orkar + Infinitive

Have Energy to

Level 4

Use 'orkar' + a base verb (infinitive) to say you 'have the energy to' or 'can be bothered to' do something.

How It Works

The verb orka means 'to have the strength/energy for' or 'to manage'. It's used to express whether someone has sufficient physical or mental capacity to perform an action. It has a modal meaning, but its grammatical patterns are not identical to those of kan or måste.

A subject-first pattern is: Subject + orka (inflected) + (att) + Infinitive.

Key points:

  • The main verb is always in the infinitive (base) form.
  • The marker att is optional after orka, unlike after kan, vill and måste. Learn the pattern of each governing verb.

Conjugations:

  • Infinitive: orka
  • Present: orkar
  • Past (Preterite): orkade
  • Supine (after har/hade): orkat

This pattern is extremely common in everyday speech, especially in the negative to express fatigue, unwillingness, or being overwhelmed.
For example: 'Jag orkar inte diska' (I don't have the energy to do the dishes).

Orka also occurs without an infinitive when the action is understood, Jag orkar inte, and with a noun phrase, Orkar du en pannkaka till? (Can you manage another pancake?). The formula above describes this entry’s infinitive construction, not every use of the verb.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag orkar inte laga mat i kväll, vi beställer pizza.

    I don't have the energy to cook tonight; let's order pizza.

    Word by Word: I have-energy not cook food tonight, we order pizza.

    A very common negative use of 'orkar' to express tiredness or lack of motivation.

  2. Orkar du följa med och handla efter jobbet?

    Do you have the energy to come along and shop after work?

    Word by Word: Have-energy you follow with and shop after work?

    Here, 'orkar' is used in a question to ask about someone's energy level.

  3. Han var så sjuk att han inte orkade gå upp ur sängen.

    He was so sick that he didn't have the energy to get out of bed.

    Word by Word: He was so sick that he not had-energy go up from the bed.

    This example uses the past tense, 'orkade', to talk about a past lack of energy. Note the word order in the subordinate clause: 'inte' comes before the verb.

  4. Jag har sprungit ett maraton, så jag orkar knappt gå.

    I have run a marathon, so I barely have the energy to walk.

    Word by Word: I have run a marathon, so I have-energy barely walk.

    This shows 'orkar' used with an adverb like 'knappt' (barely) to modify the degree of energy.

  5. Hon orkar inte lyssna på fler ursäkter.

    She doesn't have the energy to listen to more excuses.

    Word by Word: She has-energy not listen to more excuses.

    This demonstrates using 'orkar' for mental or emotional energy, not just physical.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a finite present verb after orkar.

    Jag orkar inte städar idag.
    Jag orkar inte städa idag.

    Städa remains infinitive. Jag orkar inte att städa idag is also a standard construction; omitting att is not obligatory.

How It Connects

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

orkar + InfinitiveLevel 4Have Energy to

Learn This First

To use 'orkar + infinitive', you need to understand how Swedish verbs are conjugated and how auxiliary-like verbs function. Specifically, 'orkar' behaves like a modal verb in that it is followed by the infinitive form of a second verb without the infinitive marker 'att'.

Words in This Pattern

orka