avgå is a prefixed verb — the particle av- ("off, away") welded onto gå ("to go") — and that pedigree is the single most important thing about it: it keeps gå's irregular principal parts. It carries two everyday meanings that English keeps apart: trains and buses avgår ("depart"), and people in office avgår ("resign, step down"). Both flow from the same image of going away from something.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| avgå | avgår | avgick | avgått | avgå (rare) | irregular (av- + gå) |
Do not try to conjugate this as a regular verb. Because avgå is built on gå, every form mirrors gå – går – gick – gått, with av- simply riding in front:
| gå (go) | avgå (depart / resign) | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | går | avgår |
| Preteritum | gick | avgick |
| Supine | gått | avgått |
So the past is avgick (not a regularised *avgådde or *avgade), and the supine after har/hade is plain avgått — never a Group-1-style *avgåt or *avgådd. The prefix av- is unstressed and inseparable here — it never detaches the way a true particle would. The imperative is grammatically avgå but practically unused.
Use 1: departure — trains, buses, flights
This is the timetable sense: a service leaves. It is the natural counterpart to anlända ("arrive") on a departure board, and you'll see Avgår / Ankommer as column headings at any Swedish station.
Tåget avgår från spår 3 klockan 10.
The train departs from platform 3 at 10:00. avgår — present, the timetable word for 'leaves'.
Bussen avgick precis när vi kom fram.
The bus departed just as we got there. avgick — the irregular past, inherited from gick.
Sista färjan har redan avgått.
The last ferry has already departed. har avgått — the perfect, supine after har.
Flyget avgår med en halvtimmes försening.
The flight is departing half an hour late. avgår, present, for a scheduled service.
Use 2: resigning from a post
The same verb means to step down from an office or position — a minister, a CEO, a board member. The person leaves their role rather than a platform, but it is the same going away. Often paired with the source: avgå från sin post ("resign from one's post").
Ministern avgick efter skandalen.
The minister resigned after the scandal. avgick — past, the 'step down' sense.
Han har avgått från alla sina styrelseuppdrag.
He has resigned from all his board positions. har avgått, with från marking what he left.
Oppositionen kräver att regeringen avgår.
The opposition is demanding that the government resign. avgår — present, the political sense.
The noun: en avgång
The matching noun is en avgång — and it carries both meanings just like the verb: a departure (the 10:00 avgång) and a resignation (the minister's avgång). It also gives the station-board heading Avgångar ("Departures").
Nästa avgång mot Göteborg är om tjugo minuter.
The next departure to Gothenburg is in twenty minutes. avgång = 'departure'.
Partiet pressade fram statsministerns avgång.
The party forced the prime minister's resignation. Same noun, the 'resignation' sense.
Common Mistakes
❌ Tåget avgådde klockan 10. (regularised)
Incorrect — avgå follows gå, so the past is avgick, never a regular *avgådde.
✅ Tåget avgick klockan 10.
The train departed at 10:00.
❌ Ministern har avgick.
Incorrect — after har you need the supine avgått, not the past avgick.
✅ Ministern har avgått.
The minister has resigned.
❌ Tåget går av klockan 10. (splitting the prefix)
Incorrect — av- is inseparable here; the verb is avgår, not *går av (which would mean something else).
✅ Tåget avgår klockan 10.
The train departs at 10:00.
❌ Han avgick sin post.
Incorrect — you resign from a post: avgå från sin post, with från.
✅ Han avgick från sin post.
He resigned from his post.
- gå, and it inherits gå's irregular forms: avgår – avgick – avgått (never *avgådde). One verb, two everyday meanings: a service departs (tåget avgår) and a person resigns (ministern avgick). The noun for both is en avgång — which is why station boards read Avgångar.
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- 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.
- gå (to go, walk)A1 — The verb gå means 'to go on foot' — to walk — and by extension 'to work out / function' (Hur går det?). It is the central false friend for English speakers: you never use gå to go somewhere by vehicle, that's åka. Forms: gå – går – gick – gått.
- Prefixed (Inseparable) Verbs (förstå, bestämma)B2 — Swedish has two opposite verb-building systems: native particles that are STRESSED and split off (stå ut), and borrowed prefixes be-, för-, an-, und-, er- that are UNSTRESSED, glued on, and never separate (förstå, bestämma). Stress placement alone tells you which system a verb belongs to.