S-Verbs in Swedish

In Brief

Swedish has common verbs ending in -s: träffas means “meet each other,” finnas means “exist” or appears in “there is/are,” tyckas means “seem,” and lyckas means “succeed.” The beginner rule is to learn each of these as a complete verb, including -s: the ending does not have one English translation, and removing it can change the meaning completely.

Overview

An s-verb is a Swedish verb whose forms end in -s. Some s-verbs describe a reciprocal action (an action people do to each other), as in Vi träffas på fredag (“We’re meeting on Friday”). Others have meanings that English expresses in quite different ways: Det finns ett problem means “There is a problem,” while Hon tycks förstå means “She seems to understand.”

These verbs matter from A1 onward because they occur in ordinary conversation. Vi ses! is a standard way to say “See you!”, Det finns ... is essential for saying that something is available or present, and lyckas is the everyday verb “succeed” or “manage.” They look similar because of the final -s, but they do not all belong to one neat meaning category.

English-speaking learners can be misled by English verb -s, as in “she works.” Swedish s-verbs are unrelated to that ending. Swedish normally uses the same verb form with every subject in a given tense: jag lyckas, hon lyckas, and vi lyckas. Here, -s belongs to the Swedish verb form, not to a third-person subject.

How It Works

The three useful beginner groups

It helps to sort common s-verbs by meaning, while remembering that the boundaries are not always absolute.

Type	Swedish example	Basic idea	Natural English equivalent
Reciprocal	träffas, ses	two or more participants act toward each other	meet, see each other
Passive-like	behövas, höras, synas	something is needed, heard, or visible	be needed, be heard, be visible
Fixed or lexical	finnas, lyckas, hoppas, tyckas	-s is part of the verb you learn	exist, succeed, hope, seem

“Lexical” simply means that the form has its own established dictionary meaning. For example, do not try to calculate lyckas from a modern verb lycka. Learn lyckas as the verb “succeed.” Such verbs are also often called deponent verbs: they look passive because of -s, but have an active or independent meaning.

Reciprocal s-verbs

With a plural subject or a group, an s-form can express “each other”:

• Anna och Leo träffas ofta. — Anna and Leo meet each other often.
• Vi ses efter jobbet. — We’ll see each other after work.
• De hörs varje vecka. — They speak to each other every week.

The subject (the person or thing the sentence is about) normally includes at least two participants. Compare Vi träffar Erik (“We meet Erik”), where Erik is the object (the person affected by the action), with Vi träffas (“We meet each other”), where no object is needed.

English often simply says “meet” rather than “meet each other.” Swedish still normally uses träffas for a mutual meeting: Vi träffas klockan åtta.

Four core verbs and their forms

Swedish verb endings do not change according to person. They do change for tense. The infinitive is the dictionary form, often used after att (“to”); the past places an event in the past; and the supine is the form used after har/hade to build perfect tenses.

Meaning	Infinitive	Present	Past	Supine
meet each other	träffas	träffas	träffades	träffats
seem	tyckas	tycks	tycktes	tyckts
exist; be present	finnas	finns	fanns	funnits
succeed; manage	lyckas	lyckas	lyckades	lyckats

The patterns are not identical, especially finnas – finns – fanns – funnits. Memorize the forms as short sets rather than assuming that every s-verb follows träffas.

Examples with the supine include Vi har träffats förut (“We have met before”), Det har funnits problem (“There have been problems”), and Hon har lyckats (“She has succeeded”).

Essential sentence patterns

Det finns + noun

Use det finns to say that something exists, is present, or is available. Det is a formal subject that fills the subject position; the thing introduced normally comes after the verb.

• Det finns en bank här. — There is a bank here.
• Det finns två stolar i köket. — There are two chairs in the kitchen.

Unlike English “there is/there are,” finns does not change between singular and plural. In the past, use det fanns: Det fanns ingen buss (“There was no bus”).

lyckas + med or att

Use lyckas med before a noun, and lyckas att before another verb. In everyday Swedish, the verb pattern without att is also common.

• Hon lyckades med uppgiften. — She succeeded with the task.
• Vi lyckades (att) hitta huset. — We managed to find the house.

tyckas + infinitive or description

Tyckas expresses an appearance or impression: “seem” or “appear.” The present is usually tycks.

• Han tycks förstå. — He seems to understand.
• Det tycks vara sant. — It seems to be true.

Do not confuse tycks with tycker, which usually expresses an opinion: Jag tycker att filmen är bra (“I think the film is good”).

Negation and word order

In a simple main clause, inte usually follows the finite verb (the verb carrying tense):

• Vi träffas inte idag. — We are not meeting today.
• Det finns inte kaffe. — There is no coffee / There isn’t any coffee.
• Hon lyckades inte. — She did not succeed.

The s-verb remains one word. Do not separate the -s from the verb.

