tala
tala as a verb
Meaning
speak; make (deliver) a speech; plead
In Swedish: använda rösten till språk, yttra sig
Conjugation
| Infinitive | att tala | to speak |
|---|---|---|
| Present | talar | jag talar |
| Past | talade | jag talade |
| Supine | talat | used after har / hade |
| Perfect | har talat | jag har talat |
| Past perfect | hade talat | jag hade talat |
| Future | ska tala | or: kommer att tala |
| Conditional | skulle tala | jag skulle tala |
| Imperative | tala! | a command |
| Present participle | talande | -ing, used as an adjective |
| Past participle | talad | used like an adjective, and agrees like one |
Passive (-s form)
| Infinitive | talas |
|---|---|
| Present | talas |
| Past | talades |
| Supine | talats |
Group 1: -ar verbs. Present -ar, past -ade, supine -at. The largest and most regular group. Swedish verbs don't change for person: jag, du, hon, vi and de all use talar. See the four verb groups explained.
tala as a noun
Meaning
tala (currency of Samoa)
Practise tala
1 / 2Yesterday I … (tala). Which is the past tense?
tala in a sentence
- tala med varandratalk with each other
- talas vidtalk about sth. (sth. over)
- hon talar svenskashe speaks Swedish
- höra talas om någotHear of sth.
- tala i riksdagenspeak before the Riksdag
- mycket talar för att du har rätt i din bedömningthere is much to suggest that your assessment is correct
- Han började talaHe began to speak
- Jag visste inte att hundar kunde talaI didn't know dogs could talk
Expressions
- tala utspeak out
- tala omtell
Questions
What does tala mean in English?
tala means “speak, make (deliver) a speech”.
What is the past tense of tala?
The past tense of tala is talade (“jag talade”). The supine is talat, used in “jag har talat”.
What is the present tense of tala?
talar, the same for every person: jag talar, du talar, vi talar.
Similar words
Where the course teaches it
- Swedish pronouns: du, ni, de, viComplete Swedish – Season 1
- Why Swedish verb conjugation is simpleComplete Swedish – Season 1
- Swedish verbs for eat, want and canComplete Swedish – Season 1
- Swedish words ending in -itetComplete Swedish – Season 1
- Swedish words for now, today, tomorrowComplete Swedish – Season 1
- Swedish past tense verb conjugationComplete Swedish – Season 1
Origin
From Old Norse tala, from Proto-Germanic *talōną (“to tell, count”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“to reckon, count”).
Nearby common words
tala is number 189 in our frequency list. These words come just before and after it.
Learn tala 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 tala 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
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Sources: Folkets lexikon (CC BY-SA 2.5) and Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), edited by Lingolib. Recording: Wikimedia Commons. Browse the dictionary

