Language/Swedish/Grammar/Verbs-with-prepositions

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Swedish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs with prepositions

Welcome to another exciting lesson in your journey through the Swedish language! Today, we're going to explore a fascinating aspect of Swedish grammar: verbs with prepositions. This topic is essential for building your conversational skills and understanding how to express relationships between actions and objects in more nuanced ways.

Understanding how verbs interact with prepositions will help you communicate more effectively and sound more natural in Swedish. As you learn these combinations, you'll find that they often carry meanings that are not immediately obvious, making them a fun challenge to master!

In this lesson, we will cover:

The role of prepositions in Swedish

A selection of common verbs that pair with specific prepositions

Practical examples illustrating their use

Exercises to help reinforce your learning

So, let’s dive in!

The Role of Prepositions in Swedish[edit | edit source]

Prepositions in Swedish, like in English, are used to indicate relationships between different elements in a sentence. They can describe direction, location, time, and even more abstract relationships. When combined with verbs, prepositions can change or enhance the meaning of the verb, often leading to idiomatic expressions.

For example, the verb "tänka" (to think) can combine with the preposition "på" (about) to create the phrase "tänka på" (to think about). This relationship is crucial for conveying the correct meaning in a conversation.

Common Verbs with Prepositions[edit | edit source]

Here, we will explore 20 common Swedish verbs that pair with specific prepositions, along with their meanings. Each example will demonstrate how the verb and preposition work together in context.

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
tänka på	ˈtɛŋka pɔ	think about
prata med	ˈprɑːta mɛd	talk with
vänta på	ˈvɛnta pɔ	wait for
leka med	ˈleːka mɛd	play with
börja med	ˈbœrja mɛd	start with
sluta med	ˈslʉːta mɛd	stop with
skoja med	ˈskɔjɑ mɛd	joke with
titta på	ˈtɪtːa pɔ	look at
fundera över	fʊnˈdeːra ˈøːvɛr	ponder over
bry sig om	brʏː siː ɔm	care about
ta hand om	tɑː hand ɔm	take care of
komma till	ˈkɔmːa tɪl	come to
gå till	gɔː tɪl	go to
stanna kvar	ˈstɑnːa kvar	stay (behind)
anmäla sig till	ˈanˌmɛːla sɪɡ tɪl	sign up for
fråga om	ˈfrɔːɡa ɔm	ask about
skratta åt	ˈskratːa ɔt	laugh at
tro på	truː pɔ	believe in
åka till	ˈoːka tɪl	travel to
berätta om	bɛˈrɛtːa ɔm	tell about

These combinations are just a starting point, and it's important to practice using them in various contexts to solidify your understanding.

Examples in Context[edit | edit source]

Now, let’s see how these verbs with prepositions can be used in sentences. Here are some practical examples:

Swedish	Pronunciation	English
Jag tänker på dig.	jɑː ˈtɛŋkɛr pɔ dɛɪ	I'm thinking about you.
Hon pratar med sin vän.	hʊn ˈprɑːtar mɛd sɪn vɛn	She is talking with her friend.
Vi väntar på bussen.	vi ˈvɛntɑr pɔ ˈbʊsɛn	We are waiting for the bus.
Barnen leker med sina leksaker.	ˈbɑːrnɛn ˈleːkɛr mɛd ˈsiːnɑ ˈleːkːsɑːkɛr	The children are playing with their toys.
Jag börjar med min uppgift.	jɑː ˈbœrjar mɛd mɪn ˈʊpːɡɪft	I'm starting with my assignment.
Han slutade med gamla vanor.	hɑn ˈslʉːtadɛ mɛd ˈɡɑlmɑ ˈvɑːnɔr	He stopped with old habits.
Vi skoja med varandra.	vi ˈskɔjɑ mɛd ˈvɑːrɑndra	We joke with each other.
Hon tittar på filmen.	hʊn ˈtɪtːar pɔ ˈfɪlmɛn	She is watching the movie.
Vi funderar över problemet.	vi fʊnˈdeːrar ˈøːvɛr prʊˈblɛmɛt	We are pondering over the problem.
De bryr sig om sina husdjur.	dɔm brʏːr sɪɡ ɔm ˈsiːnɑ ˈhʉːsˌjʉːr	They care about their pets.
Hon tar hand om sin mamma.	hʊn tɑː hand ɔm sɪn ˈmɑmːa	She takes care of her mom.
Jag kommer till dig imorgon.	jɑː ˈkɔmːɛr tɪl dɛɪ ɪˈmɔrːɒn	I will come to you tomorrow.
Vi går till affären.	vi gɔːr tɪl ɑˈfɛːrɛn	We are going to the store.
Han stannar kvar efter skolan.	hɑn ˈstɑnːar kvar ˈɛftɛr ˈskuːlɑn	He stays behind after school.
Jag anmäler mig till kursen.	jɑː ˈanˌmɛːlɛr mɪɡ tɪl ˈkʊrːsɛn	I sign up for the course.
Kan du fråga om vägen?	kɑn dʊ ˈfrɔːɡa ɔm ˈvɛːɡɛn	Can you ask about the way?
Vi skrattar åt skämtet.	vi ˈskratːar ɔt ˈʃɛmtɛt	We laugh at the joke.
Jag tror på dig.	jɑː trʊːr pɔ dɛɪ	I believe in you.
Vi åker till Stockholm.	vi ˈoːkɛr tɪl ˈstɔkːhɔlm	We are traveling to Stockholm.
Han berättar om sin resa.	hɑn bɛˈrɛtːar ɔm sɪn ˈreːsa	He tells about his trip.

