-ar
First Conjugation Verbs
Group 1: infinitive tala + r → talar. Many other verbs also end in -a but follow different patterns, such as läsa → läser.
How It Works
Verbs in Swedish are divided into conjugations or groups. The first conjugation, known as -ar verbs, is the largest and most common group of regular verbs. Their infinitive ends in -a, but so do verbs in other groups, such as läsa → läser. Learn the infinitive together with its present form.
How to form the present tense:
1. Identify a Group 1 verb.
2. Add -r to the infinitive; equivalently, replace its final -a with -ar. In the grammatical analysis used by Svenska Akademiens grammatik, the inflectional stem includes that -a.
For example, with the verb tala (to speak):
- Infinitive:
tala - Inflectional stem: tala-
- Present: tala- + r = talar
One of the simplest things about Swedish verb conjugation is that the present tense form is the same for every subject. You don't need to change the ending for 'I', 'you', 'she', etc., like you do in many other languages.
Example Conjugation: arbeta (to work)
- jag arbetar (I work)
- du arbetar (you work)
- han/hon arbetar (he/she works)
- vi arbetar (we work)
- ni arbetar (you [plural] work)
- de arbetar (they work)
Examples (5)
- Jag talar svenska.
I speak Swedish.
Word by Word: I speak Swedish.
- Hon arbetar på ett kontor.
She works at an office.
Word by Word: She works at an office.
- Vi frågar läraren.
We ask the teacher.
Word by Word: We ask the-teacher.
- De älskar kaffe.
They love coffee.
Word by Word: They love coffee.
- Varför tittar du på mig?
Why are you looking at me?
Word by Word: Why look you at me?
Common Mistakes
Using the infinitive form (-a) instead of the present tense form (-ar).
Jag tala svenska.Jag talar svenska.For tala, the active present form is talar. Use that finite form in Jag talar svenska; the infinitive tala belongs after an appropriate auxiliary or in an infinitive phrase.
Trying to add an '-s' for 'he/she/it' like in English.
Han talars svenska.Han talar svenska.Swedish present tense verbs have the same form for all subjects (jag, du, han, hon, den, det, vi, ni, de). Unlike English, you don't add an '-s' for the third person singular.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn -ar verbs, you need to understand the general framework of Swedish verb inflection and the basic grammatical tenses that these verb forms represent.
- Basic verb conjugation
Understanding the general concept of how Swedish verbs change form is necessary before learning the specific rules for the first conjugation group.
Foundations - Tense concepts
Since this pattern covers infinitive, present, past, and supine forms, a learner must understand the basic function of grammatical tenses.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- -erSecond Conjugation Verbs
This is the second major group of regular verbs. It's important to learn to distinguish between verbs that take '-ar' and those that take '-er' in the present tense.
Level 1 - -rThird Conjugation Verbs
This is the third conjugation group, for verbs whose stem already ends in a vowel (other than -a). They simply add '-r' in the present tense, like
Level 1bo->bor. - Irregular verbs
While -ar verbs follow a predictable pattern, irregular verbs do not and must be memorized individually, such as
Level 1vara(to be) which becomesärin the present tense. - attTo (Infinitive Marker)
The infinitive form of -ar verbs (e.g.,
Level 1tala), which ends in '-a', is often preceded by the infinitive markeratt(to), as inJag gillar att tala(I like to speak).
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -ar in Bubblegum
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