Swedish/Verbs

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Unlike many European Languages, Swedish verbs do not conjugate according to number and person.

[edit] Present Tense

Unlike in other European languages, the Swedish present tense does not conjugate according to person and number. The table below shows the present tense of vara - to be.

Vara To Be
Jag är I am
Du är You are
Han (Hon/Den/Det) är He (She/It) is
Vi är We are
Ni är You are
De är They are

Regular Verbs in the Present Tense

There are two forms of conjugation for regular present tense verbs. Form 1 simply adds r to the infinitive, and form 2 removes the final a and adds er.

Form 1
Spela To Play
Jag spelar I play
Du spelar You play
Han (Hon/Den/Det) spelar He (She/It) plays
Vi spelar We play
Ni spelar You play
De spelar They play
Form 2
Hjälpa To Help
Jag hjälper I help
Du hjälper You help
Han (Hon/Den/Det) hjälper He (She/It) helps
Vi hjälper We help
Ni hjälper You help
De hjälper They help

Note that form one is more common than form two, and some may even regard the second form as irregular. You will still be understood if you conjugate a form two verb as a form one verb (e.g. Jag hjälpar in place of Jag hjälper), although native Swedish people will still pick up on this mistake.