Expressing Likes and Preferences in Swedish

Overview

Telling people what you like, love, or prefer is one of the most important skills at the CEFR A1 level. Swedish has several verbs for expressing preferences, and they work differently from English. The most important is tycka om, a two-part (particle) verb meaning "to like." Unlike English, where "like" is a single word, Swedish splits the verb and its particle in certain sentence structures.

Understanding the differences between tycka om (like), gilla (like, informal), älska (love), and föredra (prefer) will let you express opinions about food, activities, people, and places from your very first conversations.

How It Works

The Main Verbs

Swedish	English	Register	Construction
tycka om	to like	Standard	tycka om + noun/att + verb
gilla	to like	Informal/colloquial	gilla + noun/att + verb
älska	to love	All registers	älska + noun/att + verb
föredra	to prefer	Slightly formal	föredra + noun/att + verb
hata	to hate	All registers	hata + noun/att + verb

Conjugation of tycka om (Group 2b)

Form	Swedish	Example
Infinitive	tycka om	Jag vill tycka om det.
Present	tycker om	Jag tycker om glass.
Past	tyckte om	Jag tyckte om filmen.
Supine	tyckt om	Jag har tyckt om det.

Particle Placement

In main clauses, om stays right after tycker:

• Jag tycker om kaffe. (I like coffee.)

In subordinate clauses, the particle moves to directly before the verb (BIFF rule):

• ...att jag inte tycker om kaffe. (...that I don't like coffee.)

Expressing Degree

Swedish	English
Jag tycker mycket om...	I like ... a lot
Jag tycker bäst om...	I like ... the best
Jag tycker inte om...	I don't like ...
Jag tycker inte alls om...	I don't like ... at all

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Jag tycker om choklad.	I like chocolate.	Standard construction
Hon älskar att läsa.	She loves to read.	Verb + att + infinitive
Tycker du om kaffe?	Do you like coffee?	Question form
Jag tycker bäst om sommaren.	I like summer the best.	Superlative preference
Vi gillar att resa.	We like to travel.	Informal gilla
Han föredrar te framför kaffe.	He prefers tea over coffee.	Formal preference
Jag tycker inte om fisk.	I don't like fish.	Negation
Barnen älskar glass.	The children love ice cream.	Plural subject
Vad tycker du om att göra?	What do you like to do?	Question with att-clause
Jag tycker om henne.	I like her.	Liking a person
De gillar inte att vänta.	They don't like to wait.	Negated gilla
Jag tyckte om filmen.	I liked the movie.	Past tense

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the particle om

• Wrong: Jag tycker kaffe.
• Right: Jag tycker om kaffe.
• Why: Without om, the verb tycka means "to think/have an opinion," not "to like." Jag tycker kaffe does not make sense.

Confusing tycka, tycka om, and tänka

• Wrong: Jag tänker om Stockholm. (meaning "I like Stockholm")
• Right: Jag tycker om Stockholm.
• Why: Tänka means "to think" (cognitive process), tycka means "to think/have an opinion," and tycka om means "to like." These are three different verbs.

Using gilla in formal contexts

• Wrong: Vi gillar att meddela... (in a formal letter)
• Right: Vi vill gärna meddela...
• Why: Gilla is colloquial. In formal writing, use other constructions or uppskatta (appreciate).

Wrong word order with negation

• Wrong: Jag tycker om inte kaffe.
• Right: Jag tycker inte om kaffe.
• Why: The negation inte goes between the verb and its particle: tycker inte om.

Usage Notes

Tycka om is the all-purpose, standard way to say you like something in Swedish. Gilla has become very common in everyday spoken Swedish and on social media, influenced partly by platforms that use "gilla" for the "like" button. However, tycka om remains the safer choice in most situations.

For stronger feelings, älska (love) works just as broadly as in English --- you can love a person, a food, or an activity. Föredra (prefer) is somewhat formal and more common in writing.

Practice Tips

• Start a daily habit of naming three things you like: Jag tycker om kaffe. Jag tycker om musik. Jag tycker om att promenera. Vary the objects each day.
• Practice negation alongside the positive form. For every "I like X," also say "I don't like Y": Jag tycker om te. Jag tycker inte om kaffe.
• Pay attention to the difference between tycka (opinion: Jag tycker att det är bra) and tycka om (like: Jag tycker om det). This distinction trips up many learners.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Present Tense (Verb Groups) --- you need to know how to conjugate verbs in present tense before working with tycka om