Swedish Grammar Hacks & Memory Shortcuts

Use ska for decisions, intentions and plans, or to relay a forecast or report.

Future: schedules & time clauses

presens + tidsadverb / när + presens

The present can describe scheduled future events. In future time clauses with när, use the present rather than ska.

Future: predictions & consequences

kommer att + infinitiv

Use for predictions, natural processes and logical consequences, rather than the subject's intention. The prediction need not be certain.

Perfect: a link to now

har + supinum

Past action with no relevant finished time, a present result, or a period continuing up to now (NU-adverbs).

Preterite: a finished past time

preteritum + DÅ-tidsadverb

Use the preterite for finished past events, often with a specific past time. The time can also be understood from context.

Past perfect: before another past event

hade + supinum

Preteritum perfekt (pluskvamperfekt) places a completed action before another point in the past.

Before another verb, these auxiliaries take a bare infinitive: behöver = need to, borde = should, brukar = usually do.

Permission, time & energy

får / hinner / orkar + infinitiv (utan att)

Får expresses permission (får inte = must not); hinner means having enough time; orkar means having enough energy. Hinner can also occur without an infinitive.

Ongoing actions: position + activity

sitter och / ligger och / står och + presensverb

Swedish often uses the ordinary present for English 'is doing'. To highlight an ongoing action, describe the person's position and activity; both verbs are finite.

In the middle of an activity

håller på och + presensverb / håller på att + infinitiv

Both constructions can express an ongoing activity. With och, conjugate the activity verb; with att, use the infinitive.