frysa covers two ideas that English keeps apart: "to feel cold" (a person) and "to freeze" (water, food, weather). When a Swede is cold they say Jag fryser — literally "I freeze" — never Jag är kall, which would describe their body temperature to the touch, not their sensation. It is a strong verb of the y–ö–u type, with principal parts frysa – frös – frusit: present y, past ö in frös, supine u in frusit. Its participle frusen ("frozen, chilled") is an everyday word in its own right.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frysa | fryser | frös | frusit | frys | Group 4 (strong), y–ö–u |
Track the vowel: present y (frysa, fryser), past ö (frös), supine u (frusit). The agreeing past participle is frusen / fruset / frusna, with the same u as the supine. The trap is the supine — it is frusit, never frysit — and the participle likewise rounds to frusen, not frysen.
Jag fryser om fötterna hela vintern.
My feet are cold all winter long. fryser — present, 'I feel cold.'
Vi frös ihjäl medan vi väntade på bussen.
We froze waiting for the bus. frös — past, vowel ö.
Sjön har frusit till is över natten.
The lake has frozen to ice overnight. har frusit — perfect, supine vowel u.
Use 1: present, past and perfect
The three tenses follow the principal parts. Present fryser covers "feel cold / am freezing." The past frös is the bare vowel-changed stem with ö. The perfect is har frusit; the pluperfect is hade frusit. Note again the jump from ö in the past to u in the supine.
Barnen fryser efter en lång dag i snön.
The children are cold after a long day in the snow. Present fryser.
Det frös på i natt, så vägarna är hala.
It froze overnight, so the roads are slippery. frös — simple past, weather sense.
Vattenledningarna hade frusit innan vi hann isolera dem.
The water pipes had frozen before we managed to insulate them. hade frusit — pluperfect, supine frusit.
Use 2: Jag fryser — feeling cold
This is the sense English speakers most often get wrong. To say "I'm cold" — describing your own chilly sensation — Swedish uses Jag fryser, the verb, not the adjective kall. Jag är kall describes your skin or body as cold to the touch (after a swim, say), or a cold personality; it is not how you complain about the weather. Reach for the verb whenever you mean the feeling.
Stäng fönstret, jag fryser!
Close the window, I'm cold! Jag fryser — the feeling, not Jag är kall.
Hon frös trots tjocktröjan och dubbla strumpor.
She was cold despite the thick jumper and double socks. frös — past of the feeling.
Tar du på dig en jacka brukar du inte frysa lika mycket.
If you put on a jacket you usually don't get as cold. frysa — infinitive after brukar.
Use 3: freezing things, and the participle frusen
In its other sense frysa means "to freeze" — what water does, and what you do to food. frysa ner is the everyday phrasal for "to freeze (food)," putting it in the freezer; you'll also hear frysa in for the same action. The past participle frusen is a useful adjective meaning "frozen" or, of a person, "chilled / cold through." One verb thus stretches from the kitchen freezer to a shivering child on the same root — context and any particle tell you which sense is meant, and the vowel pattern (frös, frusit, frusen) stays identical across all of them.
Vi fryser ner bären så att de håller hela vintern.
We freeze the berries so they keep all winter. frysa ner — freeze food.
Marken var frusen och hård som sten.
The ground was frozen and hard as stone. frusen — past participle as adjective.
Den lilla katten såg blöt och frusen ut.
The little cat looked wet and chilled through. frusen — describing a cold creature.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag är kall. (meaning 'I feel cold')
Incorrect for the sensation — Jag är kall describes your skin or a cold manner. For feeling cold, say Jag fryser.
✅ Jag fryser.
I'm cold.
❌ Vi frysade på perrongen.
Incorrect — frysa is strong and takes no -ade ending. The past is the vowel-changed frös.
✅ Vi frös på perrongen.
We froze on the platform.
❌ Sjön har frysit. (y in the supine)
Incorrect — the supine is frusit with u, not frysit. The y survives only in frysa/fryser.
✅ Sjön har frusit.
The lake has frozen.
❌ Köttet är frysen. (participle vowel)
Incorrect — the participle is frusen with u, not frysen. Match the supine vowel.
✅ Köttet är fruset.
The meat is frozen.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
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