Deponent -s verbs

Level 3

Deponent uses have an -s form with a non-passive meaning. For example, hoppas means 'to hope', not 'to be hoped'.

How It Works

Deponent verbs (deponensverb) are verbs that have a passive form but an active meaning. Some teaching grammars reserve deponent for verbs with no s-less form. Svenska Akademiens grammatik uses the term more broadly for non-passive s-forms, including some reciprocal and spontaneous-event uses.

In a deponent use, keep -s in the infinitive, finite forms and supine. Learn the actual paradigm. The present usually lacks the -r seen in s-less present forms: hoppas, not hoppars. Participles follow their own formation rules and do not universally preserve this -s; compare lyckas and lyckad.

Conjugation Example: hoppas (to hope)

  • Infinitive: att hoppas
  • Present (Presens): jag hoppas
  • Past (Preteritum): jag hoppades
  • Supine (Supinum): jag har hoppats

Common Deponent Verbs:

  • andas: to breathe
  • finnas: to exist, to be found
  • hoppas: to hope
  • kännas: to feel (of a thing, e.g., 'it feels cold')
  • lyckas: to succeed
  • minnas: to remember
  • skämmas: to be ashamed
  • trivas: to thrive, to enjoy oneself, to feel at home
  • tyckas: to seem
  • umgås: to socialize, to hang out

It's crucial not to confuse these with the s-passive. For an explicit passive, compare Dörren öppnas av vakten (The door is opened by the guard) with Jag hoppas (I hope). Dörren öppnas without an agent can also describe the door opening; context matters.

Examples (6)

  1. Jag hoppas att du kan komma.

    I hope that you can come.

    Word by Word: I hope that you can come.

  2. Minns du vad vi gjorde förra sommaren?

    Do you remember what we did last summer?

    Word by Word: Remember you what we did last summer?

  3. Det fanns inga biljetter kvar.

    There were no tickets left.

    Word by Word: It existed no tickets left.

  4. Hon har alltid trivts i stora städer.

    She has always thrived in big cities.

    Word by Word: She has always thrived in big cities.

  5. Vi lyckades lösa problemet till slut.

    We succeeded in solving the problem in the end.

    Word by Word: We succeeded solve the-problem to end.

  6. Det känns skönt att vara hemma igen.

    It feels nice to be home again.

    Word by Word: It feels nice to be home again.

Common Mistakes

  • Removing the -s ending.

    Jag hoppa på ett bra resultat.
    Jag hoppas på ett bra resultat.

    Keep -s in the infinitive, finite forms and supine of hoppas: hoppas, hoppades, hoppats. In this sentence, the present form is hoppas. Hoppa is the infinitive of a different verb meaning jump.

  • Confusing deponent verbs with the passive voice.

    Filmen minns av mig.
    Jag minns filmen.

    Although it ends in -s, 'minnas' is an active verb meaning 'to remember'. It takes a direct object ('filmen') just like other active verbs. It does not mean 'to be remembered by'.

How It Connects

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Deponent -s verbsLevel 3

Learn This First

Deponent verbs are a special category of Swedish verbs that look passive because they end in -s, but have an active meaning. To understand them, you first need to know how regular verbs are conjugated and how the s-passive is formed, as deponents use the same endings but function differently.

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