| Form | Swedish | English pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | att behöva | to … |
| Present | behöver | I …, he …s |
| Past (preteritum) | behövde | I …ed |
| Supine (perfect) | har behövt | have …ed |
| Past perfect | hade behövt | had …ed |
| Future | ska behöva / kommer att behöva | will … |
| Imperative | behöv! | … ! |
| Past participle | behövd | …ed (adjective) |
| Present participle | behövande | …ing |
Swedish verbs do not change for person: jag behöver, du behöver, hon behöver, vi behöver, de behöver. Learn one form per tense and you can use it with everyone.
How behöva conjugates
Group 2a verbs drop the -a of the infinitive and add -er in the present and -de in the past: stänga → stänger, stängde, stängt. The past takes -de when the stem ends in a voiced sound. So behöva → behöver, behövde, behövt.
Passive (s-form)
Swedish makes the passive by adding -s: the doer drops out and the thing acted on becomes the subject. Spoken Swedish often prefers bli + past participle (blev behövd).
| Form | Swedish |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | att behövas |
| Present | behövs |
| Past | behövdes |
| Supine | har behövts |
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