Past tense by group
Each verb group forms the past tense differently. Groups 1–3 follow predictable patterns; group 4 verbs change their vowel and must be memorised.
| Group | Infinitive | Past | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tala | talade | spoke |
| 2a | ringa | ringde | called |
| 2b | köpa | köpte | bought |
| 3 | bo | bodde | lived |
| 4 | skriva | skrev | wrote |
Group 1: the -ade pattern
Group 1 is the simplest — just add -ade to the stem. The vast majority of new and borrowed verbs go here.
Jag talade med henne igår.
I spoke with her yesterday.
Vi handlade på ICA.
We shopped at ICA.
Hon jobbade hela dagen.
She worked all day.
Group 2: -de or -te
Group 2 splits into two sub-groups. If the stem ends in a voiced consonant (b, d, g, j, l, m, n, r, v), add -de. If it ends in a voiceless consonant (k, p, s, t), add -te.
Jag ringde dig.
I called you.
Hon köpte en bil.
She bought a car.
Vi lärde oss snabbt.
We learned quickly.
Think of it as a voicing rule: voiced stem → voiced ending (-de), voiceless stem → voiceless ending (-te).
Group 4: the irregular verbs
These change their vowel in the past tense. There are patterns within the irregulars, but at this stage, just learn the most common ones.
| Infinitive | Past | English |
|---|---|---|
| vara | var | was/were |
| ha | hade | had |
| göra | gjorde | did/made |
| gå | gick | went |
| se | såg | saw |
| ge | gav | gave |
| komma | kom | came |
| ta | tog | took |
| dricka | drack | drank |
| skriva | skrev | wrote |
Practice
Test yourself — 6 quick exercises on this topic.
1 of 6
What is the past tense of 'gå' (to go/walk)?