SVD nyelv gyakorl 21-40

Swedish II

27. Short Answers

34. Irregular Verbs

21. Possessive Adjectives

& Pronouns

28. To Come and to Go

35. Food & Meals

29. Common Auxiliary

Verbs

36. Fruits & Vegetables

22. To Do/Make and to

Become

37. Conjunctions

23. Work

30. Conjugating Regular

Verbs

38. Word Order

24. Prepositions

31. Reflexive Verbs

39. Asking Questions

25. Countries and

Nationalities

32. Commands

40. Holiday Phrases

33. Present and Past

Perfect

Swedish National Anthem

26. Negative Sentences

http://www.ielanguages.com/swedish.html
http://www.ielanguages.com/swedish2.html#modal

Swedish II Tutorial:
Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar

Thanks to Krystallia for the mp3s! Don't forget to check out the Foreign Service Institute
Swedish Course and Swedish Listening Resources, where you will find authentic and
spontaneous Swedish recordings with transcripts and English translations.

21. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns

my / mine
your / yours

with en words
min
din

with ett words

mitt
ditt
1

with plural words

mina
dina

his / her / its / their

his / his
her / hers
its / its
our / ours
your / yours
their / theirs

sin
hans
hennes
dess
vr
er
deras

sitt
hans
hennes
dess
vrt
ert
deras

sina
hans
hennes
dess
vra
era
deras

The same forms are used for possessive adjectives that are used directly before nouns and for
possessive pronouns that replace a noun. For example, this is my car and this is mine would
be translated as det hr r min bil and det hr r min.
Sin, sitt and sina can only be used when the third person possessive adjective refers to the
subject of the same clause. These words can be translated as his, her, its or their. Generally, if
you cannot insert "own" after the possessive adjective in English, you cannot use sin/sitt/sina.
Per besker sin mamma. = Per visits his (own) mother. (Sin refers back to Per.)
Eva ringer hans mamma. = Eva calls his mother. (Hans refers to Per, not Eva.)

22. To Do/Make & To Become

present
past
future

gra - to do/make
gr
gjorde
ska gra

bli - to become
blir
blev
ska bli

23. Work
actor
actress
author
baker
baker's shop
bookseller
bookshop
businessman
butcher
pharmacist
pharmacy
cook
customer
dentist
doctor
employee
engineer
fisherman

skdespelare
skdespelerska
frfattare
bagare
bageri
bokhandlare
bokaffr
affrsman
slaktare
farmaceut
apotek (n)
kock, kokerska
kund
tandlkare
lkare, doktor
anstlld, arbetstagare
ingenjr
fiskare

judge
lawyer
mechanic
musician
nurse
official
optician (eye doctor)
painter
photographer
policeman
postman
priest
publisher
scientist
shoemaker
shop, store
singer
student
2

domare
advokat
mekaniker, montr
musiker
sjukskterska
mbetsman
optiker
mlare
fotograf
polis
brevbrare
prst
frlggare
vetenskapsman
skomakare
butik
sngare, sngerska
student

gardener
hairdresser
jeweler
journalist

trdgrdsmstare
hrfrisr
juvelerare
journalist

surgeon
tailor
teacher
workman

kirurg
skrddare
lrare
arbetare

24. Prepositions
vid
i
p
hos
till
frn
genom
lngs
ver
mot
mellan
om
sedan
trots

by, at, next to

in
on, in, at
at the house of
to
from
through, by
along
across, over
towards, to
between
around, about, in
since
in spite of

av
bakom
bland
bredvid
efter
enligt
framfr
fr
omkring
med
under
utan
utom
t

of, by, with

behind
among
beside
after, for
according to
in front of
for, by, with
around
with, by
under, below
without
except for
towards, for

Vid is used to express a position next to something, but with no contact. I is used to express a
position in something that is seen to have volume (room, containers, etc.); and it is also used
with countries, cities, villages, etc. P is used to express a position on something that is seen
as a line or surface with contact; and it is also used with islands, addresses, and particular
places, such as bank, post office, cinema, hospital, library, etc. Three exceptions to using p
with particular places include school, the shop and church: i skolan, i affren, i kyrkan.

