Swedish particle verbs: 60 common ones, with stress and word order
The short answer
A Swedish particle verb is a verb plus a small word, usually a preposition or adverb, that together form a new meaning: tycka om (like), känna igen (recognise), hålla med (agree), ge upp (give up). They work much like English phrasal verbs. The key difference is pronunciation: in a particle verb, the particle is stressed and the verb is not. Han hälsade PÅ means "He visited", while Han HÄLSADE på mig means "He greeted me". Objects come after the particle, even pronouns (Stäng av den, "Turn it off"), and inte comes between the verb and the particle (Jag tycker inte om fisk).
This guide explains how particle verbs behave and lists 60 of the most common ones with examples.
What makes a particle verb
Compare these pairs. The words are the same; the stress and meaning are not.
| Particle verb (stress on particle) | Verb + preposition (stress on verb) |
|---|---|
| Han hälsade PÅ. He visited (us). | Han HÄLSADE på mig. He said hello to me. |
| Hon slog UPP ordet. She looked the word up. | – |
| Jag tycker OM henne. I like her. | Vad TYCKER du om henne? What do you think of her? |
| Bussen gick SÖNDER. The bus broke down. | – |
| Han körde PÅ en älg. He hit an elk (with his car). | Han KÖRDE på vägen. He drove on the road. |
In the left column, the small word has become part of the verb's meaning and carries the stress. In the right column, på and om are ordinary prepositions linking the verb to a noun, and they are unstressed.
This is why particle verbs matter for listening: hearing which word is stressed tells you which meaning is meant. The particle verbs tool drills exactly this.
The common particles
| Particle | Basic meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| upp | up | ge upp (give up) |
| ner | down | skriva ner (write down) |
| in | in | flytta in (move in) |
| ut | out | se ut (look, appear) |
| på | on | sätta på (switch on) |
| av | off | stänga av (switch off) |
| om | again, around | göra om (redo) |
| med | along, with | hålla med (agree) |
| bort | away | ta bort (remove) |
| fram | forward | komma fram (arrive) |
| tillbaka | back | ge tillbaka (give back) |
| igen | again, closed | känna igen (recognise), stänga igen (shut) |
| ihåg | (only in komma ihåg) | komma ihåg (remember) |
| sönder | broken | gå sönder (break) |
| över | over | gå över (pass, get better) |
The meaning can change completely
Many particle verbs have meanings you cannot guess from the parts, just like English "put up with" or "give in":
- tycka (think) + om = tycka om (like)
- komma (come) + ihåg = komma ihåg (remember)
- hålla (hold) + med = hålla med (agree)
- se (see) + ut = se ut (look, appear)
- gå (go) + bort = gå bort (die, as a euphemism; also go out visiting)
- hitta (find) + på = hitta på (make up; think of something to do)
- lägga (put) + av = lägga av (quit, stop it)
Learn particle verbs as whole units, the same way you learn single words.
Word order with objects
In Swedish, the object normally comes after the particle, and this includes pronouns. That differs from English, where a pronoun goes in the middle ("turn it off").
| English | Swedish |
|---|---|
| Turn off the TV. | Stäng av tv:n. |
| Turn it off. | Stäng av den. |
| She picked up the phone. | Hon tog upp telefonen. |
| She picked it up. | Hon tog upp den. |
| Throw away the old ones. | Släng bort de gamla. |
| I recognised him. | Jag kände igen honom. |
Saying Stäng den av sounds Norwegian or Danish to Swedish ears.
With reflexive pronouns
Some particle verbs include a reflexive pronoun, and the order varies by verb. Learn these as fixed chunks:
- Ta på dig jackan! (Put your jacket on!) particle first
- Klä av dig. (Get undressed.) particle first
- Sätt dig ner. (Sit down.) pronoun first
- Lägg dig ner. (Lie down.) pronoun first
See the guide to Swedish reflexive verbs.
Where inte goes
Inte and other sentence adverbs follow the normal rules: after the finite verb in a main clause, before it in a subordinate clause. The particle stays with the main verb.
| Clause | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Main clause | Jag tycker inte om fisk. | I don't like fish. |
| With inversion | I dag orkar jag inte gå ut. | I can't face going out today. |
| With auxiliary | Vi har inte kommit fram än. | We haven't arrived yet. |
| Subordinate clause | …eftersom jag inte tycker om fisk. | …because I don't like fish. |
| Imperative | Ge inte upp! | Don't give up! |
Learners often say Jag tycker om inte fisk. Remember that inte goes right after the conjugated verb, which splits the particle verb in two in main clauses. More in Swedish sentence structure.
Particle or prefix?
