Prepositional verbs

Level 3

Some Swedish verbs need a specific preposition to make sense. For example, you 'listen to' music (lyssnar på musik) and 'wait for' the bus (väntar på bussen). You need to learn the verb and its preposition together as a single unit.

How It Works

In Swedish, many verbs are idiomatically linked with a specific preposition. This combination, known as a prepositional verb, functions as a single semantic unit. The preposition is normally unstressed and precedes its complement in an ordinary unfronted phrase.

This is different from phrasal verbs (partikelverb), where the particle normally bears stress. Swedish particles normally precede a following direct object, including a pronoun: stänga av den. Prepositions can be stranded when their complement is fronted: Vad letar du efter?

Common Prepositional Verbs:

  • lyssna på - to listen to
    Jag lyssnar på en podcast. (I'm listening to a podcast.)
  • vänta på - to wait for
    Kan du vänta på mig? (Can you wait for me?)
  • titta på - to look at, to watch
    Vi tittar på en film. (We are watching a movie.)
  • tro på - to believe in
    Tror du på spöken? (Do you believe in ghosts?)
  • leta efter - to look for, to search for
    Han letar efter sina nycklar. (He is looking for his keys.)
  • prata med/om - to talk with/about
    Jag måste prata med min chef. (I have to talk with my boss.)
    Vi pratade om semestern. (We talked about the vacation.)
  • Contrast: tycka om - to like
    Barnen tycker om glass. (The children like ice cream.) Here om is a stressed particle, so this is not an example of the unstressed-preposition pattern.
  • drömma om - to dream about
    Jag drömde om dig i natt. (I dreamt about you last night.)

The key is to memorize these verb-preposition pairs as you encounter them, as the choice of preposition is not always predictable from English.

Examples (6)

  1. Jag väntar på bussen.

    I'm waiting for the bus.

    Word by Word: I wait for the-bus.

  2. Hon lyssnar alltid på musik när hon städar.

    She always listens to music when she cleans.

    Word by Word: She listens always on music when she cleans.

  3. Vad letar du efter?

    What are you looking for?

    Word by Word: What look you after?

  4. Vi måste prata med varandra.

    We need to talk to each other.

    Word by Word: We must talk with each-other.

  5. Min son tror på jultomten.

    My son believes in Santa Claus.

    Word by Word: My son believes on the-Christmas-gnome.

  6. Tycker du om att resa?

    Do you like to travel?

    Word by Word: Like you to travel?

    This is a contrast example: tycka om meaning “like” has a stressed particle om, unlike an ordinary unstressed preposition.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the wrong preposition based on direct translation from English.

    Jag väntar för dig.
    Jag väntar på dig.

    For the intended person being waited for, use vänta på dig. Vänta has other constructions too, such as vänta med att svara (delay answering), so på is not obligatory in every use of the verb.

  • Confusing a prepositional verb with a particle verb and moving the preposition.

    Jag tittar filmen på.
    Jag tittar på filmen.

    In this ordinary subject-first sentence, på precedes filmen. If the complement is fronted, stranding is possible: Filmen tittar jag på. Do not import the English particle-after-object pattern into Swedish.

  • Omitting the preposition entirely.

    Jag lyssnar musiken.
    Jag lyssnar på musiken.

    The verb 'lyssna' requires the preposition 'på' to mean 'listen to'. Without it, the sentence is incomplete and ungrammatical.

How It Connects

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

Prepositional verbsLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn prepositional verbs, you first need to know how to conjugate basic verbs and be familiar with common prepositions. Since these verbs often link to a person or thing, knowing object pronouns is also essential for forming complete thoughts.