Why these pairs are hard
Most of them translate to one English word. English has one “know”, Swedish has veta, känna and kunna; English has one “think”, Swedish has tycka, tänka and tro. Others are pairs of verbs where English uses a single verb for both the position and the action: the book lies there, I lay it there is ligga and lägga, but to sit and to put are completely different words in English, while in Swedish sitta and sätta are a pair.
Position verbs at a glance
Swedish describes where things are by their shape. Tall things stand, flat things lie, attached things sit. Each position verb has a partner for putting something in that position.
| Position | Put into that position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ligga (ligger, låg, legat) | lägga (lägger, lade, lagt) | Telefonen ligger på bordet. |
| stå (står, stod, stått) | ställa (ställer, ställde, ställt) | Glaset står på bordet. |
| sitta (sitter, satt, suttit) | sätta (sätter, satte, satt) | Tavlan sitter på väggen. |
All twelve pairs
ligga / lägga
Ligga means to lie, to be in a lying position; it never takes an object. Lägga means to lay or put something down so it lies; it always has an object (lägga boken, lägga sig). Flat things that lie, such as books, phones and keys, ligger. Towns and buildings also ligger: Var ligger Uppsala?
sitta / sätta
Sitta means to sit, to be sitting. Sätta means to put or place something, and sätta sig means to sit down, the movement. So Sätt dig! is "Sit down!" to a person. Things that are attached or fixed also sitter: Nyckeln sitter i dörren.
stå / ställa
Stå means to stand, to be standing. Ställa means to put something so that it stands: glasses, bottles, lamps, chairs. Swedish chooses the verb by the shape: tall things stand (Flaskan står i kylen), flat things lie (Boken ligger på bordet). Ställa also appears in ställa en fråga, to ask a question.
sin, sitt, sina / hans, hennes, deras
Sin (sitt, sina) means "his own, her own, their own" and points back to the subject of the same clause. Hans, hennes and deras point to somebody else. Sin can never be part of the subject itself: Erik och hans fru, never Erik och sin fru. Sin goes with en-words, sitt with ett-words and sina with plurals.
de / dem
De is the subject form (they), dem the object form (them). Most Swedes say both as "dom", which is why even natives mix them up in writing. The test: if you would say vi, write de; if you would say oss, write dem. De is also the plural article: de stora husen.
var / vart
Var asks where something is or happens (position). Vart asks where to (direction, movement towards a place). With verbs of putting (lägga, ställa, sätta), standard Swedish uses var: Var ska jag ställa den? You will hear Vart kommer du ifrån? in speech, but var is the standard form there, because ifrån already shows the direction.
när / då
När means when: in questions (När kommer du?) and to start a clause (när jag kommer hem). Då means then, at that time, or in that case: Kom klockan sju, då är alla hemma. In formal or old-fashioned writing då can also start a time clause (då jag var liten) or mean since, as (Då det regnade stannade vi inne), but in everyday Swedish när starts time clauses.
om / ifall / när
Om means if (a condition) or whether (an indirect question). Ifall means in case, and in everyday speech it is also used for if and whether. När means when, for something you expect to happen. English "if" and "when" are easy to keep apart; om and ifall overlap a lot, so the drill accepts ifall wherever om also works.
tycka / tänka / tro
All three can be "think" in English. Tycka is your opinion or taste (Jag tycker att filmen var bra). Tro is what you believe or suppose but don't know (Jag tror att det regnar i morgon), and tro på is believe in. Tänka is the act of thinking (tänka på, think about) and also to plan (Jag tänker flytta).
veta / känna / kunna
All three can be "know". Veta is to know a fact or a piece of information (Jag vet var han bor). Känna is to know a person or a place, and also to feel (Jag känner Anna, Jag känner mig trött). Kunna is to know how to, a skill or a language (Hon kan tre språk), as well as can.
ta / hämta / få
Ta is to take (Ta en kaka, Vi tar bussen). Hämta is to fetch, go and get, or pick up: you go somewhere and come back with it (hämta barnen, hämta ett paket). Få is to get in the sense of receive (Jag fick en present) and also to be allowed to (Får jag låna din penna?).
lära sig / lära (ut) / studera
Lära sig is to learn (Jag lär mig svenska). Lära without sig, or lära ut, is to teach (Hon lärde mig att simma). Studera is to study, especially at school or university; plugga is the everyday word, and läsa is used for taking a course (läsa juridik). Lära känna means to get to know someone.
Keep going
Word choice and word order go together: practise the order in the sentence builder, time words in the time prepositions drill, and the verbs that change meaning with a little word after them in particle verbs. Look up any word in the Swedish dictionary, or hear these words in context in the free Complete Swedish Season 1 course.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ligga and lägga?
Ligga is to lie, to be in a lying position, and never takes an object: Boken ligger på bordet. Lägga is to lay or put something down: Jag lägger boken på bordet. The same pattern holds for sitta/sätta and stå/ställa: the first verb is the position, the second is putting something in that position.
When do you use sin instead of hans or hennes?
Use sin, sitt or sina when the owner is the subject of the same clause: Erik älskar sin fru (his own wife). Use hans or hennes when the owner is someone else, and always when the word is part of the subject: Erik och hans fru bor i Lund.
Is it de or dem?
De is the subject (they), dem the object (them). Both are usually pronounced dom. Swap in vi and oss: if vi fits, write de; if oss fits, write dem. De bor här (vi bor här), jag ser dem (jag ser oss).
What is the difference between var and vart?
Var asks about position (Var bor du?), vart about direction (Vart ska du?). If you can add "to" in English, where to, it's vart. With lägga, ställa and sätta standard Swedish still says var: Var ska jag ställa den?
How do I choose between tycka, tänka and tro?
Tycka is an opinion (Jag tycker att det är gott), tro is a belief or guess (Jag tror att det regnar i morgon), and tänka is the thinking itself or a plan (Jag tänker på dig, Jag tänker åka hem).
Veta, känna or kunna for "know"?
Veta for facts (Jag vet var han bor), känna for people and places (Jag känner Anna), and kunna for skills and languages (Hon kan franska).