verka + Infinitive

Seem to

Level 4

Use verka + infinitive to say that something 'seems to' or 'appears to' be happening. It's like saying 'it looks like...' about an action.

How It Works

verka is a versatile verb used to convey an impression or appearance. It's the Swedish equivalent of 'to seem' or 'to appear'.

Structure:
Subject + verka (conjugated) + Main Verb (infinitive)

Unlike many other verbs that take an infinitive, verka does not use the infinitive marker att. It behaves similarly to modal verbs like kan (can) or måste (must).

Present Tense: verkar
Past Tense: verkade
Supinum: verkat

Usage with Adjectives:
A very common use of verka is with adjectives. In these cases, the verb vara (to be) is often implied and omitted.

Full form: `Hon verkar vara trött.` (She seems to be tired.)
Common form: Hon verkar trött. (She seems tired.)

Both forms are standard. With an adjective, verka can function as a linking verb without an explicit vara.

Perfect Infinitive:
To express that something seems to have happened in the past, you can use verka with a perfect infinitive (ha + supinum).

`Han verkar ha glömt mötet.` (He seems to have forgotten the meeting.)

This structure is useful for making inferences about past events based on present evidence.

Examples (5)

Han verkar gilla den nya läraren.
He seems to like the new teacher.
Word by Word: He seems to-like the new teacher-the.
Det verkar regna ute.
It seems to be raining outside.
Word by Word: It seems to-rain outside.
Barnen verkade ha roligt på lekplatsen.
The children seemed to have fun at the playground.
Word by Word: The-children seemed to-have fun on the-playground-the.
Hon verkar ha jobbat hela natten, hon ser så trött ut.
She seems to have worked all night; she looks so tired.
Word by Word: She seems to-have worked whole the-night, she looks so tired out.
Here, verka is combined with the perfect infinitive (ha jobbat) to make an inference about a past action based on present evidence (her tiredness).
De verkar inte förstå vad jag säger.
They don't seem to understand what I'm saying.
Word by Word: They seem not to-understand what I say.

Common Mistakes

Using the infinitive marker 'att' after 'verka'.
Han verkar att vara sjuk.
Han verkar vara sjuk.
verka functions like a modal verb and is followed directly by the infinitive form of the main verb. The infinitive marker att should not be used.
Confusing 'verka' (to seem) with 'tycka' (to think/have an opinion).
Jag verkar att boken är bra.
Jag tycker att boken är bra. / Boken verkar vara bra.
Jag tycker att boken är bra states an opinion with an att-clause. Boken verkar vara bra expresses the speaker’s impression of the book. Verka can convey your own judgment; the error is the construction Jag verkar att boken..., not the fact that the judgment is personal.

How It Connects

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verka + InfinitiveLevel 4Seem to

Learn This First

To use 'verka + infinitive', you need to know how to conjugate the verb 'verka' and understand how infinitives are used as complements to other verbs. It is also helpful to understand the use of the formal subject 'det' for impersonal observations.

detAnticipatory Det
The pattern 'verka + infinitive' is frequently used with the formal subject 'det' (e.g., 'Det verkar regna'), requiring knowledge of how 'det' functions as a placeholder.
Level 3

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Patterns that build on this one.

Subject-to-subject raisingLevel 5

Words in This Pattern

verka

Practice verka + Infinitive in Bubblegum

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