100 most common Swedish verbs

Ranked by how often each verb is actually spoken in films and TV series, with the English meaning and a short example. Free to download for Anki, Quizlet, Excel or print.

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The list

100 verbs

#	Swedish	English and example
1	varaverb	beJag är glad. I am happy.
2	haverb	haveJag har en hund. I have a dog.
3	varverb	be, whereVar är min nyckel? Where is my key?
4	kunnaverb	can, be able toJag kan tala svenska. I can speak Swedish.
5	göraverb	do, makeVad gör du? What are you doing?
6	kommaverb	comeKom hit nu! Come here now!
7	viljaverb	want, wishJag vill ha kaffe. I want coffee.
8	fåverb	get, mayJag får en present. I get a present.
9	vetaverb	knowJag vet inte. I don't know.
10	skaverb	shall, willJag ska gå nu. I will go now.
11	sägaverb	say, tellVad säger du? What do you say?
12	taverb	take, grabTa min hand nu. Take my hand now.
13	severb	see, lookSe vad jag hittade! See what I found!
14	gåverb	go, walkGå hem nu. Go home now.
15	bliverb	become, getDet blir mörkt snart. It will get dark soon.
16	måsteverb	must, have toDu måste äta nu. You must eat now.
17	troverb	believe, thinkJag tror det är sant. I believe that is true.
18	skulleverb	should, wouldDu skulle vara här tidigare. You should be here earlier.
19	geverb	giveGe mig det där. Give me that.
20	behövaverb	needJag behöver pengar. I need money.
21	finnasverb	exist, beDet finns många hundar här. There are many dogs here.
22	tänkaverb	think, believeVad tänker du om det? What do you think about that?
23	låtaverb	let, allow, soundLåt mig gå nu. Let me go now.
24	hållaverb	hold, keep, lastHåll min hand! Hold my hand!
25	prataverb	talk, speakVi pratar varje dag. We talk every day.
26	höraverb	hear, listenHöra du det? Do you hear that?
27	hittaverb	find, discoverJag kan inte hitta det. I cannot find it.
28	kännaverb	feel, know, senseJag känner mig bra. I feel good.
29	väntaverb	wait, expectVänta här en minut. Wait here a minute.
30	dödaverb	kill, dieHan dog i kriget. He died in the war.
31	berättaverb	tell, say, narrateBerätta vad som hände! Tell what happened!
32	böraverb	should, ought to, mustDu bör äta mer frukt. You should eat more fruit.
33	förståverb	understand, comprehendJag förstår inte svenska. I don't understand Swedish.
34	försökaverb	try, attemptJag försöker lära mig svenska. I'm trying to learn Swedish.
35	älskaverb	love, adoreJag älskar min familj. I love my family.
36	börjaverb	begin, start, commenceVi börjar arbeta klockan åtta. We start working at eight.
37	hjälpaverb	help, assist, aidKan du hjälpa mig? Can you help me?
38	åkaverb	go, travel, ride, driveVi åker till Stockholm imorgon. We're going to Stockholm tomorrow.
39	träffaverb	meet, encounter, hitJag träffar min vän idag. I'm meeting my friend today.
40	händaverb	happen, occur, take placeVad hände igår? What happened yesterday?
41	slutaverb	end, finish, stop, quitVi slutar arbeta klockan fem. We finish work at five.
42	tittaverb	look, watch, seeTitta på mig! Look at me!
43	ståverb	stand, be standingJag står vid dörren. I'm standing at the door.
44	menaverb	mean, intend, thinkVad menar du? What do you mean?
45	döverb	die, pass awayBlomman dör utan vatten. The flower dies without water.
46	gillaverb	like, enjoy, fancyJag gillar denna film. I like this film.
47	lämnaverb	leave, abandon, departJag lämnar hemma klockan åtta. I leave home at eight.
48	tyckaverb	think, believe, seem, likeVad tycker du om det? What do you think about it?
49	ringaverb	call, ringKan du ringa mig senare? Can you call me later?
50	köraverb	drive, runHan kör bilen snabbt. He drives the car fast.
51	läggaverb	put, lay, placeLägg det på bordet. Put it on the table.
52	stannaverb	stay, stop, remainKan du stanna här? Can you stay here?
53	jobbaverb	workJag jobbar varje dag. I work every day.
54	förlåtaverb	forgive, pardonFörlåt mig, jag är ledsen. Forgive me, I'm sorry.
55	talaverb	speak, talk, sayKan du tala svenska? Can you speak Swedish?
56	visaverb	show, displayKan du visa mig vägen? Can you show me the way?
57	måverb	feel, be, mayHur mår du idag? How are you today?
58	följaverb	follow, go withFölj mig, snälla. Follow me, please.
59	spelaverb	play, performVi spelar fotboll imorgon. We play football tomorrow.
60	hetaverb	be called, be namedVad heter du? What is your name?
61	draverb	pull, draw, dragDra gardinen när det är mörkt. Pull the curtain when it's dark.
62	sittaverb	sit, be sittingJag sitter på stolen. I sit on the chair.
63	slåverb	hit, strike, beatHan slår bollen långt. He hits the ball far.
64	kollaverb	check, look, watchKolla vad jag hittade! Look what I found!
65	skjutaverb	shoot, push, shovePolisen skjuter på målet. The police officer shoots at the target.
66	läraverb	teach, learnLäraren lär oss svenska. The teacher teaches us Swedish.
67	levaverb	live, be aliveJag lever med min familj. I live with my family.
68	ursäktaverb	excuse, apologize, pardonUrsäkta, var är toaletten? Excuse me, where is the toilet?
69	skrivaverb	writeJag skriver ett brev. I write a letter.
70	verkaverb	seem, appearDu verkar trött idag. You seem tired today.
71	glömmaverb	forgetJag glömmer alltid min nyckel. I always forget my key.
72	beverb	pray, ask, requestVi ber innan vi äter. We pray before we eat.
73	ätaverb	eatVi äter middag tillsammans. We eat dinner together.
74	släppaverb	release, let go, dropSläpp min hand nu! Let go of my hand now!
75	liggaverb	lie, be lyingJag ligger i sängen. I lie in bed.
76	sättaverb	put, place, setSätt dig här bredvid mig. Sit down here next to me.
77	lyssnaverb	listenLyssna på mig nu! Listen to me now!
78	boverb	live, stayJag bor i Stockholm. I live in Stockholm.
79	hämtaverb	fetch, pick upKan du hämta mig? Can you pick me up?
80	klaraverb	manage, handleJag klarar det själv. I can handle it myself.
81	fortsättaverb	continueVi fortsätter imorgon. We continue tomorrow.
82	skickaverb	sendSkicka ett brev till mig. Send a letter to me.
83	minnasverb	rememberJag minns det väl. I remember that well.
84	kallaverb	call, nameVi kallar honom Erik. We call him Erik.
85	hoppasverb	hopeJag hoppas du mår bra. I hope you are well.
86	räddaverb	save, rescueHan räddade mitt liv. He saved my life.
87	användaverb	useKan jag använda din penna? Can I use your pen?
88	betalaverb	payJag betalar för maten. I pay for the food.
89	letaverb	search, look forJag letar efter min nyckel. I am looking for my key.
90	röraverb	touch, moveRör inte det! Do not touch that!
91	betydaverb	mean, signifyVad betyder det här ordet? What does this word mean?
92	köpaverb	buy, purchaseJag köper mjölk på affären. I buy milk at the store.
93	sesverb	see, meetVi ses imorgon klockan två. We'll see each other tomorrow at two.
94	sovaverb	sleepJag måste sova nu, jag är trött. I need to sleep now, I'm tired.
95	förloraverb	lose, misplaceHan förlorar alltid sina nycklar. He always loses his keys.
96	öppnaverb	openKan du öppna dörren för mig? Can you open the door for me?
97	läsaverb	read, studyJag läser en spännande bok. I'm reading an exciting book.
98	lovaverb	promise, swearJag lovar att komma i tid. I promise to come on time.
99	kännasverb	feel, seem, appearDet känns kallt idag. It feels cold today.
100	fattaverb	understand, grasp, catchJag fattar inte vad du säger. I don't understand what you're saying.