25. Countries & Nationalities

Country
Africa / African
Afrika
America / American Amerika
Argentina /
Argentina
Argentinan
Asia / Asian
Asien
Australia /
Australien
Australian
Austria / Austrian
sterrike
Belgium / Belgian Belgien
Brazil / Brazilian
Brasilien
Canada / Canadian Kanada
China / Chinese
Kina
Denmark / Dane
Danmark
Egypt / Egyptian
Egypten

Noun
afrikan
amerikan

Adjective
afrikansk
amerikansk

argentinare

argentinsk

asiat

asiatisk

australiensare

australiensk

sterrikare
belgare
brasilianare
kanadensare
kines
dansk
egyptier

sterrikisk
belgisk
brasiliansk
kanadensisk
kinesisk
dansk
egyptisk

England / English England

Europe / European Europa
Finland / Finnish
Finland
France / French
Frankrike
Germany / German Tyskland
Great Britain /
Storbritannien
British
Greece / Greek
Grekland
Netherlands / Dutch Holland
Hungary / Hungarian Ungern
Ireland / Irish
Irland
Italy / Italian
Italien
Japan / Japanese
Japan
Norway / Norwegian Norge
Poland / Polish
Polen
Portugal /
Portugal
Portuguese
Russia / Russian
Ryssland
Scotland / Scottish Skottland
Spain / Spanish
Spanien
Sweden / Swedish Sverige
Switzerland / Swiss Schweiz
Turkey / Turkish
Turkiet
United States
U.S.A.

engelsman
europ
finlndare / finne
fransman
tysk

engelsk
europeisk
finsk
fransk
tysk

britt

brittisk

grek
hollndare
ungrare
irlndare
italienare
japan
norrman
polack

grekisk
hollndsk
ungersk
irlndsk
italiensk
japansk
norsk
polsk

portugis

portugisisk

ryss
skotte
spanjor
svensk
schweizare
turk
amerikan

rysk
skotsk
spansk
svensk
schweizisk
turkisk
amerikansk

For languages, you generally add -a to the adjective: svenska is Swedish and engelska is
English, etc.

26. Negative Sentences

To make a sentence negative in Swedish, simply add inte after the verb. If there is an
auxiliary verb and a main verb, inte goes between the two.
In addition, if you answer "yes" to a negative question, you must use jo instead of ja.

27. Short Answers

A yes/no question can be answered with a short phrase, just as in English. The verb gra (to
do/make) is used with the pronoun det and the subject of the question. Some verbs are not
replaced by gra and are repeated in the short answer, such as vara and ha. This is very
similar to English, except for the word order.
4

Positive Short Answer: Ja + det + Verb + Subject

Negative Short Answer: Nej + det + Verb + Subject + inte
Arbetar hon hr? Does she work here?
Ja, det gr hon. Yes, she does.
Nej, det gr hon inte. No, she doesn't.
r de glada? Are they happy?
Ja, det r de. Yes, they are.
Nej, det r de inte. No, they are not.

28. To Come & To Go

present
past
future

komma - to come
kommer
kom
ska komma

g - to go
gr
gick
ska g

29. Common Auxiliary Verbs

kunna - to be able to, vilja - to want f - to be allowed
can
to
to
present
kan
vill
fr
past
kunde
ville
fick

--- have to, must

mste
---

Just as in English, there is no past form of must / mste. You can either use var tvungen or
behvde instead, as in jag var tvungen att ... = I had to...

present
past

skola supposed to,

will, should
ska
skulle

bra- should, ought bruka - usually, used

behva - need to
to
to
br
borde

brukar
brukade

behver
behvde

Vi kan tala engelska. We can speak English.

Han kunde inte spela. He could not play.
Sven vill sova. Sven wants to sleep.
Hon vill ha kaffe. She wants coffee. (When vilja is followed by a noun, ha is added before
the noun.)
Du fr rka. You may smoke.
De mste g hem nu. They must go home now.
Du fr inte rka. You must not smoke. (Must not is translated with fr inte rather than mste
inte, which means don't have to.)
Jag brukar dricka kaffe efter lunch. I usually drink coffee after lunch. (Brukar in the
present tense means usually + main verb.)

