Advanced Verb Forms
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Advanced Swedish verbs use the '-s' suffix for passive voice and specific participles to describe states or ongoing actions elegantly.
- Add '-s' to the infinitive or present form to create the passive voice (e.g., 'målas').
- Use 'bli' + past participle for dynamic, event-focused passive actions (e.g., 'blev vald').
- Deponent verbs end in '-s' but have an active meaning (e.g., 'andas' - to breathe).
نظرة عامة
s at the end of a verb is a powerful tool. At the B2 level, you move beyond simple active sentences like Jag äter äpplet (I eat the apple) to more sophisticated structures. The passive voice allows you to focus on the object of the action.Äpplet äts (The apple is being eaten) shifts the focus entirely. This is essential for academic writing, news reporting, and formal instructions where the 'who' is less important than the 'what'. Furthermore, Swedish uses deponensverb—verbs that look passive but act active, like andas (breathe) or hoppas (hope).ses (see each other), which are staples of daily Swedish conversation. Mastering these forms allows for a more economical and precise use of the language, reducing the need for clunky pronouns and helping you sound more like a native speaker in professional environments.-s. However, there are rules for different tenses.- 1Infinitive:
att måla->att målas(to be painted). - 2Present: Remove the
-rfrom the present tense and add-s.målar->målas. If the verb ends in a consonant in the present (likeläser), you just add-s->läses. - 3Past (Preterite): Add
-sto the past form.målade->målades. - 4Supine: Add
-sto the supine form.har målat->har målats.
- Present Participle: Add
-andeto the stem (e.g.,sjungande). If the stem ends in a long vowel, use-ende(e.g.,gående). - Past Participle: These function like adjectives and must agree with the noun in gender and number. For example,
en stängd dörr(a closed door),ett stängt fönster(a closed window),stängda dörrar(closed doors).
målas) when:- You are writing formally (reports, news).
- You are giving instructions (recipes, manuals).
- The action is a habit or a general rule.
- You want to describe a state or a process without a specific agent.
bli målad) when:- You are speaking informally.
- You want to emphasize a sudden change or a specific event.
- The action was accidental or unexpected (e.g.,
Han blev påkörd).
Jag andas av luften to mean 'I am breathed by the air'; andas is active! Another mistake is forgetting to remove the -r in the present tense before adding -s. It is det görs, not det görs.ett barn (a child), the verb skrämma (to scare) becomes ett skrämt barn. If it's många barn, it's skrämda barn.- 1S-passive (
Dörren stängs): Focuses on the action itself as a process. 'The door is being closed (by someone/something).' - 2Bli-passive (
Dörren blir stängd): Focuses on the transition or the event. 'The door gets closed.' - 3Vara-passive (
Dörren är stängd): This isn't actually a passive voice but a state described by an adjective. 'The door is (in the state of being) closed.'
Huset målades means someone was painting it. Huset är målat means the job is already done and the house is currently red.Meanings
Advanced verb forms in Swedish encompass the passive voice (s-passive and bli-passive), deponent verbs, and participles used as adjectives or adverbs.
S-Passive (Process/Formal)
Used to describe a process where the agent is unknown or unimportant, common in formal writing and instructions.
“Dörren stängs automatiskt.”
“Beslutet fattas av styrelsen.”
Bli-Passive (Event-focused)
Emphasizes a specific event or change of state, often used in spoken language.
“Han blev biten av en hund.”
“Bilen blev stulen i natt.”
Deponent Verbs
Verbs that always end in -s but function as active verbs with no passive meaning.
“Vi hoppas på solsken.”
“De brottas på mattan.”
Reciprocal S-verbs
Verbs where the -s indicates that two or more people are doing something to each other.
“Vi ses imorgon!”
“De kramades länge.”
Present Participle
Used as an adjective or adverb to describe an ongoing state or simultaneous action.
“En leende kvinna kom in.”
“Han kom springande.”
