The whole system in one table
The key is to ask whether the time is past, future or a habit. Swedish marks the difference with the preposition and sometimes with an -s on the end.
| Past | Future | Every time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | i fredags | på fredag | på fredagar |
| Weekend | i helgen | i helgen | på helgerna |
| Morning | i morse | i morgon bitti | på morgonen |
| Evening | i går kväll | i kväll | på kvällarna |
| Summer | i somras | i sommar | på sommaren |
| Winter | i vintras | i vinter | på vintern |
| Christmas | i julas | i jul | på julen |
| Year | i fjol, förra året | nästa år | varje år |
The -s forms (i fredags, i somras, i julas) only exist for the past. They are one of the most Swedish things in the language, and getting them right instantly makes you sound less like a beginner.
How long, how long ago, how soon
| Question | Swedish | English |
|---|---|---|
| When in the past? | för tre år sedan | three years ago |
| For how long? | i tre år | for three years |
| For how long (negative)? | inte på tre år | not for three years |
| When in the future? | om tre år | in three years' time |
| How long did it take? | på tre dagar | in three days |
| Since when? | sedan 2019, sedan i måndags | since 2019, since Monday |
| Until when? | till klockan sex, till fredag | until six, until Friday |
| During what? | under kriget, under semestern | during the war, during the holiday |
No preposition at all
- Clock times: Vi ses klockan tre. See our telling the time trainer.
- Dates: Jag fyller år den femte maj. The numbers converter reads any date aloud.
- Years: Vi flyttade hit 2015 or år 2015.
- Every / next / last: varje dag, nästa vecka, förra månaden.
Word order with time words
Swedes love to start a sentence with the time, and when they do, the verb still has to come second: I fredags träffade jag Anna, not I fredags jag träffade Anna. Practise that in the sentence builder or watch Lesson 42 on word order with time expressions from the free course. The names of days and months are in our guide to Swedish days and months.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between i fredags and på fredag?
I fredags is last Friday, a day that has passed. På fredag is this coming Friday. På fredagar, in the plural, is every Friday. The same pattern works for every weekday: i måndags, på måndag, på måndagar.
How do you say "ago" in Swedish?
Put för before the length of time and sedan after it: för tre år sedan, three years ago. In speech sedan is often shortened to sen: för tre år sen.
Is it i tre år or för tre år?
I tre år, for three years: Jag har bott här i tre år. För tre år is a direct translation of English "for" and sounds wrong to Swedes. With a negative, på is the usual choice: Jag har inte sett honom på tre år.
What does om mean with time?
In, counted from now: om en vecka (in a week's time), om tio minuter. Don't confuse it with på, which is the time something takes: Jag gjorde det på en vecka (I did it in a week).
What is the difference between i morse and i morgon?
I morse is this morning, earlier today. I morgon is tomorrow (also written imorgon), and i morgon bitti is early tomorrow morning.
Do you need a preposition with clock times and dates?
No. Klockan tre is at three o'clock, and den femte maj is on the fifth of May. Years take år or nothing: år 2015 or just 2015, never i 2015.