30. Conjugating Regular Verbs (Present and Past Tenses)

Infinitives in Swedish end in -a. When conjugating verbs, the same form is used for all subject
pronouns, whether singular or plural. To form the present tense of verbs, either add -r to the
infinitive or remove the -a and add -er.
tala - to speak (-ar verb) & stnga - to close (-er verb)
Present Tense
jag talar I speak
du talar you speak
han
talar
hon
talar
vi talar
ni talar

he speaks
she speaks
we speak
you speak

de talar they speak

Past Tense

Present Tense

jag
I close
stnger
du
du talade you spoke
you close
stnger
han
han talade he spoke
he closes
stnger
hon
hon talade she spoke
she closes
stnger
vi talade we spoke vi stnger we close
ni talade you spoke ni stnger you close
they
de talade
de stnger they close
spoke
jag talade I spoke

Past Tense
jag
stngde
du
stngde
han
stngde
hon
stngde
vi stngde
ni stngde
de
stngde

I closed
you closed
he closed
she closed
we closed
you closed
they closed

Please note the three present tenses in English (simple, progressive and emphatic) are all
translated by one verb form in Swedish. Jag talar can mean I speak, I am speaking or I do
speak.
Four Past Tense Conjugations
To form the past tense, most verbs add -de to the present tense form of -ar verbs and to the
stem of -er verbs (infinitive minus -a). But if the stem ends in a voiceless consonant (k, p, t, or
s), then add -te instead. Another group of verbs, short verbs ending in a vowel, add -dde to
form the past tense. (See 34. Irregular Verbs below for a longer list as many of these verbs
have irregular forms in other tenses.)
Infinitive
arbeta
Infinitive of -ar verbs; add frga
-de
ppna
tala
ringa
stnga
Stem of -er verbs; add -de
flja
bygga
tnka
Stem ends in k, p, t, or s; rka
add -te
lsa
kpa
tro
Infinitive ends in long
vowel; add -dde
bo

to work
to ask
to open
to speak
to ring
to close
to follow
to build
to think
to smoke
to read
to buy
to believe
to live, dwell
6

Present
arbetar
frgar
ppnar
talar
ringer
stnger
fljer
bygger
tnker
rker
lser
kper
tror
bor

Past
arbetade
frgade
ppnade
talade
ringde
stngde
fljde
byggde
tnkte
rkte
lste
kpte
trodde
bodde

31. Reflexive Verbs

Some verbs in Swedish are reflexive verbs, in that the action by the subject is performed by
itself. This is comparable to the -self or -selves pronouns used in English with some verbs,
such as he behaves himself. Most of the time, verbs that are reflexive in Swedish are not
reflexive in English. To conjugate these verbs, simply add these pronouns after the verb:
mig (mej)
dig (dej)
sig (sej)

myself
yourself
himself/herself/itself

oss
er
sig (sej)

ourselves
yourselves
theirselves

The forms in parentheses are used in colloquial (spoken and written) Swedish. In fact, mig,
dig and sig are pronounced as if they were written mej, dej and sej.

32. Commands
Verbs that end in -ar in the present tense simply remove the -r to form the command
(imperative). Verbs that end in -er in the present tense remove the -er to form the command.
You cannot form the imperative if you only know the infinitive and not if the verb takes -ar or
-er in the present tense. But if you do know that an infinitive is an -ar verb, you leave the -a in
the imperative, and if the infinitive is an -er verb, you remove the -a.
Present Tense
ppnar
vntar
skriver
lser

Imperative
ppna!
vnta!
skriv!
ls!

Translation
open!
wait!
write!
read!