Many particle verbs have a twin where the particle is glued to the front as a prefix: stryka under and understryka. The two forms usually differ in register, meaning or both.
| Particle verb (everyday, concrete) | Prefix verb (formal or figurative) |
|---|---|
| stryka under (underline with a pen) | understryka (emphasise) |
| bryta av (break off a piece) | avbryta (interrupt) |
| gå igenom (go through, review) | genomgå (undergo) |
| ta emot (receive, take) | emotta (receive, formal) |
| känna igen (recognise) | igenkänna (recognise, formal) |
| stå ut (put up with) | utstå (endure) |
| ta upp (pick up; raise a topic) | uppta (take up, occupy) |
| lägga fram (present, put forward) | framlägga (present, formal) |
| gå under (sink; perish) | undergå (undergo) |
In everyday speech, the particle version is almost always the right choice. The prefix version appears in official texts, news and legal language.
Participles use the prefix form
Even when the verb itself is a particle verb, the past participle used as an adjective usually puts the particle first:
- stänga av → en avstängd telefon (a switched-off phone)
- ta upp → Hon är upptagen. (She's busy. Literally "taken up".)
- lämna in → den inlämnade uppsatsen (the submitted essay)
- ställa in → Mötet är inställt. (The meeting is cancelled.)
- köra över → en överkörd cykel (a run-over bike)
With the passive, both are possible: Mötet ställdes in (everyday) and Mötet inställdes (formal).
60 common particle verbs
| Particle verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tycka om | like | Jag tycker om dig. (I like you.) |
| känna igen | recognise | Jag kände inte igen henne. (I didn't recognise her.) |
| komma ihåg | remember | Kommer du ihåg mig? (Do you remember me?) |
| ge upp | give up | Ge inte upp nu! (Don't give up now!) |
| hålla med | agree | Jag håller med dig. (I agree with you.) |
| se ut | look, appear | Du ser trött ut. (You look tired.) |
| hälsa på | visit | Vi ska hälsa på mormor. (We're visiting Grandma.) |
| ta på (sig) | put on | Ta på dig mössan. (Put your hat on.) |
| ta av (sig) | take off | Ta av dig skorna. (Take your shoes off.) |
| stänga av | switch off | Stäng av mobilen. (Switch off your phone.) |
| sätta på | switch on | Kan du sätta på kaffet? (Can you put the coffee on?) |
| slå på | switch on | Slå på datorn. (Turn on the computer.) |
| hitta på | make up; think of doing | Vad ska vi hitta på i helgen? (What shall we do this weekend?) |
| ta upp | pick up; raise | Hon tog upp frågan på mötet. (She raised the issue at the meeting.) |
| ta emot | receive | Kan du ta emot paketet? (Can you take in the parcel?) |
| ta med | bring | Ta med dig paraply. (Bring an umbrella.) |
| ta bort | remove | Ta bort den bilden. (Delete that photo.) |
| ta över | take over | Hon tar över efter sommaren. (She's taking over after the summer.) |
| ta slut | run out, end | Mjölken har tagit slut. (We've run out of milk.) |
| ta reda på | find out | Jag ska ta reda på det. (I'll find out.) |
| gå ut | go out | Ska vi gå ut i kväll? (Shall we go out tonight?) |
| gå bort | die (euphemism) | Hans morfar gick bort i våras. (His grandfather passed away in the spring.) |
| gå över | pass, get better | Huvudvärken gick över. (The headache went away.) |
| gå igenom | go through, review | Vi går igenom läxan. (We're going through the homework.) |
| gå sönder | break (by itself) | Diskmaskinen gick sönder. (The dishwasher broke.) |
| ha sönder | break (something) | Vem har haft sönder koppen? (Who broke the cup?) |
| komma fram | arrive, get there | När kommer vi fram? (When do we get there?) |
| komma tillbaka | come back | Jag kommer tillbaka snart. (I'll be back soon.) |
| komma överens | get along; agree | Vi kommer bra överens. (We get on well.) |
| komma på | think of, come up with | Jag kom på en bra idé. (I came up with a good idea.) |
| lägga av | stop, quit | Lägg av! (Stop it!) |
| lägga till | add | Lägg till lite salt. (Add a little salt.) |
| hålla på | be busy doing; support (a team) | Vad håller du på med? (What are you up to?) |
| hålla upp | hold open; stop (rain) | Regnet har hållit upp. (The rain has stopped.) |
| se fram emot | look forward to | Jag ser fram emot semestern. (I'm looking forward to the holiday.) |
| se upp | watch out | Se upp för tåget! (Watch out for the train!) |
| se till | make sure; look after | Se till att dörren är låst. (Make sure the door is locked.) |
| tänka över | think over | Jag ska tänka över saken. (I'll think it over.) |
| stå ut med | put up with | Jag står inte ut med ljudet. (I can't stand the noise.) |