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Vi träffas imorgon.	We’ll meet tomorrow.	Reciprocal träffas
Ska vi ses utanför stationen?	Shall we meet outside the station?	Common arrangement with ses
Maja och Amir hörs varje kväll.	Maja and Amir talk every evening.	Literally, they hear from each other
Vi har träffats förut.	We have met before.	Perfect tense with träffats
Det finns många sorter.	There are many kinds.	finns with a plural noun
Finns det ett apotek i närheten?	Is there a pharmacy nearby?	Question: verb before det
Det fanns ingen plats på bussen.	There was no room on the bus.	Past fanns
Det har funnits en butik här.	There has been a shop here.	Perfect tense with funnits
Det tycks vara sant.	It seems to be true.	tycks + vara
Hon tycks må bättre idag.	She seems to feel better today.	An impression, not an opinion
Hon lyckades.	She succeeded.	lyckas can stand alone
Jag lyckades hitta mina nycklar.	I managed to find my keys.	lyckas + verb
Vi lyckades inte med planen.	We did not succeed with the plan.	lyckas med + noun
Det behövs mer tid.	More time is needed.	Passive-like s-form
Musiken hörs från gatan.	The music can be heard from the street.	Passive-like or potential meaning

Common Mistakes

Removing -s because the subject is plural

• Wrong: Vi träffar imorgon.
• Right: Vi träffas imorgon.
• Why: Träffar normally needs an object: Vi träffar Sara (“We are meeting Sara”). For a mutual meeting, use träffas.

Changing the verb for singular and plural

• Wrong: Det finn många restauranger här.
• Right: Det finns många restauranger här.
• Why: Swedish does not change the present-tense verb according to the number of the following noun. Use finns with both en restaurang and många restauranger.

Using är instead of existential finns

• Wrong: Det är en bank nära hotellet. when introducing the bank’s existence
• Right: Det finns en bank nära hotellet.
• Why: Det finns means “there is/are.” Det är means “it is” and is used for identification or description, although context can sometimes make an English-style translation misleading.

Confusing tycks and tycker

• Wrong: Jag tycks att filmen är bra.
• Right: Jag tycker att filmen är bra.
• Why: Tycka att gives someone’s opinion. Tyckas means “seem”: Filmen tycks vara bra (“The film seems to be good”).

Treating lyckas as an English-style transitive verb

• Wrong: Hon lyckades provet.
• Right: Hon lyckades med provet. / Hon klarade provet.
• Why: Before a noun, lyckas normally takes med. Klara is another common verb for passing or managing something.

Building an incorrect past form

• Wrong: Det finnades många problem.
• Right: Det fanns många problem.
• Why: Finnas is irregular. Learn finns – fanns – funnits as a set.

Usage Notes

Vi ses! is one of the most frequent conversational s-verb expressions. Depending on context, it can mean “See you!”, “See you then,” or “We’ll meet.” Vi hörs! means roughly “Talk soon” or “We’ll be in touch,” especially when the next contact may be by phone or message.

Träffas often describes a planned meeting or the general fact that people meet. Mötas can also mean “meet,” including coming together or encountering each other, and is common for meetings between groups or opposing sides. At beginner level, träffas is a safe everyday choice for meeting people socially.

In careful formal prose, tycks can sound slightly more detached than verkar (“seems”). Both are common, but verkar is especially frequent in conversation: Det verkar bra (“That seems good”). Synas is different again: it often means “be visible,” as in Huset syns inte härifrån (“The house cannot be seen from here”).

The expression det finns often corresponds to English “there is/are,” but finnas also literally means “exist” or “be present”: Finns det liv på Mars? (“Does life exist on Mars?”). Context determines the most natural English translation.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the full Swedish passive at A1, but you will often see the same -s attached productively to ordinary verbs. This creates an s-passive, where the subject receives the action rather than performs it:

• Dörren öppnas klockan åtta. — The door is opened at eight.
• Boken säljs i många länder. — The book is sold in many countries.

This productive passive looks like the s-verbs in this article, but the analysis is different. Säljs has a clear active partner, säljer (“sells”), and describes something being sold. By contrast, finns and lyckas have established meanings that cannot normally be understood by simply turning another verb into a passive.

Some forms are ambiguous without context. Vi ses is naturally reciprocal (“we see each other”), while Filmen ses av många is passive (“the film is watched by many”). Musiken hörs can be understood as “the music is heard” or more naturally “the music is audible.” The surrounding words and the kind of subject usually make the intended meaning clear.

Reciprocal meaning can also be expressed with varandra (“each other”): De hjälper varandra (“They help each other”). Not every verb naturally forms a reciprocal s-verb, so do not add -s freely. Learn established combinations such as träffas, ses, höras, mötas, and skiljas (“part; go separate ways”).

Finally, s-verbs may take particles or complements that must be learned with them. Hoppas på means “hope for,” minnas means “remember,” trivas means “feel comfortable/thrive,” and skämmas för means “be ashamed of.” Their final -s is part of their vocabulary identity, not an instruction to translate them as passives.

Practice Tips

1. Learn four-part form sets. Say and write finnas – finns – fanns – funnits and lyckas – lyckas – lyckades – lyckats, then put each form in one short sentence.
2. Sort by sentence pattern. Make separate cards for det finns + noun, lyckas med + noun, lyckas (att) + verb, and reciprocal vi + s-verb. This is more useful than memorizing the ending alone.
3. Listen for everyday closings. Notice Vi ses! and Vi hörs! in conversations. Then arrange imaginary meetings using a time and place: Vi ses på caféet klockan sex.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense (Verb Groups) — provides the basic Swedish verb system that s-verbs build on.