33. Present & Past Perfect

The present and past perfect tenses consist of two parts: har / hade and the supine form of
the main verb. This is a compound tense that corresponds to has/have / had and a past
participle in English. The main difference between Swedish and English in this tense,
however, is that Swedish uses the supine form of the verb instead of the past participle.
To form the supine, -ar verbs add -t to the infinitive; while -er verbs replace -a with -t in the
infinitive. Infinitives ending in long vowels add -tt to form the supine.
Infinitive
arbeta
frga
ppna
tala
ringa
stnga

to work
to ask
to open
to speak
to ring
to close

Present
arbetar
frgar
ppnar
talar
ringer
stnger
7

Past
arbetade
frgade
ppnade
talade
ringde
stngde

Supine
arbetat
frgat
ppnat
talat
ringt
stngt

flja
bygga
tnka
rka
lsa
kpa
tro
bo

to follow
to build
to think
to smoke
to read
to buy
to believe
to live, dwell

fljer
bygger
tnker
rker
lser
kper
tror
bor

fljde
byggde
tnkte
rkte
lste
kpte
trodde
bodde

fljt
byggt
tnkt
rkt
lst
kpt
trott
bott

Jag har lst boken. I have read the book.

Hon hade ppnat drren. She had opened the door.

34. Irregular Verbs

Several verbs in Swedish are considered irregular because they do not follow the rules for the
different conjugations. These forms need to be memorized since these verbs are very
common.
Infinitive
vara
ha
komma
gra
ta
sga
veta
lta
hlla
heta
ka
resa
bra
dra
ligga
lgga
stta
sl
falla
ta
sova
stjla
grta
slja
vlja

Imperative
var
ha
kom
gr
ta, tag
sg
vet
lt
hll
het
k
res
br
dra, drag
ligg
lgg
stt
sl
fall
t
sov
stjl
grt
slj
vlj

Present
r
har
kommer
gr
tar
sger
vet
lter
hller
heter
ker
reser
br
drar
ligger
lgger
stter
slr
faller
ter
sover
stjler
grter
sljer
vljer

Past
var
hade
kom
gjorde
tog
sa, sade
visste
lt
hll
hette
kte
reste
bar
drog
lg
la, lade
satte
slog
fll
t
sov
stal
grt
slde
valde
8

Supine
varit
haft
kommit
gjort
tagit
sagt
vetat
ltit
hllit
hetat
kt
rest
burit
dragit
legat
lagt
satt
slagit
fallit
tit
sovit
stulit
grtit
slt
valt

Translation
be
have
come
do, make
take
say
know
let
hold
be called
go
travel
carry
pull, drag
lie (down)
put
put
hit
fall
eat
sleep
steal
cry
sell
choose

vnja
svlja
skilja

vnj
svlj
skilj

vnjer
svljer
skiljer

vande
svalde
skilde

vant
svalt
skilt

accustom
swallow
separate

Some -er verbs (and never -ar verbs) have irregular simple past and supine forms. Sometimes
these involve a vowel change and lack of ending.
Infinitive
binda
brinna
dricka
finna
frsvinna
hinna
rinna
sitta
slippa
spricka
springa
sticka
vinna
bita
gripa
lida
rida
skina
skriva
slita
stiga
tiga
vrida
bjuda
ljuga
sjunga
skjuta
bryta
flyga
flyta
frysa
knyta
krypa

Past
band
brann
drack
fann
frsvann
hann
rann
satt
slapp
sprack
sprang
stack
vann
bet
grep
led
red
sken
skrev
slet
steg
teg
vred
bjd
ljg
sjng
skt
brt
flg
flt
frs
knt
krp

Supine
bundit
brunnit
druckit
funnit
frsvunnit
hunnit
runnit
suttit
sluppit
spruckit
sprungit
stuckit
vunnit
bitit
gripit
lidit
ridit
skinit
skrivit
slitit
stigit
tigit
vridit
bjudit
ljugit
sjungit
skjutit
brutit
flugit
flutit
frusit
knutit
krupit

Translations
to bind / bound / bound
to burn / burned / burned
to drink / drank / drunk
to find / found / found
to disappear / disappeared / disappeared
to manage / managed / managed
to run, flow / ran, flowed / run, flowed
to sit / sat / sat
to get out of / got out of / gotten out of
to split / split / split
to run / ran / run
to stick / stuck / stuck
to win / won / won
to bite / bit / bitten
to grip / gripped / gripped
to suffer / suffered / suffered
to ride / rode / ridden
to shine / shone / shone
to write / wrote / written
to wear out / wore out / worn out
to rise / rose / risen
to be silent / was silent / been silent
to turn / turned / turned
to invite / invited / invited
to lie / lied / lied (to tell a lie)
to sing / sang / sung
to shoot / shot / shot
to break / broke / broken
to fly / flew / flown
to float / floated / floated
to freeze / froze / frozen
to tie up / tied up / tied up
to crawl / crawled / crawled

