lyckas + Infinitive

Succeed in -ing

Level 4

Use lyckas followed by an infinitive verb to say that someone succeeded in doing something. For example, Jag lyckades öppna dörren means "I succeeded in opening the door."

How It Works

The structure lyckas + infinitive is used to describe the successful completion of an action. It emphasizes reaching an outcome, often despite difficulty; it does not require deliberate effort in every use.

Structure:
Subject + lyckas (conjugated) + (att) + Infinitive Verb

Deponent Verb
lyckas is a deponent verb. This is a special category of verbs that look passive (ending in -s) but are active in meaning. You must always include the -s ending.

Conjugation:

  • Infinitive: (att) lyckas
  • Present (Presens): lyckas
  • Past (Preteritum): lyckades
  • Supine (Supinum): lyckats

Notice that the present tense form is the same as the infinitive.

The Infinitive Marker att
The infinitive marker att is often optional after lyckas and is frequently omitted in modern Swedish, especially in speech. Both forms are correct.

  • `Han lyckades att reparera bilen.` (He succeeded in repairing the car.)
  • Han lyckades reparera bilen. (More common)

Comparison with misslyckas
The direct opposite is misslyckas med att (to fail to). Note the use of the preposition med with the antonym.

  • `Hon lyckades vinna.` (She succeeded in winning.)
  • `Hon misslyckades med att vinna.` (She failed to win.)

More Than One Complement Pattern
Both Hon lyckades vinna and Hon lyckades med att vinna are grammatical. Lyckas med also takes a noun: Hon lyckades med uppgiften. The infinitive without att is a common model; optional att and med att are documented alternatives, not errors.

Lyckas can stand without an infinitive: Försöket lyckades means The attempt succeeded. A positive past statement such as Hon lyckades öppna dörren reports the successful opening. A future hope, question or negated form does not report that success has happened.

It can even be ironic: Han lyckades missa målet presents missing as an unwelcome achievement. This explains why succeeded need not always describe a desirable result.

Examples (5)

  1. Hon lyckades äntligen lösa problemet.

    She finally succeeded in solving the problem.

    Word by Word: She succeeded finally solve the problem.

  2. Vi har lyckats samla in tillräckligt med pengar.

    We have succeeded in collecting enough money.

    Word by Word: We have succeeded collect in enough with money.

  3. Han lyckades få biljetter till den utsålda konserten.

    He managed to get tickets to the sold-out concert.

    Word by Word: He succeeded get tickets to the sold-out concert.

  4. Jag lyckas aldrig somna före midnatt.

    I never manage to fall asleep before midnight.

    Word by Word: I succeed never fall-asleep before midnight.

    Here, 'lyckas' is used in the present tense and in a negative context to describe a recurring failure.

  5. Om du tränar varje dag, lyckas du säkert.

    If you practice every day, you will surely succeed.

    Word by Word: If you practice every day, succeed you surely.

    In this example, 'lyckas' is used without a following infinitive, which is possible when the action is understood from context. The main pattern, however, is with an infinitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the -s ending, as 'lyckas' is a deponent verb.

    *Jag lyckade laga cykeln.
    Jag lyckades laga cykeln.

    Keep -s when conjugating the deponent verb: jag lyckas, jag lyckades, jag har lyckats. Lyckade is not the finite past form in this construction. It does exist as an adjective form, as in lyckade försök (successful attempts).

How It Connects

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

lyckas + InfinitiveLevel 4Succeed in -ing

Learn This First

To learn 'lyckas + infinitive', you first need to understand that 'lyckas' is a deponent verb (it looks passive but is active). You also need to be comfortable with using the infinitive marker 'att' and basic verb conjugation to form complete sentences.

Words in This Pattern

lyckas