S-Passive Conjugation Patterns
| Tense | Active Form | S-Passive Form | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | att kalla | att kallas | to be called |
| Present | kallar | kallas | is called |
| Past | kallade | kallades | was called |
| Supine | har kallat | har kallats | has been called |
| Present (Group 2) | läser | läses | is read |
| Past (Group 2) | läste | lästes | was read |
| Present (Group 4) | skriver | skrivs | is written |
| Past (Group 4) | skrev | skrevs | was written |
Common Deponent Verbs (Active Meaning)
| Infinitive | Present | English |
|---|---|---|
| andas | andas | breathe |
| hoppas | hoppas | hope |
| minnas | minns | remember |
| trivas | trivs | thrive/feel at home |
| svettas | svettas | sweat |
| lyckas | lyckas | succeed |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| S-Passive | Verb stem + (e)s | Huset säljs. |
| Bli-Passive | bli + past participle | Han blev vald. |
| Vara-Passive | vara + past participle | Boken är skriven. |
| Deponent | Verb stem + s (Active) | Jag minns dig. |
| Reciprocal | Verb stem + s (Each other) | Vi möts kl 5. |
| Present Participle | Verb stem + ande/ende | En sjungande fågel. |
| Past Participle | Verb stem + ad/at/en | En målad vägg. |
طيف الرسمية
Dörren stängs. (Closing a shop)
Dörren blir stängd. (Closing a shop)
De stänger dörren. (Closing a shop)
Nu ryker dörren. (Closing a shop)
The Three Faces of the S-Suffix
Passive
- målas is being painted
Deponent
- andas breathe
Reciprocal
- kramas hug each other
Passive Comparison
Choosing the Passive
Is it a formal report?
Is it a sudden event?
Common Deponent Verbs
Feelings
- • hoppas
- • trivas
- • skämmas
Physical
- • andas
- • svettas
- • brottas
Examples by Level
Vi ses imorgon.
We'll see each other tomorrow.
Hörs sen!
Talk to you later!
Vad hoppas du på?
What are you hoping for?
Bilen är röd.
The car is red.
Maten serveras nu.
The food is being served now.
Han blev biten av en hund.
He was bitten by a dog.
Dörren stängs klockan nio.
The door closes at nine.
Jag blev överraskad.
I was surprised.
Huset byggdes 1920.
The house was built in 1920.
Vi måste andas djupt.
We must breathe deeply.
Det var en spännande bok.
It was an exciting book.
De brottas i trädgården.
They are wrestling in the garden.
Beslutet fattades enhälligt av styrelsen.
The decision was made unanimously by the board.
Många intressanta frågor diskuterades.
Many interesting questions were discussed.
Han kom springande mot mig.
He came running towards me.
Fönstren lämnades öppna under natten.
The windows were left open during the night.
Det torde förutsättas att alla är informerade.
It ought to be assumed that everyone is informed.
Genomförandet av planen försvårades av regnet.
The implementation of the plan was made more difficult by the rain.
Ett envist rykte spreds i staden.
A persistent rumor was spread in the city.
De nyligen funna dokumenten analyseras nu.
The recently found documents are now being analyzed.
Vore det inte för hans hjälp, hade vi misslyckats.
Were it not for his help, we would have failed.
Frågan om ansvarstagande lamslogs av byråkrati.
The question of accountability was paralyzed by bureaucracy.
Detta förfarande tillämpas i undantagsfall.
This procedure is applied in exceptional cases.
En tilltagande oro märktes i befolkningen.
An increasing anxiety was noticed among the population.
Easily Confused
Both end in -s, but one is passive and the other is active. Learners often try to remove the -s from deponents.
Learners confuse the action of 'becoming' with the state of 'being'.
English speakers use -ing for everything, but Swedish uses -ande only for adjectives/adverbs.
أخطاء شائعة
Vi se imorgon.
Vi ses imorgon.
Jag hoppar att det regnar.
Jag hoppas att det regnar.
Bilen är målas.
Bilen målas.
Jag minna dig.
Jag minns dig.
Han blev bitit.
Han blev biten.
Maten serverar nu.
Maten serveras nu.
Jag blev gladde.
Jag blev glad.
Det görs av jag.
Det görs av mig.
En springande barn.
Ett springande barn.
Huset har målat.
Huset har målats.
Frågan diskuterar i boken.
Frågan diskuteras i boken.
Han kom sprungit.
Han kom springande.
Sentence Patterns
Det ___ (verb i passiv) att ___.
Jag blev ___ (past participle) av ___.
Huset ___ (past s-passive) av ___.
Vi ___ (reciprocal verb) kl ___.
Real World Usage
Löken bryns i smör.
Dörrarna stängs.
Jag trivs med utmaningar.
Banken rånades i morse.
Vi ses sen!
