gissa means "to guess" — to offer an answer without being sure. It is a textbook Group 1 verb, so every form is predictable: gissar, gissade, gissat. The only things you really need to add to the bare verb are its preposition (gissa på) and the two fixed phrases gissa rätt and gissa fel. It is also worth keeping gissa distinct from its near-neighbours tro ("believe") and anta ("assume").
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gissa | gissar | gissade | gissat | gissa | Group 1 |
Nothing surprising here: present gissar (stem + -ar), past gissade (full -ade), supine gissat (-at, used after har), imperative gissa! identical to the stem. The doubled s stays throughout — it belongs to the stem, not to any ending.
Use 1: gissa — to guess (plain)
In its plainest use, gissa takes either a direct object (the thing guessed) or a that-clause (att…) reporting the content of the guess.
Gissa hur gammal jag är!
Guess how old I am! Imperative gissa + an indirect question.
Jag gissar att hon redan har åkt.
I'm guessing she's already left. gissar att + clause — the guess reported as a that-clause.
Han gissade rätt svar på första försöket.
He guessed the right answer on the first try. gissade — the regular Group 1 past, with a direct object.
Du har gissat fel den här gången.
You've guessed wrong this time. har gissat — the perfect, supine gissat after har.
Use 2: gissa på — guess at / pick a guess
When you commit to one specific option among several — picking a number, a name, a card — Swedish uses gissa på. The på points to the thing you put your bet on.
Jag gissar på ett tal mellan ett och tio.
I'm guessing a number between one and ten. gissa på — committing to a particular guess.
Om jag måste välja gissar jag på det blå alternativet.
If I have to choose, I'll guess the blue option. gissa på + the option you settle on.
Use 3: gissa rätt / gissa fel — guess correctly / wrongly
The outcome of a guess is expressed with gissa rätt ("guess right") and gissa fel ("guess wrong"). Here rätt and fel are adverbs modifying the verb — there is no preposition and no article.
Grattis, du gissade rätt!
Congratulations, you guessed right! gissa rätt — bare adverb, no article.
Jag gissade fel på alla frågorna.
I guessed wrong on all the questions. gissa fel, with på marking what you guessed about.
The noun en gissning, and gissa vs tro vs anta
The related noun is en gissning — "a guess." Det var bara en gissning means "that was just a guess." Keep three verbs apart: gissa is to offer an answer you can't verify; tro is "to believe / think" (a held opinion you may actually hold to be true); anta is "to assume" (to take something as a working premise). You gissar a lottery number, you tror that it will rain, and you antar that the shop is open.
Det var bara en gissning — jag vet inte säkert.
It was just a guess — I don't know for sure. The noun en gissning.
Jag tror att det blir regn, men jag gissar bara.
I think it'll rain, but I'm only guessing. tro = hold an opinion; gissa = guess without certainty.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag gisser hur gammal du är.
Incorrect — gissa is Group 1, so the present is gissar (-ar), not *gisser (-er).
✅ Jag gissar hur gammal du är.
I'm guessing how old you are.
❌ Han gissde fel.
Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade. The past is gissade, not *gissde.
✅ Han gissade fel.
He guessed wrong.
❌ Gissa på hur gammal jag är!
Off — for an open guess use plain gissa + question: Gissa hur gammal jag är! Save gissa på for picking one option.
✅ Gissa hur gammal jag är!
Guess how old I am!
❌ Du gissade rätt svaret.
Incorrect — either gissade rätt (adverb, no object) or gissade rätt svar (object, no extra rätt-as-adverb). Don't stack both as written.
✅ Du gissade rätt!
You guessed right!
Now practice Swedish
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
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