What you will learn
You can say what you like, love and do not like, both things and things to do.
Three verbs for liking
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag tycker om musik. | I like music. |
| Hugo gillar fotboll. | Hugo likes football. |
| Noor älskar teater. | Noor loves the theater. |
Tycker om and gillar both mean like. Gillar is a little more casual. Älskar means love, and it is stronger.
Tycker om is two words, the present form tycker and the small word om. They belong together, so Jag tycker om musik, never Jag tycker musik. Gillar and älskar take the noun directly, with no om.
Liking to do something
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag tycker om att simma. | I like swimming. |
| Tariq gillar att baka. | Tariq likes baking. |
| Vi älskar att laga mat. | We love cooking. |
Before a verb, put att and then the dictionary form. Att works like to in English, as in like to swim.
Att comes after tycker om, gillar and älskar. It does not come after ska, vill, kan, får or måste, so Jag vill simma has no att.
Not liking something
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag tycker inte om te. | I do not like tea. |
| Oskar gillar inte att dansa. | Oskar does not like dancing. |
With tycker om, inte goes between tycker and om. With gillar and älskar, inte comes right after the verb, as usual.
Asking
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Tycker du om att dansa? | Do you like dancing? |
| Gillar du musik? | Do you like music? |
| Vad tycker du om att göra? | What do you like doing? |
Fun, nice and happy
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Fotboll är kul! | Football is fun! |
| Filmen är rolig. | The film is funny. |
| Ha en trevlig kväll! | Have a nice evening! |
| Jag är glad i dag. | I am happy today. |
Kul and rolig both mean fun. Rolig can also mean funny, about a film or a person. Kul never changes form. Rolig, trevlig and glad take the endings you know from other adjectives, as in ett roligt meddelande and glada barn. The ett form of glad is glatt.
A break together
Fika can be a verb or a noun. It means taking a coffee or tea break, often with something to eat and time to talk. Coffee is common, but you do not have to drink coffee to fika. As a verb, use fikar in the present and fika after ska or vill.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Ska vi fika? | Shall we take a coffee break? |
| Jag vill fika med dig. | I want to have a coffee break with you. |
| Vi fikar på eftermiddagen. | We take a coffee break in the afternoon. |
Asking for an opinion
Vad tycker du om filmen? usually asks what you think of the film. To ask if someone likes it, say Tycker du om filmen? Vad tycker du om att göra? has att and a verb, and it asks what someone likes doing.
Common mistakes
| Not like this | Like this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jag tycker om simma. | Jag tycker om att simma. | Before a verb, add att. |
| Jag tycker om inte te. | Jag tycker inte om te. | Inte goes between tycker and om. |
| Hon gillar att musik. | Hon gillar musik. | No att before a noun. |
| Jag vill att dansa. | Jag vill dansa. | No att after vill. |