andas means "to breathe" — and it is the cleanest possible example of a deponent s-verb: it always carries an -s, yet it is a perfectly ordinary, active intransitive verb, neither passive nor reflexive. That makes andas especially instructive. Many learners assume an -s verb must be a passive ("be done to") or at least a hidden reflexive ("do to oneself"). andas is neither — breathing is just something you actively do — and so it proves that the deponent -s is simply part of the word. Its present is identical to the infinitive (andas), the same for every person. The -s never drops.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| andas | andas | andades | andats | andas | deponent (s-verb) |
A regular weak deponent that carries the -s throughout. The present andas is exactly the infinitive andas — there is no *andar. The past andades and the supine andats (used after har/hade) keep the -s too. One form for every subject: jag andas, du andas, hon andas, vi andas. And — unlike lyckas or hoppas — andas has a perfectly natural imperative, andas! ("breathe!"), used constantly in yoga classes, by midwives, and when telling someone to calm down.
Andas djupt och försök slappna av.
Breathe deeply and try to relax. andas = imperative, keeping the -s; a phrase you hear in every yoga class.
Patienten andades tungt efter operationen.
The patient was breathing heavily after the operation. andades = past, with -s.
Hon har knappt andats sedan beskedet kom.
She has barely breathed since the news came. andats = supine, after har.
Use 1: andas — to breathe (the plain verb)
Used on its own, andas is simply "breathe," in every literal and figurative sense — a living thing taking air, a room that "breathes," a relieved sigh.
Det är svårt att andas i den här hettan.
It's hard to breathe in this heat. andas, plain present infinitive after svårt att.
Han slutade andas en kort stund av ren skräck.
He stopped breathing for a moment out of sheer fright. sluta andas — 'stop breathing'.
Äntligen kunde jag andas ut — allt hade gått bra.
At last I could breathe out — everything had gone well. Here figuratively, 'breathe a sigh of relief'.
Use 2: andas in / ut — breathe in / out
With the particles in and ut, andas gives andas in ("breathe in / inhale") and andas ut ("breathe out / exhale"). The particle follows the verb, exactly as in English.
Andas in genom näsan och ut genom munnen.
Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. andas in / andas ut, paired as instructions.
Hon andades in den friska skogsluften.
She breathed in the fresh forest air. andas in + an object (the air).
Andas ut långsamt och räkna till fyra.
Breathe out slowly and count to four. andas ut, imperative.
Why andas matters: a pure deponent
It is worth pausing on what andas teaches. The Swedish -s does three different jobs depending on the verb: it can mark a passive (boken läses, "the book is read"), a reciprocal (de ses, "they see each other"), or it can just be a fixed part of a deponent. With andas, none of the "extra meanings" apply — you are not "being breathed," and you are not "breathing each other." You are simply breathing, an everyday active action. So when a learner asks "what does the -s on andas do?", the honest answer is: nothing special — it is glued to the word. That is the essence of a deponent, and andas shows it with no distractions.
Fisken andas genom gälarna.
The fish breathes through its gills. A plain factual sentence — active, intransitive, no passive or reflexive sense at all.
Så länge jag andas tänker jag inte ge upp.
As long as I'm breathing, I'm not going to give up. andas in a vivid, idiomatic 'as long as I live' frame.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag andar lugnt nu.
Incorrect — there is no -ar present; the present of andas IS andas. The -s never drops.
✅ Jag andas lugnt nu.
I'm breathing calmly now.
❌ Anda djupt!
Incorrect — the imperative keeps the -s: andas! There is no -s-less form.
✅ Andas djupt!
Breathe deeply!
❌ Han andade tungt.
Incorrect — the past keeps the -s: andades, not *andade.
✅ Han andades tungt.
He was breathing heavily.
❌ Hon har andat ut.
Incorrect — the supine keeps the -s: andats, not *andat.
✅ Hon har andats ut.
She has breathed out.
❌ Jag andas mig lugn. (adding a reflexive pronoun)
Off — andas is not reflexive; don't add mig. It's a plain intransitive: just andas.
✅ Jag andas lugnt.
I'm breathing calmly.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Deponent Verbs (s-verbs That Aren't Passive)B1 — A small but extremely common set of Swedish verbs that always end in -s yet mean something fully active: hoppas ('hope'), trivas ('feel at home'), lyckas ('succeed'), minnas ('remember'), andas ('breathe'), and — most importantly — finnas, the everyday verb for 'there is'. You never strip the -s, and you use one of these constantly without realising it forms a category.
- Using the Verb ReferenceA2 — How to read the single-verb reference cards and the principal-parts citation system that underpins them. Every Swedish verb is cited as a short chain — infinitive – present – preteritum – supine – (past participle) — because every other form is derivable from those parts. This page decodes one weak verb (tala – talar – talade – talat) and one strong verb (skriva – skriver – skrev – skrivit – skriven), explains the conjugation-group labels (1/2/3/4), and gives a key to everything on a card.
- Existential Sentences (det finns / det är)A2 — How to say 'there is / there are' in Swedish — and why it splits into two constructions English merges into one. Det finns marks pure existence ('is there such a thing?': Det finns en lösning), while det är and presentational verbs mark located presence ('is something here right now?': Det är någon vid dörren / Det står en man där). The dummy subject is det, the real ('logical') subject follows the verb — and it must be INDEFINITE.