kalla (to call, name) | Swedish Grammar

kalla means "to call" — but in the naming sense, not the telephone sense. De kallar honom för Pelle is "They call him Pelle." If you want "call" as in phone someone, that's a completely different verb, ringa. This is one of the most reliable traps for English speakers, so anchor it now: kalla = name, ringa = phone. kalla is a textbook Group 1 verb, conjugating just like tala.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
kalla	kallar	kallade	kallat	kalla	Group 1

Pure Group 1: present kallar (stem + -ar), past kallade (full -ade, never bare kallde), supine kallat (har kallat), imperative the bare stem kalla! The double ll belongs to the stem and stays throughout — it has nothing to do with the conjugation.

Use 1: kalla (någon) för — to call / name someone

The everyday construction is kalla någon för något — "call someone something." That little för ("for") is the standard link between the person and the name or label you give them.

De kallar honom för Pelle, fast han heter Per.

They call him Pelle, even though his name is Per. kalla någon för + the nickname.

Varför kallar du mig för det?

Why are you calling me that? kalla + för + the label.

Vi kallade vår hund för Busan.

We called our dog Busan. kallade — the regular Group 1 past.

Folk har alltid kallat området för Söder.

People have always called the area Söder. har kallat — perfect.

Use 2: kallas — to be called / named (-s passive)

Add -s and kalla becomes the passive kallas, "is called / is known as." This is the natural way to state what something is named without saying who does the naming.

Stockholm kallas Nordens Venedig.

Stockholm is called the Venice of the North. kallas — the -s passive, 'is called'.

Den här sortens bröd kallas tunnbröd.

This kind of bread is called tunnbröd. kallas defines a name impersonally.

Förr kallades sjukdomen för 'engelska sjukan'.

The illness used to be called 'the English disease'. kallades — the -s passive in the past.

Use 3: kalla på — to summon, call for

With the particle på, kalla på means "summon / call for" someone — calling a person over, calling for help.

Sjuksköterskan kallade på en läkare.

The nurse called for a doctor. kalla på — summon / call for.

kalla vs ringa — the trap

In English, "call" does double duty: I'll call him Pelle and I'll call him tonight use the same verb. Swedish splits them. kalla is only the naming one. To phone someone, you use ringa (ringa någon / ringa till någon). Mixing them up produces sentences that sound bizarre to a Swede.

Jag ringer dig i kväll.

I'll call (phone) you tonight. Telephoning = ringa, never kalla.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag kallar dig i kväll. (meaning 'I'll phone you')

Wrong verb — kalla is 'name', not 'phone'. To telephone, use ringa.

✅ Jag ringer dig i kväll.

I'll call (phone) you tonight.

❌ De kallar honom Pelle.

Incomplete in standard usage — the naming construction links with för: kalla någon för.

✅ De kallar honom för Pelle.

They call him Pelle.

❌ Jag kallde min hund Busan. (bare -de)

Incorrect — kalla is Group 1, so the past is kallade, never *kallde.

✅ Jag kallade min hund för Busan.

I called my dog Busan.

❌ Staden är kallad Nordens Venedig.

Stilted — Swedish prefers the -s passive for 'is called': kallas, not är kallad.

✅ Staden kallas Nordens Venedig.

The city is called the Venice of the North.

💡

Burn in the split: kalla = name (kalla någon för…), ringa = phone. For "is called," reach for the -s passive kallas (Stockholm kallas Nordens Venedig) rather than the clunky är kallad. And it's Group 1 throughout: kallade, kallat.

Now practice Swedish

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Swedish→