höra means "to hear" — the basic verb of perception, just like English hear. It is a Group 2 verb, but it carries one trap that surprises every beginner: because its stem ends in -r, the present tense is just hör, with no extra ending. Get that one fact right and the rest of höra falls neatly into place.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| höra | hör | hörde | hört | hör | Group 2 (-de) |
Most Group 2 verbs add -er in the present (stänga → stänger). But when the stem already ends in -r (hör-), Swedish does not stack a second -er on top — you simply keep the -r that is already there. So it is jag hör ("I hear"), never *hörer. The past adds -de to the voiced -r stem (hörde), the supine ends in -t (hört), and the imperative is the bare stem hör! ("listen!").
Use 1: hearing — present, past, perfect
The core meaning is plain perception: hearing a sound, a voice, a piece of news.
Jag hör inte vad du säger — kan du prata högre?
I can't hear what you're saying — can you speak louder? Present hör, no -er.
Hörde du också det där ljudet, eller var det bara jag?
Did you hear that sound too, or was it just me? Preteritum hörde.
Jag har aldrig hört den sången förut.
I've never heard that song before. Perfect har hört, supine in -t.
Vi hörde att ni ska flytta till Göteborg — stämmer det?
We heard that you're moving to Gothenburg — is that right? hörde + att for reported news.
Use 2: höra av sig — get in touch
höra av sig literally means "to hear from oneself," and it is the everyday way to say "get in touch / be in contact." The reflexive sig agrees with the subject (höra av mig, dig, sig).
Hör av dig när du har landat!
Get in touch when you've landed! Imperative hör + av dig, the reflexive matching du.
Hon har inte hört av sig på flera veckor.
She hasn't been in touch for several weeks. Perfect har hört av sig.
Jag hör av mig så fort jag vet något mer.
I'll be in touch as soon as I know anything more. Present used for a near-future promise.
Use 3: höra till — belong to
höra till means "to belong to / be part of." It points to membership in a group, category, or set.
Den här nyckeln hör till källaren.
This key belongs to the cellar. höra till = 'belong to'.
Han hör till de bästa i klassen.
He's among the best in the class. höra till a group = 'be one of'.
Use 4: Vi hörs! — talk soon
A favourite sign-off in Swedish is Vi hörs! — literally "we are heard (by each other)," idiomatically "talk soon / catch you later." The -s ending here is reciprocal: it turns höra into "hear each other," so vi hörs = "we'll hear from each other." You'll also see Vi hörs sen! ("talk later") and Hörs! on its own.
Tack för idag — vi hörs!
Thanks for today — talk soon! Reciprocal -s form, a standard friendly sign-off.
Vi hörs i morgon, då bestämmer vi tid.
We'll talk tomorrow, then we'll set a time. vi hörs for a planned future contact.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag hörer musiken.
Incorrect — höra has an -r stem, so it takes no extra -er. The present is hör.
✅ Jag hör musiken.
I hear the music.
❌ Vi hörte ett konstigt ljud.
Incorrect — the stem hör- is voiced, so the past takes -de: hörde, not *hörte.
✅ Vi hörde ett konstigt ljud.
We heard a strange sound.
❌ Hör av sig när du kommer fram!
Off — the reflexive must agree with the subject. To du you say hör av dig.
✅ Hör av dig när du kommer fram!
Get in touch when you arrive!
❌ Jag har hörat ryktet.
Incorrect — that's a Group 1 supine. Group 2 -de verbs take -t: har hört.
✅ Jag har hört ryktet.
I've heard the rumour.
Now practice Swedish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
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.
- The Four Conjugation GroupsA2 — Swedish verbs sort into four conjugation classes, identified not by the present tense but by the PAST (preteritum) and supine: Group 1 (talar/talade/talat), Group 2 (ringer/ringde/ringt, köper/köpte/köpt), Group 3 (bor/bodde/bott), and Group 4, the strong verbs (skriver/skrev/skrivit) that change their vowel. Group 1 is so dominant and regular that every new and borrowed verb joins it — so treat it as the default and memorise only the closed list of strong verbs.
- Verb + Preposition GovernmentB2 — Many Swedish verbs demand a specific, unpredictable preposition: tänka på (think about), vänta på (wait for), tro på (believe in), be om (ask for), tycka om (like), längta efter (long for), bero på (depend on). The governed preposition rarely matches English's, and it's unstressed (unlike a particle), so these combinations are vocabulary items you learn as whole units.