A few infinitives in Swedish do not end in -a. These are short verbs and they end in a long,
stressed vowel. The infinitive is the same as the imperative, and the present tense is formed by
adding -r. The past tense if formed by adding -dde to the infinitive, and the supine is formed
by adding -tt to the infinitive. However, a few of the short verbs have an irregular form in the
past.
9

Infinitive /
Present Tense Past Tense
Imperative
Short verbs with a regular past:
tro
tror
trodde
ske
sker
skedde
n
nr
ndde
bo
bor
bodde
m
mr
mdde
kl
klr
kldde
Short verbs with an irregular past:
f
fr
fick
g
gr
gick
ge
ger
gav
se
ser
sg
d
dr
dog
st
str
stod
be
ber
bad

Supine

Translation

trott
skett
ntt
bott
mtt
kltt

believe, think
happen
reach
live (dwell)
feel (of health)
dress

ftt
gtt
gett
sett
dtt
sttt
bett

get, receive
go, walk
give
see
die
stand
ask, pray

35. Food & Meals

bacon
beef
beer
beverage
biscuit
bread
breakfast
butter
cake
cheese
chicken
coffee
cream
dessert
dinner
egg
fried egg
soft-boiled egg
fat
flour
ham
honey
jam

bacon / flsk (n)

ntktt (n)
l (n)
dryck
kaka
brd (n)
frukost
smr (n)
kaka / trta
ost
kyckling
kaffe
grdde
dessert
middag
gg (n)
stekta gg
kokta gg
fett (n)
mjl (n)
skinka
honung
sylt

salt
sandwich
sauce
sausage
soup
stew
sugar
supper
tea
veal
vegetables
vinegar
wine
basin
bottle
can opener
coffee pot
colander
corkscrew
cup
dish
fork
frying pan
10

salt (n)
smrgs
ss
korv
soppa
gryta
socker (n)
middag
te (n)
kalvktt (n)
grnsaker
ttika / vinger
vin (n)
skl
flaska
konservppnare
kaffekanna
durkslag
korkskruv
kopp
fat (n)
gaffel
stekpanna

lunch
meal
meat
milk
mustard
mutton
oil
omelet
pepper
pork
roll
salad

lunch
mltid
ktt (n)
mjlk
senap
frktt (n)
olja
omelett
peppar
flsk (n)
bulle
sallad

glass
jug
kettle
knife
lid
napkin
plate
saucer
saucepan
spoon
tablecloth
teapot

glas (n)
kruka
kittel
kniv
lock (n)
servett
tallrik
tefat (n)
kastrull
sked
duk
tekanna

If you are referring to a brand of beer, l is a neutral noun instead of common.

36. Fruits & Vegetables

almond
apple
apple tree
apricot
ash
bark
beech
berry
birch
blackberry
branch
cherry
cherry tree
chestnut
chestnut tree
currant
cypress
date
elm
fig
fir
fruit
grapes
hazelnut
kernel
laurel

mandel
pple (n)
ppeltrd (n)
aprikos
ask
bark
bok
br (n)
bjrk
bjrnbr (n)
gren
krsbr (n)
krsbrstrd (n)
kastanj
kastanjetrd (n)
vinbr (n)
cypress
dadel
alm
fikon (n)
gran
frukt
vindruvor
hasselnt
krna
lagertrd (n)

strawberry
tree
tree trunk
vine
walnut
willow
artichoke
asparagus
barley
bean (broad)
bean (kidney)
brussel sprouts
cabbage
carrot
cauliflower
celery
corn
cucumber
eggplant
garlic
herb
horse-radish
lentil
lettuce
maize
mint
11

jordgubbe
trd (n)
stam
vinstock
valnt
pil
kronrtskocka
sparris
korn (n)
bna
kidneybna
brysselkl
kl
morot
blomkl
selleri
majs
gurka
aubergine
vitlk
rt
pepparrot
lins
sallad
majs
mynta

leaf
lemon
lime tree
melon
oak
olive
olive tree
orange
orange tree
peach
pear
pear tree
pine
pineapple
plum
poplar
raspberry
root

blad (n)
citron
lind
melon
ek
oliv
olivtrd (n)
apelsin
apelsintrd (n)
persika
pron (pl)
prontrd
tall
ananas
plommon (n)
poppel
hallon (n)
rot

mushroom
oats
onion
parsley
pea
potato
pumpkin
radish
rice
rye
sage
seed
spinach
stalk
tomato
turnip
wheat

