framgå means to be evident, to be apparent, or to follow (from something) — the verb you reach for in formal Swedish to say that a fact emerges clearly from a source. It is built from fram- ("forth, forward") plus the irregular verb gå ("to go"), and it inherits gå's irregular conjugation completely: framgå – framgick – framgått. It is overwhelmingly used impersonally, with the dummy subject det — Det framgår att… — and it belongs firmly to written and official register.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| framgå | framgår | framgick | framgått | — (none) | Irregular (fram- + gå) |
Notice that the past is framgick, not anything regular — it is simply gick (the irregular past of gå) with fram- on the front. Likewise the supine framgått is gått with the prefix. There is no imperative: you cannot command a fact to be evident, so the form doesn't occur in real use. This irregular inheritance is the one thing to verify and then trust.
Det framgår tydligt av siffrorna att försäljningen ökar.
It is clearly evident from the figures that sales are rising. framgår — present.
Av det gamla brevet framgick att de aldrig hade träffats.
From the old letter it emerged that they had never met. framgick — past, = gick + fram-.
Som har framgått ovan är frågan komplicerad.
As has been made clear above, the question is complicated. har framgått — perfect.
Use 1: Det framgår att… — the impersonal frame
The signature construction is Det framgår att… ("It is evident/apparent that…"). The grammatical subject is the placeholder det, and the real content is the att-clause. This is how reports, contracts, and academic prose state that something is plain from the material.
Det framgår att avtalet upphör vid årsskiftet.
It is apparent that the agreement ends at the turn of the year.
Det framgick aldrig riktigt vem som bar ansvaret.
It never really became clear who bore the responsibility.
Det har framgått att flera regler inte följdes.
It has emerged that several rules were not followed.
Use 2: framgå av — "be evident from (a source)"
To name the source from which something is evident, framgå takes the preposition av: framgå av rapporten / av handlingarna / av sammanhanget ("be evident from the report / the documents / the context"). This av-phrase is what makes framgå so useful in citing evidence.
Som framgår av tabellen ovan är skillnaden liten.
As is evident from the table above, the difference is small.
Det framgår inte av dokumentet vem som undertecknade det.
It is not clear from the document who signed it.
Av sammanhanget framgår att ordet används ironiskt.
From the context it is apparent that the word is used ironically.
Use 3: register and a near-synonym note
framgå is formal and written; in casual speech you would more likely say Det syns att… or Man kan se att…. It also leans impersonal — a personal subject is rare and sounds stilted. Keep it for reports, legal text, and academic writing, where it is exactly right. A close relative is framkomma ("come out, emerge"), used for facts that surface in an investigation; framgå is for what is plainly readable in an existing source.
I rapporten framgår att budgeten överskreds med tio procent.
In the report it is evident that the budget was exceeded by ten per cent. (formal)
Av motiveringen framgår domstolens resonemang i sin helhet.
From the reasoning the court's full line of argument is apparent. (academic/legal)
Common Mistakes
❌ Det framgådde av rapporten.
Incorrect — framgå is fram + gå and is irregular, so the past is framgick (like gick), never -dde or -ade.
✅ Det framgick av rapporten.
It was evident from the report.
❌ Det har framgick att…
Incorrect — after har you need the supine framgått, not the past framgick.
✅ Det har framgått att…
It has emerged that…
❌ Det framgår från rapporten att…
Wrong preposition — framgå takes av, not från, to name its source.
✅ Det framgår av rapporten att…
It is evident from the report that…
❌ Rapporten framgår att försäljningen ökar.
Wrong subject — the report isn't the subject; the source goes in an av-phrase and the clause hangs off impersonal det.
✅ Av rapporten framgår att försäljningen ökar.
From the report it is evident that sales are rising.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- 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.