Skruven dras åt hårt.
The 'Man' Alternative
No 'r' before 's'
Deponent List
Ending a Call
Smart Tips
Use the s-passive to sound more objective and professional.
Check if it's a deponent verb first. If it is, treat it like a normal active verb.
Use 'vara' + past participle, not the s-passive.
Use reciprocal verbs like 'ses' or 'hörs' to sound like a local.
النطق
The S-suffix
The final -s is always voiceless, like the 's' in 'sit'. It does not change the stress of the verb.
Present Participle Stress
The stress remains on the root syllable. The suffix -ande/-ende is pronounced with a clear 'e' at the end.
Passive Statement
Huset målas. ↘
A neutral factual statement with falling intonation at the end.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember 'S' for 'Silent Subject' in passives, but 'S' for 'Self-Action' in deponents like andas.
Visual Association
Imagine a house being painted by a ghost (S-passive: the painter is invisible). Then imagine a person breathing (andas: the -s is just part of the person's lungs).
Rhyme
När något görs och ingen syns till, lägg på ett S om du vill.
Story
A man named Anders (sounds like andas) was wrestling (brottas) with his memory (minnas) while hoping (hoppas) to succeed (lyckas). All these verbs end in S!
Word Web
تحدٍّ
Write three sentences about your morning using only passive or deponent verbs (e.g., 'Jag väcktes...', 'Jag hoppas...', 'Kaffet dricks...').
ملاحظات ثقافية
Swedes use the s-passive extensively in government documents (Myndighetssvenska) to sound objective and neutral.
Reciprocal verbs like 'ses' and 'hörs' are essential for the 'lagom' way of ending conversations—not too formal, not too abrupt.
In some northern dialects, the bli-passive is used more frequently than in Stockholm, where the s-passive is preferred in writing.
The Swedish -s passive evolved from the Old Norse reflexive pronoun 'sik' (self).
Conversation Starters
Vad hoppas du ska hända i framtiden?
Berätta om en gång när du blev riktigt överraskad.
Hur styrs ditt hemland?
Vilka minnen från din barndom värdesätts mest?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Boken ___ just nu.
Jag ___ att du mår bra.
Find and fix the mistake:
Huset blev målas rött.
Bron ___ 1950.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Deponent verbs like 'andas' can be used without the -s.
andas, stängs, hoppas, säljs
Boken har ___.
Score: /8
تمارين تطبيقية
8 exercisesBoken ___ just nu.
Jag ___ att du mår bra.
Find and fix the mistake:
Huset blev målas rött.
Bron ___ 1950.
1. Andas, 2. Ses, 3. Målas
Deponent verbs like 'andas' can be used without the -s.
andas, stängs, hoppas, säljs
Boken har ___.
Score: /8
الأسئلة الشائعة (8)
`målas` focuses on the ongoing process or a general rule, while `blir målad` focuses on a specific event or change of state.
Yes, but it often sounds very formal or like the person is an object. `Han flyttas` (He is being moved) sounds like he's a piece of furniture. Use active voice for people when possible.
No! Deponent verbs like `andas` (breathe) and `hoppas` (hope) are active. Reciprocal verbs like `ses` (see each other) are also active.
It's a stylistic choice to make the instructions objective. `Löken hackas` (The onion is chopped) is shorter and more direct than `Du ska hacka löken`.
The present passive is `görs`. Note that the 'r' is kept here because 'gör' is a short verb, but usually, you remove the 'r'.
No, `vore` is the subjunctive form of `vara` (to be). It's advanced, but not a passive form.
Use it as an adjective (`en spännande film`) or to describe how someone does something (`Han kom springande`).
No. `Hoppas` is already active. You just say `Jag hoppas`.
In Other Languages
be + past participle
Swedish has a specific suffix (-s) while English always uses 'be'.
werden + Partizip II
Swedish s-passive has no direct equivalent in German grammar.
se + verb
Spanish uses a separate particle 'se', while Swedish uses a suffix '-s'.
être + participe passé
French participles agree in gender and number, similar to Swedish past participles.
reru / rareru
Japanese passives often imply the subject is 'adversely affected', which Swedish does not.
Internal vowel change (Majhul)
Arabic passive is morphological within the root; Swedish is suffixal.
被 (bèi) + Verb
Chinese is isolating; Swedish is inflective with suffixes.
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