37. Conjunctions
Coordinating Conjunctions
och
eller
men
fr
s
som
antingen...eller
varken...eller

and
or
but
because, for
so
as
either...or
neither...nor
Subordinating Conjunctions

att
d
eftersom
fr att
drfr att
innan / frrn
medan
nr
om
fast
sedan

that
when
because, as
in order to, so that
because
before
while
when
if, whether (interrogation)
even if, although
since, as
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svamp
havre
lk
persilja
rta
potatis
pumpa
rdisa
ris (n)
rg
salvia
fr (n)
spenat
stjlk
tomat
rova
vete (n)

nu d

now that

38. Word Order

In general, the word order of Swedish is the same as English: Subject + Verb + Object.
However, the word order is slightly different from English when something other than the
subject of the verb begins the sentence. In declarative sentences, the main verb is always in
the second position (but not necessarily the second word!). For example, if a sentence begins
with an adverb or an object, the verb will be the second element in the sentence, and the
subject will come after the verb. Then any other forms of verbs (such as participles or
infinitives) will come after the subject.
Adverb or
Object

Main Verb

Subject (Participle / Infinitive) Translation

I morgon

ker

jag

till Sverige.

I affren

kper

jag

brd.

I'm going to Sweden

tomorrow.
I buy bread in the store.

In sentences that begin with a subordinate clause, the second (independent) clause will have
inversion of the verb and subject. The subordinate clause is the first element in the sentence,
so the verb must be second, and the subject is third.
Subordinate
Clause

Main Verb Subject

Rest of Sentence Translation

Nr jag var ung, bodde

jag

i Sverige.

Nu d hon har
kommit

vi

brja.

kan

When I was young, I lived in

Sweden.
Now that she's arrived we
can begin.

Furthermore, adverbs that modify the entire sentence come before the verb in subordinate
clauses, whereas they normally occur after the verb in regular sentences. Besides inte (not),
these adverbs include: aldrig (never), alltid (always), allts (so, then), mjligtvis (maybe),
grna (gladly, with pleasure), bara (only) and skert (surely).
Han sger att han inte kan ka bil till Stockholm. He said that he cannot come to
Stockholm by car.

39. Asking Questions

Yes/No questions: Invert the subject and verb so that the verb begins the question.
Arbetar han? Does he work?
Regnar det? Is it raining?
Question Words: The question word begins the question, and the verb comes next, followed
by the subject.
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Var bor Sten? Where does Sten live?

Vad gr Elsa? What does Elsa do?

40. Holiday Phrases

God Jul!
Gott Nytt r!
Glad Psk!
Grattis p fdelsedagen!

Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Happy Easter!
Happy Birthday!

The Swedish National Anthem

Du gamla, du fria, du fjllhga Nord,
Du tysta, du gldjerika skna!
Jag hlsar dig, vnaste land upp jord,
Din sol, din himmel, dina ngder grna.
Din sol, din himmel, dina ngder grna.
Du tronar p minnen frn fornstora da'r,
d rat ditt namn flg ver jorden.
Jag vet att du r och du blir, vad du var.
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill d i Norden.
Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill d i Norden.
You ancient, free and mountainous North,
Of quiet, joyful beauty,
I greet you, loveliest land on earth,
Your sun, your sky, your green meadows.
Your sun, your sky, your green meadows.
You are throned on memories of olden days
When the honour of your name spread over the earth.
I know that you are and will remain what you were.
Oh, may I live, may die in the Nordic North!
Oh, may I live, may die in the Nordic North!

Go on to Swedish III

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