| Form | Swedish | English pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | att arbeta | to … |
| Present | arbetar | I …, he …s |
| Past (preteritum) | arbetade | I …ed |
| Supine (perfect) | har arbetat | have …ed |
| Past perfect | hade arbetat | had …ed |
| Future | ska arbeta / kommer att arbeta | will … |
| Imperative | arbeta! | … ! |
| Past participle | arbetad | …ed (adjective) |
| Present participle | arbetande | …ing |
Swedish verbs do not change for person: jag arbetar, du arbetar, hon arbetar, vi arbetar, de arbetar. Learn one form per tense and you can use it with everyone.
How arbeta conjugates
Group 1 is the largest and most regular group. The infinitive ends in -a, the present adds -r, the past adds -de and the supine adds -t: tala → talar, talade, talat. New verbs that enter Swedish (googla, chatta) almost always join this group. So arbeta → arbetar, arbetade, arbetat.
Meanings and examples
Patterns: ngn = någon (someone) · ngt = något (something) · SATS = a clause · VERB = a verb · PLATS = a place · RIKTNING = a direction · TID = a time · SÄTT = a manner · ADJ = an adjective