klaga means "to complain." It is a regular Group 1 verb, so the conjugation gives no trouble — the difficulty is the prepositions. Swedish splits "complain about" across two prepositions depending on what kind of thing you complain about: klaga på for a concrete thing or person, klaga över for a state or condition. Getting that split right is what makes you sound native.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| klaga | klagar | klagade | klagat | klaga | Group 1 |
Textbook Group 1: present klagar, past klagade, supine klagat, imperative klaga. The related noun is ett klagomål ("a complaint" — the formal kind you lodge), plural klagomål (unchanged), definite klagomålet.
Use 1: klaga på — complain about a thing or person
klaga på is the default. Use it when you complain about a specific, concrete target — a product, the service, a person, the weather as a thing.
Gästerna klagade på maten.
The guests complained about the food. klaga på + a concrete thing = complain about it.
Hon klagar alltid på sina kollegor.
She's always complaining about her colleagues. klaga på + a person — på works for people too.
Vi har klagat på ljudet från grannarna flera gånger.
We've complained about the noise from the neighbours several times. har klagat på — perfect, supine klagat after har.
Use 2: klaga över — complain about a condition
klaga över ("complain over") leans toward conditions, ailments, and states — especially aches, pains, and circumstances you suffer. över gives it a slightly more lamenting, "complaining of" feel; it is common in medical and more formal contexts.
Patienten klagade över huvudvärk och yrsel.
The patient complained of a headache and dizziness. klaga över for symptoms/conditions — the medical register.
Många klagar över de höga priserna i år.
Many complain about the high prices this year. klaga över + a general condition/state.
Han klagade över att han var trött hela tiden.
He complained that he was tired all the time. klaga över att + clause, describing a lingering state.
Use 3: klaga hos — complain TO an authority
To name whom you lodge a complaint with — an official, an office, a body — use klaga hos ("complain at/with"). hos points to the place or person who receives the complaint.
Om maten är dålig kan du klaga hos chefen.
If the food is bad you can complain to the manager. klaga hos = direct your complaint to (an authority).
De klagade hos kommunen på vägarbetet.
They complained to the municipality about the roadworks. Note both: hos kommunen (to whom) and på vägarbetet (about what).
The noun: ett klagomål
The formal complaint itself is ett klagomål. You lämna in ("submit") or framföra ("put forward") a klagomål.
Vi har fått flera klagomål om hissen.
We've received several complaints about the lift. ett klagomål — the lodged complaint, plural unchanged: klagomål.
Common Mistakes
❌ Gästerna klagade maten. (no preposition)
Incomplete — klaga needs a preposition to take a target: klaga på maten, never bare klaga + object.
✅ Gästerna klagade på maten.
The guests complained about the food.
❌ Hon klagar om sina kollegor.
Wrong preposition — Swedish doesn't use om here. Complain about a person/thing = klaga på.
✅ Hon klagar på sina kollegor.
She complains about her colleagues.
❌ Patienten klagade på huvudvärk.
Off — for symptoms and conditions, the idiomatic choice is klaga över: klaga över huvudvärk.
✅ Patienten klagade över huvudvärk.
The patient complained of a headache.
❌ Jag klagde igår. (bare -de)
Incorrect — klaga is Group 1 and takes the full -ade: klagade, not *klagde.
✅ Jag klagade igår.
I complained yesterday.
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