Chapter 1, lesson 2

People and a Few Verbs

The Swedish words for I, you, he, she, we and they, and the present forms of five common verbs, är, heter, bor, kommer and talar.

What you will learn

You can say who does something with jag, du, han, hon, hen, vi, ni and de, and use five common verbs in the present.

Words for people

SwedishEnglishNotes
jagI
duyouone person
hanhe
honshe
henthey, for one personused when you do not know which word a person uses, when it does not matter, or when the person uses hen
viwe
niyoumore than one person
detheymore than one person. Usually pronounced like dom, but always written de

Use du for one person and ni for two or more. In this course, the text always makes clear whether someone uses han, hon or hen.

Five verbs

Dictionary formPresent formEnglish
varaäram, is, are
hetaheteram called, is called, are called
boborlive, lives
kommakommercome, comes
talatalarspeak, speaks

The dictionary form is the form you find in a word list. In a sentence about now, use the present form.

The present form is the same for every person. Jag bor, du bor, hon bor, vi bor and de bor all use bor. Swedish never adds an ending for he or she, as English does in lives and speaks.

Examples

SwedishEnglish
Jag heter Tariq.My name is Tariq.
Du bor i Uppsala.You live in Uppsala.
Hon kommer från Polen.She comes from Poland.
Hen talar engelska.They speak English. (one person who uses hen)
Vi bor i Sverige.We live in Sweden.
Ni talar svenska.You speak Swedish. (two or more people)
De kommer från Japan.They come from Japan.

Bo goes with i and a place, as in bor i Uppsala. Komma goes with från and a place, as in kommer från Polen. The lesson on questions says more about i and från.

Jobs and languages

When you just say what someone’s job is, Swedish uses no word for a after är. Hon är lärare means she is a teacher, and Han är student means he is a student.

Languages start with a small letter in Swedish, so svenska, engelska and polska. Countries start with a capital letter, so Sverige, Norge and Polen.

Common mistakes

Not like thisLike thisWhy
Jag är heter Marta.Jag heter Marta.Heter already means am called, so är is not needed.
Han bors i Uppsala.Han bor i Uppsala.The present form never changes for he or she.
Hon är en lärare.Hon är lärare.To just say what her job is, Swedish uses no en.
Vi talar Svenska.Vi talar svenska.Languages start with a small letter.

Check yourself

A few questions from the Learning Path on this lesson. Answer, then check, or show the answer with its explanation.

  1. Välj det ord som passar i luckan.
    Kenji pratar om Tariq och Elin. Elin använder pronomenet hon och Tariq använder han. Båda meningarna handlar bara om Tariq.

    Tariq talar arabiska. ___ bor i Uppsala.

  2. Byt ut Elin och jag mot subjektspronomenet som betyder we. Skriv ett ord.

    talar svenska.

  3. Välj den engelska betydelsen av den svenska meningen eller frasen.

    jag

  4. Du talar till två personer tillsammans. Använd subjektspronomenet you i plural.

    bor i Knivsta.

  5. Välj den engelska betydelsen av den svenska meningen eller frasen.

    hon

  6. Välj betydelsen av han.

How this lesson connects

Learning Path

Practice and review

Practice this lesson, check your answers and review mistakes in a separate round. Track your results as you work through the course.

Lessons and vocabulary are free to read. Checking your practice access.

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