heta (to be called/named) | Swedish Grammar

heta means "to be called" or "to be named" — and it is the verb Swedish uses to give a name. Where English says "My name is Anna," Swedish says Jag heter Anna, literally "I am-called Anna." It is one of the first verbs you ever need, and it is irregular (heter / hette / hetat), so its forms are worth learning cold. The crucial structural point: the name that follows is a predicative complement, not a direct object — so it never changes shape.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Type
heta	heter	hette	hetat	(rare)	irregular

The forms don't follow a regular group. The present is heter (with -er, not the Group 1 -ar). The past is hette — note the short vowel and doubled consonant, not a regularised *hetade; it is simply irregular and must be memorised. The supine, after har, is hetat. There is essentially no imperative in real use — you don't command someone to be named something — so that slot stays empty in practice.

Jag heter Anna.

My name is Anna. (Literally 'I am called Anna.') heter — the present, with Anna as a predicative.

Hunden hette Karo när vi köpte den.

The dog was called Karo when we bought it. hette — the irregular past.

Vad har den här rätten hetat tidigare?

What has this dish been called before? har hetat — the perfect, supine hetat after har.

Use 1: stating your name

The everyday job of heta is to say what someone or something is called. English usually phrases this with the noun "name" plus be ("my name is…"); Swedish uses the single verb heta and skips the word "name" entirely.

Hej, jag heter Erik. Vad heter du?

Hi, I'm Erik. What's your name? The standard first exchange — heter both times.

Min lillasyster heter Maja.

My little sister is called Maja. Min lillasyster is the subject, Maja the name.

Vad heter ni i efternamn?

What's your surname? (formal/plural ni) Lit. 'What are you called in surname?'

Use 2: Vad heter du? — asking a name

The question Vad heter du? ("What's your name?") is built on exactly this verb. Note that it is literally "What are-you called?" — there is no Swedish word for "name" in the question at all. The same frame asks the name of anything: Vad heter det på svenska? ("What's that called in Swedish?").

Vad heter du?

What's your name? Literally 'What are you called?' — the textbook opener.

Vad heter det här på svenska?

What's this called in Swedish? The go-to phrase for learning a new word.

Vad hette skådespelaren i den där filmen?

What was the actor in that film called? hette — the past, asking a forgotten name.

Use 3: titles and the predicative point

heta also means "to be titled/called" for books, films, songs, places. And here the key grammar surfaces clearly: the title after heta is a predicative complement — it renames the subject, like the thing after vara ("be"). It is not an object, so it never takes an object form and never an article it wouldn't otherwise have.

Boken heter 'Pippi Långstrump'.

The book is called 'Pippi Långstrump'. The title renames the subject — a predicative, not an object.

Den lilla byn heter Tällberg.

The little village is called Tällberg. A place name as predicative complement.

Vad ska barnet heta?

What is the child going to be called? heta in the infinitive after ska — choosing a name.

💡

heta is irregular — heter / hette / hetat — and it carries the meaning "name" inside the verb, so you never add a word for "name": Jag heter Anna, not *Mitt namn är heter…. The name is a predicative (it renames the subject, like after vara), so it stays in its plain form and never takes an object marker. And it is the verb behind Vad heter du?

Common Mistakes

❌ Mitt namn heter Anna.

Incorrect — heta already means 'is named', so this says 'My name is named Anna'. Use either Jag heter Anna or Mitt namn är Anna.

✅ Jag heter Anna.

My name is Anna.

❌ Jag är Anna heter. / Jag är heter Anna.

Incorrect — don't combine är and heter. heta is itself the verb; no extra 'be'.

✅ Jag heter Anna.

My name is Anna.

❌ Hunden hetade Karo. (regular past)

Incorrect — heta is irregular; the past is hette, never the regularised *hetade.

✅ Hunden hette Karo.

The dog was called Karo.

❌ Vad är ditt namn? (as a literal calque)

Understandable but unidiomatic — Swedes ask Vad heter du? The är-version sounds like a translated form.

✅ Vad heter du?

What's your name?

❌ Jag har hette Anna förut. (past for supine)

Incorrect — after har you need the supine hetat, not the past hette.

✅ Jag har hetat Anna förut.

I was called Anna before. (e.g. after a name change)

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