B1 Swedish GrammarParticipial Adjectives
Use present and past participles as adjectives in Swedish. The present participle (-ande/-ende) describes ongoing actions, while the past participle (-ad/-d/-t/-en) describes completed states. Master their agreement patterns and positions in sentences.
1Present Participle as Adjective (-ande/-ende)
The present participle ends in -ande (Group 1 verbs) or -ende (other verbs) and describes an ongoing quality or action. It NEVER changes form - no agreement with gender, number, or definiteness. It typically expresses what something IS DOING or its characteristic activity.
Present Participle Formation
| Infinitive | Present Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| sova | sovande | sleeping |
| le | leende | smiling |
| arbeta | arbetande | working |
| brinna | brinnande | burning |
| överraska | överraskande | surprising |
Examples
En sovande bebis lÄg i vagnen.
A sleeping baby lay in the stroller.
sovande = sleeping (ongoing action)
Hon hade ett leende ansikte.
She had a smiling face.
leende = smiling (characteristic)
Det var en överraskande nyhet.
It was surprising news.
överraskande never changes form
De brinnande ljusen lyste upp rummet.
The burning candles lit up the room.
brinnande = burning (active process)
2Past Participle as Adjective
The past participle describes a completed state or result. Unlike the present participle, it MUST agree with the noun in gender and number. Group 1 verbs: -ad/-at/-ade. Group 2-4 verbs: -d/-t/-da or -en/-et/-na. This is the same form used in perfect tenses.
Past Participle Agreement
| Verb | En-word | Ett-word | Plural/Definite |
|---|---|---|---|
| stÀnga | stÀngd | stÀngt | stÀngda |
| öppna | öppnad | öppnat | öppnade |
| skriva | skriven | skrivet | skrivna |
| bryta | bruten | brutet | brutna |
Examples
Dörren Àr stÀngd.
The door is closed.
en dörr â stĂ€ngd (en-word)
Fönstret Àr stÀngt.
The window is closed.
ett fönster â stĂ€ngt (ett-word)
En skriven text Àr lÀttare att minnas.
A written text is easier to remember.
skriva â skriven (strong verb)
De brutna fönstren mÄste bytas ut.
The broken windows must be replaced.
plural: bruten â brutna
3Meaning Differences: Present vs Past
The choice between present and past participle changes the meaning significantly. Present participle = active, ongoing (the thing DOES something). Past participle = passive, completed (something was DONE to it). Compare: 'en intresserad person' (interested) vs 'en intressant bok' (interesting).
Present vs Past Participle
| Present (-ing active) | Past (-ed passive) | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| överraskande (surprising) | överraskad (surprised) | causes vs feels |
| irriterande (annoying) | irriterad (annoyed) | causes vs feels |
| intresserande (interesting) | intresserad (interested) | causes vs feels |
| tröttsam (tiring) | trött (tired) | causes vs feels |
Examples
Filmen var överraskande.
The movie was surprising.
the movie surprises (active)
Jag var överraskad av slutet.
I was surprised by the ending.
I received the surprise (passive)
Det Àr en intressant bok.
It's an interesting book.
the book creates interest
Ăr du intresserad av konst?
Are you interested in art?
you have interest (past participle)
4Position and Extended Use
Participial adjectives can come before nouns (attributive) or after verbs like 'vara' or 'bli' (predicative). When before nouns, they follow normal Swedish adjective patterns. Extended participle phrases (with additional words) typically come after the noun or use relative clauses.
Attributive vs Predicative
| Position | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Attributive | det stÀngda fönstret | the closed window |
| Predicative | fönstret Àr stÀngt | the window is closed |
| Extended | mannen, sittande pÄ bÀnken | the man, sitting on the bench |
| Relative | mannen som sitter pÄ bÀnken | the man who sits on the bench |
Examples
Den skrivna rapporten ligger pÄ bordet.
The written report is on the table.
attributive: before definite noun
Barnet sov i den stÀngda bilen.
The child slept in the closed car.
stÀngda agrees with definite 'bilen'
En man sittande vid fönstret vinkade.
A man sitting by the window waved.
extended participle phrase
Brevet, skrivet för lÀnge sedan, hittades igÄr.
The letter, written long ago, was found yesterday.
past participle phrase