Swedish Definitions (of Gramatik rules) Flashcards
Infinitiv (Infinitive)
The infinitiv is the basic form of the verb:
* often ending in -a for Verbgrupp 1
Example: arbeta (to work), läsa (to read), ringa (to call).
Definition of Tenses
2025-03-20
Comparison to English:
The Swedish infinitive is similar to the English infinitive form of the verb, which is usually preceded by “to” (e.g., to work, to read, to call).
Presens (Present Tense)
Presens (NU) indicates an action that is happening now or happens regularly.
Examples: arbetar (works), läser (reads), ringer (calls).
Definition of Tenses
2025-03-20
Comparison to English:
Swedish presens can correspond to both the English simple present tense (e.g., he works, he reads, he calls) and the present continuous tense (e.g., he is working, he is reading, he is calling), depending on the context.
Preteritum (Past Tense)
Preteritum describes an action that happened at a specific time in the past.
- Verb forms in preteritum often end in -ade, -de, -te, or -dde, but many verbs have irregular forms.
Examples: arbetade (worked), läste (read), ringde (called).
Definition of Tenses
2025-03-20
Comparison to English:
Swedish preteritum primarily corresponds to the English simple past tense (e.g., he worked, he read, he called).
Perfekt + Supinum (Perfect Tense)
The perfekt tense indicates an action that was completed in the past but has some relevance to the present or whose exact time of completion is not emphasized.
- The supinum form for Verbgrupp 1 usually ends in -at.
Examples: har arbetat (has/have worked), har läst (has/have read), har ringt (has/have called).
Definition of Tenses
2025-03-20
Comparison to English:
The Swedish perfekt tense is equivalent to the English present perfect tense (e.g., he has worked, he has read, he has called).
Imperativ (Imperative)
The imperativ is used to give commands or instructions.
- It is often formed by using the stem of the verb (infinitive without the -a for many Verbgrupp 1 verbs) or a shortened form.
Examples: Arbeta! (Work!), Läs! (Read!), Ring! (Call!).
Definition of Tenses
2025-03-20
Comparison to English:
The Swedish imperativ is the same as the English imperative mood (e.g., Work!, Read!, Call!). In English, the imperative uses the base form of the verb without “to.”
Verb related Rules
Verb Group 1
Verbs are divided into 4 groups based on their endings and conjugation
2025-03-31
Infinitive form ends in -a.
* bada (bathe)
Presens (present tense) ends in -ar.
* badar (bathing)
Preteritum (past tense) ends in -ade.
* badade (bathed)
Perfect/Supinum (used with “har” to form perfect tense) ends in -at.
* har badat (have bathed)
Imperative (command form) is the verb stem, often ending in -a.
* bada (bathe)
The rule for Group 1 is that all verbs in this group have the same ending as the infinitive (-a) in the stem (imperative form).
Conjugation is the change in a verb to express tense, mood, person, etc.
Verb related Rules
Verb Group 2A
Verbs are divided into 4 groups based on their endings and conjugation
2025-03-31
Infinitive form end in -a.
* känna (to know)
Presens ends in -er.
* känner (knows)
Preteritum ends in -de.
* kände (knew)
Perfect/Supinum ends in -t.
* har känt (has known)
The rule for Group 2A is that all verbs in this group end in a consonant in the stem. Verbs with an ‘l’ or ‘r’ in the stem do not change in the present tense.
Conjugation is the change in a verb to express tense, mood, person, etc.
Verb related Rules
Verb Group 2B
Verbs are divided into 4 groups based on their endings and conjugation
2025-03-31
Infinitive form end in -a.
* läsa (read)
Presens ends in -er.
* läser (reads)
Preteritum ends in -te.
* läste (read)
Perfect/Supinum ends in -t.
* har läst (has read)
The rule for Group 2B is that all verbs in this group end in a consonant in the stem and have the letters p, t, k, s, x in the stem.
Conjugation is the change in a verb to express tense, mood, person, etc.
Verb related Rules
Verb Group 3
Verbs are divided into 4 groups based on their endings and conjugation
2025-03-31
Infinitive form ends in a vowel other than -a.
* bo (live)
Presens ends in -r.
* bor (lives)
Preteritum ends in -dde.
* bodde (lived)
Perfect/Supinum ends in -tt.
* har bott (has lived)
The rule for Group 3 is that these verbs have a long vowel in the stem. However, this vowel becomes short in the preteritum and perfect/supinum forms, and they receive the endings -dde and -tt respectively
Conjugation is the change in a verb to express tense, mood, person, etc.
Verb related Rules
Verb Group 4
Verbs are divided into 4 groups based on their endings and conjugation
2025-03-31
Also known as strong verbs.
These verbs are irregular.
There are no specific rules for how they are conjugated. They often change vowels in different tenses.
Many auxiliary verbs (hjälpverb) belong to this group. Examples of infinitives in this group include kunna, ska, vilja, få, and vara
Conjugation is the change in a verb to express tense, mood, person, etc.
