Describe what happened yesterday, last week or before.
Grammar pathway — a separate, structured course that complements the practical Everyday Swedish lessons. Work through the lessons in order, or use the lesson menu to revisit a topic.
Use the past tense, often called <em>preteritum</em>, to talk about completed events at a past time. Swedish verbs have different past forms, so learn them in useful phrases.
Common patterns include verbs ending in -ade and -de, but many frequent verbs are irregular: arbeta → arbetade, köpa → köpte, gå → gick.
Read the Swedish sentence first, then check the English meaning.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| Jag arbetade igår. | I worked yesterday. |
| Vi köpte mat. | We bought food. |
| Hon gick hem. | She went home. |
| De såg en film. | They watched a film. |
| Jag var trött. | I was tired. |
Learn the past form together with a time expression: igår (yesterday), förra veckan (last week), or i måndags (on Monday).