Fourth conjugation (strong verbs)

Level 2

Strong verbs form the past without -de or -te. Most also change the stem vowel: dricka → drack. Learn the past and supine with each verb.

How It Works

The fourth conjugation traditionally consists of strong verbs. Their past tense lacks the suffix used by weak verbs; most also have a stem-vowel change, called ablaut. Some learner classifications group other irregular verbs here too, but “irregular” and “strong” are not identical categories. This is in contrast to weak verbs which add a suffix (-de or -te).

Strong verbs have three principal parts that must be memorized: infinitive, preteritum, and supinum. The supinum form is used with 'har' and 'hade' to form the perfect and pluperfect tenses.

Here are some common strong verbs showing their vowel changes:

  • skriva, skrev, skrivit (to write, wrote, written)
  • dricka, drack, druckit (to drink, drank, drunk)
  • sitta, satt, suttit (to sit, sat, sat)
  • vinna, vann, vunnit (to win, won, won)
  • sjunga, sjöng, sjungit (to sing, sang, sung)
  • flyga, flög, flugit (to fly, flew, flown)

While there are patterns within this group, they are complex. Learn each verb’s forms together and compare repeated patterns; the same vowel series occurs in several verbs.

Two Important Distinctions
The supine is not the same form as the adjective-like past participle: har skrivit uses supine skrivit, while ett skrivet brev uses participle skrivet. A strong verb need not show three different written vowels: skriva–skrev–skrivit returns to i, and komma–kom–kommit keeps the letter o. Conversely, vowel change alone does not make a verb strong: välja–valde–valt has a weak past suffix.

Examples (4)

  1. skriva - skrev - skrivit

    to write - wrote - written

    This shows the three principal parts of the strong verb 'skriva'. Notice the vowel change: i -> e -> i.

  2. Igår skrev jag ett långt brev.

    Yesterday I wrote a long letter.

    Word by Word: Yesterday wrote I a long letter.

    Here, 'skrev' is the past tense (preteritum) form of 'skriva'.

  3. Har du druckit kaffe idag?

    Have you drunk coffee today?

    Word by Word: Have you drunk coffee today?

    'Druckit' is the supinum form of 'dricka' (to drink). It's used with 'har' to form the perfect tense.

  4. Barnen sjöng en sång i skolan.

    The children sang a song at school.

    Word by Word: The children sang a song in the school.

    'Sjöng' is the past tense of 'sjunga' (to sing).

Common Mistakes

  • Incorrectly adding a weak verb ending (-de/-te) to a strong verb.

    Jag skrivde ett mejl.
    Jag skrev ett mejl.

    Strong verbs like 'skriva' change their vowel to form the past tense ('skrev'). They do not take a '-de' or '-te' ending like weak verbs.

  • Using the past tense form (preteritum) instead of the supinum form with 'har'.

    Hon har drack all mjölk.
    Hon har druckit all mjölk.

    After the auxiliary verb 'har' (have), you must use the supinum form ('druckit'), not the past tense form ('drack').

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Fourth conjugation (strong verbs)Level 2

Learn This First

To learn the fourth conjugation (strong verbs), you first need a solid grasp of Swedish tense concepts and general verb conjugation. Since these verbs are characterized by internal vowel changes rather than just adding suffixes, understanding the standard supine form is also crucial for recognizing the unique patterns in this group.