Swedish verb· top 500 most common

hända

happen, occur, take place

Meaning

happen; occur; take place

In Swedish: ske, tilldra sig

Conjugation

Conjugation of hända (happen)
Infinitiveatt händato happen
Presenthänderjag händer
Pasthändejag hände
Supinehäntused after har / hade
Perfecthar häntjag har hänt
Past perfecthade häntjag hade hänt
Futureska händaor: kommer att hända
Conditionalskulle händajag skulle hända
Imperativehänd!a command
Present participlehändande-ing, used as an adjective

Passive (-s form)

Passive of hända
Infinitivehändas
Presenthänds
Pasthändes
Supinehänts

Group 2: -er verbs. Present -er, past -de or -te (after a voiceless consonant), supine -t. Swedish verbs don't change for person: jag, du, hon, vi and de all use händer. See the four verb groups explained.

Practise hända

1 / 2

Yesterday I … (hända). Which is the past tense?

hända in a sentence

  • det kan hända att allt går bra
    everything may, of course, turn out perfectly well
  • det hände på 60-talet
    it happened in the sixties
  • Vad hände med din syster?
    What happened to your sister?
  • Vad hände?
    What happened?
  • Vad som helst kan hända
    Anything can happen
  • Jag försov mig och missade hela morgonmötet! Hur kunde det här hända mig?
    I overslept and missed the whole morning meeting! How could this happen to me?

Questions

What does hända mean in English?

hända means “happen, occur”.

What is the past tense of hända?

The past tense of hända is hände (“jag hände”). The supine is hänt, used in “jag har hänt”.

What is the present tense of hända?

händer, the same for every person: jag händer, du händer, vi händer.

Similar words

drabbainträffaskeäga rum

Origin

From Old Swedish hænda, from Old Norse henda, from Proto-Germanic *handijaną.

Nearby common words

hända is number 142 in our frequency list. These words come just before and after it.

Start today, free

Learn hända in real Swedish, free

Words stick when you hear them used. Complete Swedish Season 1 is 49 short video lessons with a synced transcript, free on the site with no account. A free account saves words like hända to your library and quizzes you on them, plus 7 days of the AI tutor and speaking practice when you confirm your email.

  • Season 1 free in full: 49 lessons
  • Synced transcript with English translations
  • 7-day free trial of the AI tutor and speaking practice
  • Members get the latest season and every new course

Sources: Folkets lexikon (CC BY-SA 2.5) and Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), edited by Lingolib. Recording: Wikimedia Commons. Browse the dictionary