kasta (to throw) | Swedish Grammar

kasta means "to throw" — and it is a textbook Group 1 verb. Every form falls out of the pattern by rule, so once you know kasta, you also know how to build its many particle verbs like kasta bort ("throw away") and kasta sig ("throw oneself").

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
kasta	kastar	kastade	kastat	kasta	Group 1

This is the default regular pattern. Present is the infinitive plus -r (kasta → kastar); the past adds -de to that (kastade); the supine — the form after har — ends in -at (kastat); and the imperative is the bare stem (Kasta! "Throw!"). No stem change, no vowel shift, no agreement with the subject.

Use 1: throwing something

The plain verb takes a direct object — the thing thrown — and often a destination introduced by a preposition.

Kasta bollen till mig!

Throw the ball to me! kastar's imperative kasta + direct object.

Han kastade en sten i sjön.

He threw a stone into the lake. kastade — the regular Group 1 past.

Vakta hunden — den har kastat omkull soptunnan.

Watch the dog — it's knocked the bin over. har kastat, the perfect, supine kastat after har.

Use 2: kasta bort — throw away

The particle bort ("away") turns kasta into "throw away, discard." Swedish often stretches it metaphorically too — kasta bort tiden ("waste time," literally "throw time away").

Kan du kasta bort de gamla tidningarna?

Can you throw away the old newspapers? kasta bort — 'throw away'.

Jag kastade bort kvittot av misstag.

I threw away the receipt by mistake. kastade bort — past of the particle verb.

Vi har kastat bort alldeles för mycket mat i år.

We've thrown away far too much food this year. har kastat bort — the perfect.

Use 3: kasta sig and kasta upp

With the reflexive sig, kasta sig means "throw oneself, fling oneself." And kasta upp is the everyday informal word for "throw up, vomit."

Hon kastade sig i soffan och somnade direkt.

She flung herself onto the sofa and fell asleep at once. kasta sig — 'throw oneself'.

Jag mår illa — jag tror att jag måste kasta upp. (informal)

I feel sick — I think I'm going to throw up. (informal) kasta upp = 'vomit'.

Idiom: kasta ett öga på

kasta ett öga på literally "throw an eye on" means "to glance at, take a quick look at" — a handy fixed expression.

Kan du kasta ett öga på rapporten innan jag skickar den?

Can you take a quick look at the report before I send it? kasta ett öga på = 'glance at'.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag kaster bollen. (Group 2 ending)

Incorrect — kasta is Group 1, so the present is kastar (-ar), not *kaster (-er).

✅ Jag kastar bollen.

I throw the ball.

❌ Han kastde stenen. (bare -de)

Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade. The past is kastade, not *kastde.

✅ Han kastade stenen.

He threw the stone.

❌ Jag har kastade bort den.

Incorrect — after har you need the supine kastat, not the past kastade.

✅ Jag har kastat bort den.

I've thrown it away.

❌ Kasta dig i soffan.

Off — for 'throw yourself' the reflexive must agree: with du it's dig, fine here, but with hon it's sig — kasta sig, not *kasta dig.

✅ Hon kastade sig i soffan.

She flung herself onto the sofa.

💡

kasta is the regular default: kasta – kastar – kastade – kastat, every form by rule. Keep the two particle verbs apart — kasta bort is "throw away (discard)," while kasta upp is the informal "throw up (vomit)." And remember kasta ett öga på for "take a quick look at."

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