A2 Swedish GrammarPresent Perfect Tense
Master the Swedish present perfect (perfekt) formed with 'har' + supine. Use it for completed actions with present relevance, experiences, and recent events. Learn the four verb groups and their supine endings: -at, -t, -tt, and irregular forms.
1Forming the Perfect: Har + Supine
The Swedish present perfect uses 'har' (have) + the supine form. The supine looks similar to the past participle but is only used with 'har'. Unlike English, Swedish uses 'har' for all persons: jag har, du har, hon har. Word order follows V2 rule.
Perfect Tense Structure
| Person | Structure | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| jag | har + supine | Jag har ätit. | I have eaten. |
| du | har + supine | Du har talat. | You have spoken. |
| hon | har + supine | Hon har kommit. | She has come. |
| vi | har + supine | Vi har läst. | We have read. |
Examples
Jag har bott i Stockholm.
I have lived in Stockholm.
har + bott (supine of bo)
Har du sett filmen?
Have you seen the movie?
Question with har first
Vi har redan ätit.
We have already eaten.
redan (already) between har and supine
Hon har aldrig varit här.
She has never been here.
aldrig between har and supine
2Verb Group 1: -ar Verbs → -at
Group 1 verbs (infinitive ends in -a, present in -ar) form the supine with -at. This is the largest group: tala → talat, arbeta → arbetat, öppna → öppnat. Remove -a from infinitive and add -at.
Group 1 Supine (-at)
| Infinitive | Present | Supine | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| tala | talar | talat | speak |
| arbeta | arbetar | arbetat | work |
| handla | handlar | handlat | shop |
| öppna | öppnar | öppnat | open |
Examples
Jag har pratat med henne.
I have talked to her.
prata → pratat
Har du arbetat idag?
Have you worked today?
arbeta → arbetat
Vi har handlat mat.
We have shopped for food.
handla → handlat
De har stängt butiken.
They have closed the store.
stänga → stängt (Group 2)
3Verb Groups 2-3: -er Verbs → -t/-tt
Group 2 verbs (infinitive ends in consonant, present in -er) form supine with -t: läsa → läst, köpa → köpt. Group 3 (short verbs ending in vowel) add -tt: bo → bott, tro → trott. Learn these patterns for intermediate fluency.
Groups 2-3 Supine
| Group | Infinitive | Supine | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | läsa | läst | read |
| 2 | köpa | köpt | buy |
| 2 | ringa | ringt | call |
| 3 | bo | bott | live |
| 3 | tro | trott | believe |
| 3 | sy | sytt | sew |
Examples
Jag har läst boken.
I have read the book.
läsa → läst (Group 2)
Har ni köpt biljetter?
Have you bought tickets?
köpa → köpt (Group 2)
Hon har bott här länge.
She has lived here for a long time.
bo → bott (Group 3)
Vi har ringt honom.
We have called him.
ringa → ringt
4Irregular Verbs (Group 4)
Group 4 contains strong/irregular verbs with vowel changes: gå → gått, ta → tagit, skriva → skrivit, komma → kommit. These must be memorized. Many common verbs are irregular, making them essential to learn.
Common Irregular Supines
| Infinitive | Preterite | Supine | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| gå | gick | gått | go |
| ta | tog | tagit | take |
| skriva | skrev | skrivit | write |
| komma | kom | kommit | come |
| vara | var | varit | be |
| göra | gjorde | gjort | do/make |
Examples
Jag har gått till jobbet.
I have walked to work.
gå → gått
Har du skrivit brevet?
Have you written the letter?
skriva → skrivit
Hon har varit sjuk.
She has been sick.
vara → varit
Vi har gjort det.
We have done it.
göra → gjort