| stiga upp | get up | Jag steg upp klockan sex. (I got up at six.) |
| stiga på | get on | Stig på längst fram. (Board at the front.) |
| stiga av | get off | Vi stiger av vid nästa hållplats. (We get off at the next stop.) |
| fylla i | fill in | Fyll i blanketten. (Fill in the form.) |
| skriva under | sign | Skriv under här, tack. (Sign here, please.) |
| räkna med | count on, expect | Räkna med mig! (Count me in!) |
| ringa upp | call back | Jag ringer upp dig sen. (I'll call you back later.) |
| äta upp | eat up, finish | Ät upp maten nu. (Finish your food now.) |
| klara av | manage, cope with | Hon klarade av provet. (She managed the test.) |
| kasta bort | throw away | Kasta inte bort kvittot. (Don't throw the receipt away.) |
| sätta upp | put up | Vi satte upp en hylla. (We put up a shelf.) |
| sätta igång | start | Nu sätter vi igång! (Let's get started!) |
| köra om | overtake | Kör inte om i kurvan. (Don't overtake on the bend.) |
| bli av | happen, take place | Festen blev inte av. (The party didn't happen.) |
| bli av med | get rid of; lose | Jag blev av med plånboken. (I lost my wallet.) |
| tala om | tell | Tala om vad som hände. (Tell me what happened.) |
| hänga med | come along; keep up | Hänger du med? (Are you coming? / Are you following?) |
| skjuta upp | postpone | Mötet sköts upp. (The meeting was postponed.) |
| ställa in | cancel; adjust | Konserten ställdes in. (The concert was cancelled.) |
| kolla upp | check, look into | Jag ska kolla upp det. (I'll look into it.) |
| ge tillbaka | give back | Ge tillbaka boken i morgon. (Give the book back tomorrow.) |
Notes on a few of them
- Tala om can be a particle verb (stressed om: "tell") or verb + preposition (unstressed om: "talk about"): Tala OM vad du vill (Tell me what you want) vs Vi TALADE om filmen (We talked about the film).
- Hålla på with a team: Vilket lag håller du på? (Which team do you support?)
- Sätta på is the everyday verb for switching on machines, but it also has a vulgar slang meaning about people, so avoid using it with a person as the object.
How to learn particle verbs
- Learn them as one word, with an example sentence. Write tycka om (like), not tycka + om.
- Say them with the stress on the particle. Stress is half the meaning, and saying tycker OM correctly makes the verb stick.
- Group them by particle: all the upp verbs, all the av verbs. Patterns appear (av often means off or away, upp often means completion: äta upp, dricka upp).
- Listen for them. Spoken Swedish uses particle verbs constantly, much more than the formal prefix verbs. The dictation tool and the reader are good ways to meet them in context.
- Look up compounds you cannot place: the compound splitter helps with prefix verbs and participles like avstängd.
FAQ
What is a particle verb in Swedish?
A verb combined with a stressed small word, the particle, to form a new meaning, like English phrasal verbs: tycka om (like), ge upp (give up), känna igen (recognise).
Where is the stress in a Swedish particle verb?
On the particle: tycker OM, ger UPP, känner IGEN. The verb itself is unstressed. If the small word is unstressed, it is usually an ordinary preposition, and the meaning may be different.
Where does the object go with a particle verb?
After the particle, even when it is a pronoun: Stäng av den (Turn it off), Jag kände igen honom (I recognised him).
Where does "inte" go with a particle verb?
After the conjugated verb, before the particle, in a main clause: Jag tycker inte om kaffe. In a subordinate clause, before the verb: …att jag inte tycker om kaffe.
What is the difference between "stryka under" and "understryka"?
Stryka under is concrete and everyday: underline with a pen. Understryka is formal or figurative: emphasise. Many particle verbs have a prefix twin like this.
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-07.
- Teleman, Ulf, Staffan Hellberg & Erik Andersson (1999). Svenska Akademiens grammatik, vol. 3 (verb particles, stress and word order). Svenska Akademien.
- Hultman, Tor G. (2003). Svenska Akademiens språklära. Svenska Akademien.
- Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL) and Svensk ordbok, at svenska.se, for meanings and prefix forms.
Keep going
Particle verbs are where textbook Swedish and real Swedish part ways, because people use them all the time. Our free Season 1 course is built on natural spoken Swedish with synced transcripts, so you hear the stress on tycker OM again and again. Start the free course.
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