klättra means "to climb" — but specifically the effortful, hands-and-feet kind of climbing: scrambling up a rock face, a tree, a ladder, a fence. It is not the neutral "go up" that English "climb" sometimes covers (you don't klättra a staircase in normal speech). It is a fully regular Group 1 verb.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| klättra | klättrar | klättrade | klättrat | klättra | Group 1 |
Standard Group 1: present stem plus -r (klättra → klättrar); past -ade (klättrade); supine -at (klättrat); imperative the bare stem (Klättra!). No stem change, no subject agreement.
Use 1: climbing on or in something
The core sense is scrambling up something steep, gripping with hands and feet. The surface you climb on takes på or i — klättra i träd ("climb trees"), klättra på berg ("climb on rocks/mountains"). Swedish chooses the preposition by how you picture the location: i for being in/among (a tree, the branches), på for being on a surface (a wall, a cliff).
Barnen älskar att klättra i träd.
The children love climbing trees. klättra i träd — in among the branches, hence i.
Vi klättrade på klipporna nere vid havet.
We climbed on the rocks down by the sea. klättrade på — on the surface of the rocks.
Katten har klättrat upp i ett träd och vågar inte ner.
The cat has climbed up a tree and doesn't dare come down. har klättrat — perfect, supine klättrat after har.
Use 2: with directional particles — upp, ner, över
klättra combines freely with direction particles: klättra upp ("climb up"), klättra ner ("climb down"), klättra över ("climb over"). The particle carries the direction; klättra carries the effortful manner.
Han klättrade upp för stegen och fixade lampan.
He climbed up the ladder and fixed the lamp. klättra upp för — climb up along the ladder.
Vi fick klättra över staketet eftersom grinden var låst.
We had to climb over the fence because the gate was locked. klättra över — climb over an obstacle.
Klättra ner försiktigt — det är halt.
Climb down carefully — it's slippery. Imperative klättra ner.
klättra vs stiga vs bestiga
Three verbs sit near "climb," and they are not interchangeable:
- klättra — scramble up using hands and feet; the effortful, often recreational sense. Klättra i berget ("climb on the mountain", as a climber on the rock).
- stiga — "step, rise"; a calm, upright movement, no clinging involved. You stiger up a step, stiger onto a train (stiga på), and prices, the sun, and temperatures stiger. (stiga is irregular: stiga – stiger – steg – stigit.)
- bestiga — "to ascend, conquer (a peak)"; (formal/literary), used for the achievement of reaching a summit. Bestiga Kebnekaise ("ascend Kebnekaise").
De besteg Mount Everest 1953. (formal)
They ascended Mount Everest in 1953. (formal) bestiga — the formal 'conquer the summit' verb, not klättra.
Stig på tåget innan dörrarna stängs!
Get on the train before the doors close! stiga på — step onto, not klättra.
The noun en klättrare
The agent noun is en klättrare ("a climber"), and the sport is klättring ("climbing"). Figuratively, klättra can also mean rising through ranks — klättra i karriären ("climb the career ladder").
Hon är en erfaren klättrare som har klättrat i Alperna.
She's an experienced climber who has climbed in the Alps. en klättrare — the agent noun; har klättrat — the perfect.
Han har klättrat snabbt i karriären.
He has climbed quickly in his career. The figurative 'rise through ranks' sense.
Common Mistakes
❌ Barnen klättrer i träd. (Group 2 ending)
Incorrect — klättra is Group 1, so the present is klättrar (-ar), not *klättrer (-er).
✅ Barnen klättrar i träd.
The children climb trees.
❌ Vi klättrde på klipporna. (bare -de)
Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade. The past is klättrade, not *klättrde.
✅ Vi klättrade på klipporna.
We climbed on the rocks.
❌ Vi klättrade trapporna till tredje våningen. (wrong verb for stairs)
Off — you don't klättra stairs in normal speech; you gå (walk) or stiga. klättra implies a scramble with hands and feet.
✅ Vi gick uppför trapporna till tredje våningen.
We walked up the stairs to the third floor.
❌ De klättrade Mount Everest. (no particle/preposition, summit sense)
Off — for the summit-conquering sense use bestiga: De besteg Mount Everest. With klättra you'd need a location phrase: klättra på berget.
✅ De besteg Mount Everest.
They ascended Mount Everest.
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