klappa means "to pat" or "to stroke" — the gentle motion of running your hand over an animal — and, in a second sense, "to clap." It is a textbook Group 1 verb, so every form is built by rule, and the double p is worth noticing from the start: it marks the short vowel in the stem.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| klappa | klappar | klappade | klappat | klappa | Group 1 |
This is the fully regular -ar / -ade / -at pattern. The present is klappar, the past klappade, and the supine — the form after har — is klappat (har klappat). The imperative is the bare stem: Klappa! ("Pat it!"). The double p stays double throughout, signalling that the a is short — write a single p and you'd suggest a long vowel that isn't there.
Use 1: patting or stroking an animal
The most common use of klappa is the gentle gesture you make toward a dog, cat, or horse — stroking it, patting it. The animal is a plain direct object, no preposition.
Får jag klappa din hund?
May I pat your dog? klappa + a plain direct object — the animal needs no preposition.
Barnen klappade katten försiktigt.
The children stroked the cat carefully. klappade — the regular Group 1 past.
Hästen tycker om att bli klappad på nosen.
The horse likes being patted on the nose. bli klappad — the passive participle of a Group 1 verb.
Vi har klappat alla hundar i parken.
We've patted every dog in the park. har klappat — the perfect, supine klappat after har.
Use 2: klappa händerna — clapping
klappa also means "to clap." The fixed everyday phrase is klappa händerna ("clap one's hands"), but you can also just klappa on its own for applause.
Publiken klappade händerna länge.
The audience clapped their hands for a long time. klappa händerna — the standard phrase for clapping.
Klappa händerna om du är glad!
Clap your hands if you're happy! The imperative klappa, bare stem.
Alla började klappa när hon kom in.
Everyone started clapping when she came in. Here klappa stands alone for 'applaud'.
klappa om — to cuddle
The particle verb klappa om means "to cuddle" or "to hug warmly" — to fold someone into an affectionate embrace. It is a tender, often familial word, and the om shifts the meaning from a single pat to wrapping your arms around someone.
Mormor klappade om oss alla när vi kom.
Grandma cuddled us all when we arrived. klappa om — to embrace warmly.
Han klappade om sin son innan tåget gick.
He hugged his son tight before the train left. klappade om — the particle-verb past.
klappa vs slå — a gentle verb, not a violent one
It is worth fixing in your mind that klappa is always gentle. Its natural opposite is slå ("to hit, strike"), a strong verb with completely different forms (slog, slagit). When you run your hand softly over a dog you klappar it; if you struck it you would slå it — a different verb and a different act entirely. English "pat" already carries this gentleness, so the mapping is intuitive, but never reach for slå when you mean an affectionate touch.
Man ska klappa hunden, inte slå den.
You should pat the dog, not hit it. klappa (gentle) set directly against slå (to strike).
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag klapper hunden. (Group 2 ending)
Incorrect — klappa is Group 1, so the present is klappar (-ar), not *klapper (-er).
✅ Jag klappar hunden.
I pat the dog.
❌ Vi klapde katten. (bare -de)
Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade. The past is klappade, not *klapde.
✅ Vi klappade katten.
We stroked the cat.
❌ Hunden vill bli slagen, inte klappad.
Watch the meaning — slå means 'to hit'. To stroke an animal gently is klappa, the opposite gesture.
✅ Hunden vill bli klappad.
The dog wants to be patted.
❌ Klapa händerna! (single p)
Spelling error — keep the double p: klappa. A single p would imply a long vowel.
✅ Klappa händerna!
Clap your hands!
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