These sentences illustrate how the verbs and prepositions work together to convey clear meanings.

Practice Exercises[edit | edit source]

To help you internalize what you’ve learned, here are 10 exercises. Try to complete them using the verbs with prepositions discussed in this lesson.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct verb-preposition combination:

Jag _______ (tänka) _______ mitt jobb. (think about)

2. Translate the following sentence to Swedish:

They are waiting for the train.

3. Match the Swedish phrases with their English translations:

1. Prata med

2. Titta på

3. Ta hand om

4. Fundera över

5. Skratta åt

a. Laugh at

b. Talk with

c. Look at

d. Ponder over

e. Take care of

4. Create a sentence using the verb "sluta" and the preposition "med" (stop with).

5. Choose the correct answer:

Hon _______ (bry sig) _______ sina barn. (care about)

a) bryr sig om

b) bry sig på

6. Write a short paragraph about your weekend using at least three verbs with prepositions.

7. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb:

Vi _______ (gå) _______ skolan nu. (go to)

8. Translate the following sentence to Swedish:

I am thinking about my future.

9. Rewrite the sentence using the verb "komma" and the preposition "till":

He arrives at the party.

10. Correct the sentence if necessary:

Jag skrattar med mitt vän. (I laugh with my friend.)

Solutions and Explanations[edit | edit source]

Now let’s check your answers for the exercises:

1. Jag tänker på mitt jobb.

Explanation: The verb "tänka" requires the preposition "på".

2. De väntar på tåget.

Explanation: "Vänta" pairs with "på" for "waiting for".

3.

1-b: Prata med - Talk with

2-c: Titta på - Look at

3-e: Ta hand om - Take care of

4-d: Fundera över - Ponder over

5-a: Skratta åt - Laugh at

Explanation: Match the phrases based on their meanings.

4. Example answer: Jag slutar med mina dåliga vanor.

Explanation: This sentence correctly uses "sluta" with "med".

5. a) Hon bryr sig om sina barn.

Explanation: The correct form is "bryr sig om".

6. Your paragraph will vary but should include at least three verbs with prepositions.

Example: I tänkte på min semester och pratade med mina vänner om den.

7. Vi går till skolan nu.

Explanation: "Gå" is the correct verb form needed.

8. Jag tänker på min framtid.

Explanation: Uses the correct verb-preposition pair.

9. Example answer: Han kommer till festen.

Explanation: "Komma" correctly combines with "till".

10. Correct: Jag skrattar med min vän.

Explanation: "Vän" should be in the definite form "vän" (friend).

By completing these exercises, you are reinforcing your understanding of how verbs and prepositions work together in Swedish. Keep practicing these combinations, and soon they will become second nature in your speech and writing!

Remember, language learning is a journey, and every small step brings you closer to fluency. Keep up the great work!

Table of Contents - Swedish Course - 0 to A1[edit source]

Course Presentation

Introduction to Swedish

Swedish Pronouns

Colors and Numbers

Swedish Culture

Swedish Verbs

Body parts and health

Swedish Nouns

Travel and directions

Sweden's history

Swedish Adjectives

Jobs and professions

Videos[edit | edit source]

Svenska Hjälpverb - Swedish Auxiliary verbs (Swedish grammar ...[edit | edit source]

Sources[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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