skälva
skälva as a verb
Meaning
tremble; shake; quake
In Swedish: darra, bäva
Conjugation
| Infinitive | att skälva | to tremble |
|---|---|---|
| Present | skälver | jag skälver |
| Past | skälvde | jag skälvde |
| Supine | skälvt | used after har / hade |
| Perfect | har skälvt | jag har skälvt |
| Past perfect | hade skälvt | jag hade skälvt |
| Future | ska skälva | or: kommer att skälva |
| Conditional | skulle skälva | jag skulle skälva |
| Imperative | skälv! | a command |
| Present participle | skälvande | -ing, used as an adjective |
Passive (-s form)
| Infinitive | skälvas |
|---|---|
| Present | skälvs |
| Past | skälvdes |
| Supine | skälvts |
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 skälver. See the four verb groups explained.
skälva as a noun(en skälva)
Meaning
great fear (that makes one tremble), especially in the expression "stora skälvan" (the great fear)
Forms
| Singular, indefinite | en skälva |
|---|---|
| Singular, definite | skälvan |
skälva is an en-word, so adjectives agree with it: en stor skälva, den stora skälvan. Check another noun
Practise skälva
1 / 2Yesterday I … (skälva). Which is the past tense?
skälva in a sentence
- skälva av vredequiver with rage
- med skälvande röstwith a trembling voice
- marken skalv när bomberna kreveradethe earth shook as the bombs exploded
- asplövet skälver i vindenthe aspen leaf trembles in the wind
Questions
What does skälva mean in English?
skälva means “tremble, shake”.
Is it en skälva or ett skälva?
It is en skälva, and “the great fear” is skälvan.
What is the past tense of skälva?
The past tense of skälva is skälvde (“jag skälvde”). The supine is skälvt, used in “jag har skälvt”.
What is the present tense of skälva?
skälver, the same for every person: jag skälver, du skälver, vi skälver.
Similar words
Origin
From Old Swedish skiælva, from Old Norse skjalfa, from Proto-Germanic *skelbaną.
Nearby common words
skälva is number 9,239 in our frequency list. These words come just before and after it.
Learn skälva 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 skälva 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. Browse the dictionary