/they are)taught/learned

stlla(to) put

Stll (dendr)!Put (it there)!

stller(I) put

stllde(I) put

(har)stllt(I have) put

(r) stlld, stllt,stllda(It is/they are) put

Verb group 2 (-er verbs)

Group 2 B

Infinitive Imperative Present Past Supine Past participlefrska(to) try

Frsk!Try!

frsker(I) try

frskte(I) tried

(har) frskt(I have) tried

hjlpa(to) help

Hjlp!Help!

hjlper(I) help

hjlpte(I) helped

(har) hjlpt(I have) helped

(r) hjlpt, hjlpt,hjlpta(It is/they are)helped

kpa Kp! kper kpte (har) kpt (r) kpt, kpt,

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

14/16

15

(to) buy Buy! (I) buy (I) bought (I have) bought kpta(It is/they are)bought

lsa(to) read

Ls!Read!

lser(I) read

lste(I) read

(har) lst(I have) read

(r) lst, lst, lsta(It is/they are) read

ska(to) seek

Sk!Seek!

sker(I) seek

skte(I) sought

(har) skt(I have) sought

(r) skt, skt,skta(It is/they are)

soughttnka(to) think

Tnk!Think!

tnker(I) think

tnkte(I) thought

(har) tnkt(I have)thought

(r) tnkt, tnkt,tnkta(It is/they are)thought

ka(to) go

k!Go!

ker(I) go

kte(I) went

(har) kt(I have) gone

Verb group 3 (-r verbs)

Infinitive Imperative Present Past Supine Past participlebo

(to) live in (asin reside,dwell)

Bo!

Reside!

bor

(I) reside

bdde

(I) resided

bott

(I have)resided

(r) bebdd, bebtt,

bebdda(It is/they are)inhabited

tro(to) believe,think

Tro!Believe!

tror(I) believe,think

trdde(I) believed,thought

trott(I have)believed,thought

(r) trodd, trott,trdda(It is/they are)believed

Verb group 4 (irregular verbs)

Infinitive Imperative Present Past Supine Past participlebli(to) become

Bli!(Become!)

blir(I) become

blev(I) became

(har) blivit(I have)become

(r) blven, blvet,blvna(It is/they are)become [rarelyused]

bra(to) carry

Br! br(I) carry

bar(I) carried

(har) brit(I have) carried

(r) bren, bret,brna(It is/they are)carried

dra(to) draw,pull

Dra!Draw! Pull!

drar(I) draw, pull

drog(I) drew,pulled

(har) drgit(I have) drawn,pulled

(r) drgen, drget,drgna(It is/they are)drawn, pulled

fnnas[passiveform, butactivemeaning](to) exist, be

finns(it) exists,there is/are

fanns(it) existed,therewas/were

(har) fnnits(it has) existed,there has/havebeen

(r) fnnen, fnnet,fnna(It is/they are) found

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

15/16

16

frtstta(to) continue

Frtstt!Continue!

frtstter(I) continue

frtstte(I) continued

(har) frtstt(I have)continued

(r) frtstt, frtstt,frtstta(It is/they are)continued

f(to) receive,be allowed to,

have to

fr(I) receive,am allowed

to, have to

fick(I) received,was allowed

to, had to

(har) ftt(I have)received, have

been allowedto, have had tofrst(to)understand

Frst!Understand!

frstr(I)understand

frstd(I)understood

(har) frsttt(I have)understood

(r) frstdd,frsttt, frstdda(It is/they are)understood

ge(to) give

Ge!Give!

ger(I) give

gav(I) gave

(har) gett, gvit(I have) given

(r) gven, gvet,gvna(It is/they are) given

g(to) walk,

leave

G!Walk! Leave!

gr(I) walk,

leave

gick(I) walked,

left

(har) gtt(I have)

walked, left

(r) gngen,gnget, gngna

(It is/they are) goneby, pastgra(to) do, make

Gr!Do! Make!

gr(I) do, make

gjrde(I) did, made

(har) gjort(I have) done,made

(r) gjord, gjort,gjrda(It is/they are) done,made

ha(to) have

Ha!Have!

har(I) have

hde(I) hade

(har) haft(I have) had

hlla(to) hold,give [a

speech]

Hll!(Hold!)

hller(I) hold

hll(I) held

(har) hllit(I have) hold

(r) hllen, hllet,hllna(It is/they are) hold,

givenkmma(to) come

Kom!Come!

kmmer(I) come

kom(I) came

(har) kmmit(I have) come

(r) [vl]kmmen,[vl]kmmet,[vl]kmna(It is/they are)welcome

lgga(to) put, lay

Lgg!Put! Lay!

lgger(I) put, lay

lde(colloquial:la)(I) put, laid

(har) lagt(I have) put,laid

(r) lagd, lagt, lgda(It is/they are) put,laid

se

(to) see

Se!

See!

ser

(I) see

sg

(I) saw

(har) sett

(I have) seen

(r) sedd, sett, sdda

(It is/they are) seenstta(to) sit

Sitt!Sit!

stter(I) sit

satt(I) sat

(har) sttit(I have) beensitting

(r) [nd]stten,[nd]sttet,[nd]sttna(It is/they are)saggin

skrva(to) write

Skriv!Write!

skrver(I) write

skrev(I) wrote

(har) skrvit(I have) written

(r) skrven, skrvet,skrvna(It is/they are)

8/4/2019 55963444 Swedish Verb

16/16

17

writtenst(to) stand

St!Stand!

str(I) stand

stod(I) stood

(har) sttt(I have) stood

(r) [pp]stnden,[pp]stndet,[pp]stndna(It is/they are)resurrected

ta(to) take

Ta!Take!

tar(I) take

tog(I) took

(har) tgit(I have) taken

(r) tgen, tget,tgna

(It is/they are) takenvra(to) be

Var!Be!

r(I) am

var(I) was

(har) vrit(I have) been

vta(to) know

Vet!Know!

vet(I) know

visste(I) knew

(har) vtat(I have) known

vlja(to) want,wish

(Vill!)Want!

vill(I) want, wish

vlle(I) wanted,wished

(har) vlat(I have)wanted, wished