| Form | Swedish | English pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | att skämta | to … |
| Present | skämtar | I …, he …s |
| Past (preteritum) | skämtade | I …ed |
| Supine (perfect) | har skämtat | have …ed |
| Past perfect | hade skämtat | had …ed |
| Future | ska skämta / kommer att skämta | will … |
| Imperative | skämta! | … ! |
| Present participle | skämtande | …ing |
Swedish verbs do not change for person: jag skämtar, du skämtar, hon skämtar, vi skämtar, de skämtar. Learn one form per tense and you can use it with everyone.
How skämta 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 skämta → skämtar, skämtade, skämtat.
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