How this list was made

Most frequency lists count newspapers and books. This one counts what people say on screen: word counts from the OpenSubtitles 2018 collection of film and TV subtitles (112 million Swedish words), published by the FrequencyWords project.

Different forms of the same word are counted together under the dictionary form, so every form of a verb adds to the verb's rank. Names, English words, typos and swear words were removed. Nouns are shown with their article where the language has one, so you learn the gender with the word.

Ranking: OpenSubtitles 2018 via FrequencyWords by Hermit Dave (CC BY-SA 4.0). This list is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Questions

How many Swedish words do you need to understand films and TV?

In 112 million words of Swedish subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 61.9% of everything said, the top 500 make up 78.3% and the top 1000 make up 82.8%. The rest are rarer words that are easiest to pick up from the shows themselves, in context.

How do I import this list into Anki?

Download the Anki deck (.apkg) and open it, or in Anki choose File, Import and pick the file. The cards arrive in the order of the list, most common first, with the meaning and an example on the back. AnkiDroid and AnkiMobile open the same file.

Can I use it in Quizlet?

Yes. Open the Quizlet file, copy everything, then in Quizlet create a set, choose Import and paste. Keep "Tab" between term and definition and "New line" between cards. Knowt and Brainscape accept the same text.

Is it free to use and share?

Yes. Download it, print it and share it. The list is published under CC BY-SA 4.0: if you publish it or a changed version, credit Fluent by Accident and the FrequencyWords project and share it under the same licence.

Where do the translations and examples come from?

The ranking comes only from real word counts. The English meanings and example sentences were drafted with AI and can contain small mistakes. If you spot one, write to rk@coldabry.com.