What you will learn
You can use the past forms of common irregular verbs, such as gick, kom, såg, tog, åt and gjorde.
A table to learn
Irregular verbs have a past form of their own, and many of them change the vowel. The verbs you already know come first, then the new ones.
| Dictionary form | Present form | Past form | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| vara | är | var | be |
| ha | har | hade | have |
| heta | heter | hette | be called |
| komma | kommer | kom | come |
| gå | går | gick | walk, go |
| gå upp | går upp | gick upp | get up |
| gå av | går av | gick av | get off |
| äta | äter | åt | eat |
| dricka | dricker | drack | drink |
| sova | sover | sov | sleep |
| se | ser | såg | see, watch |
| göra | gör | gjorde | do |
| ta | tar | tog | take |
| ta med | tar med | tog med | bring |
| få | får | fick | get, be allowed to |
| ligga | ligger | låg | lie, be |
| sjunga | sjunger | sjöng | sing |
| skriva | skriver | skrev | write |
| bjuda in | bjuder in | bjöd in | invite |
| säga | säger | sa | say |
| veta | vet | visste | know |
| sitta | sitter | satt | sit |
| springa | springer | sprang | run |
| vinna | vinner | vann | win |
| bära | bär | bar | carry |
| flyga | flyger | flög | fly |
| bli | blir | blev | become, get |
Säga has the past form sa. You will also see sade, which is just as correct. This course writes sa. Det finns has the past form det fanns, there was or there were, and the question form is fanns det.
Gick or åkte
As in the present, gick is for going on foot and åkte is for going by bus, train or car. Vi gick till stationen means that we walked there. Vi åkte till Stockholm means that a train, a bus or a car took us.
Examples
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Vi åt pizza och drack juice. | We ate pizza and drank juice. |
| Hon satt i köket och skrev ett meddelande. | She sat in the kitchen and wrote a message. |
| Kenji sprang till bussen. | Kenji ran to the bus. |
| Vi vann! Det var spännande. | We won! It was exciting. |
| Det blev sent, och Ida sov i bilen. | It got late, and Ida slept in the car. |
| För hundra år sedan fanns det en kyrka här. | A hundred years ago there was a church here. |
Common mistakes
| Not like this | Like this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Han kommde hem sent. | Han kom hem sent. | Komma is irregular. Its past form is kom. |
| Vi åkte till Stockholm. | A train took you, so the verb is åkte. | |
| Hon dricka kaffe i morse. | Hon drack kaffe i morse. | I morse has passed, so use the past form drack. |