köpa (to buy) | Swedish Grammar

köpa means "to buy" — and it's the verb to memorize as your model for the Group 2 -te subtype. Just as tala is the textbook Group 1 verb, köpa is the cleanest example of "voiceless stem → -te past." Learn its four parts cold and you have the template for köpa, läsa, hjälpa, röka and every other voiceless-stem Group 2 verb.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
köpa	köper	köpte	köpt	köp	Group 2 (-te)

The present is the stem plus -er (köp- → köper). The past is köpte: the stem köp- ends in p, voiceless, so the ending is -te, never -de. The supine is köpt (har köpt, "have bought"), and the imperative is the bare stem köp! ("Buy!").

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This is the model -te verb. The stem köp- ends in voiceless p, so the past is köpte — never *köpde. It's the same /t/ you hear in English "shopped" or "stopped." Once köpte feels automatic, the whole -te family follows.

Use 1: köpa + object (buying something)

The basic pattern is köpa plus a direct object — the thing you buy. No preposition.

Jag måste köpa mjölk på vägen hem.

I have to buy milk on the way home. köpa + direct object, the everyday use.

Vi köpte en begagnad bil förra månaden.

We bought a used car last month. köpte — the model -te past.

Har du redan köpt biljetterna?

Have you already bought the tickets? har köpt — the perfect, supine köpt.

Köp en till, de är på rea!

Buy one more, they're on sale! köp — the bare-stem imperative.

Use 2: köpa till someone — buying FOR a person

To say whom you're buying for, Swedish often uses a bare indirect object placed before the thing (no preposition), much like English "buy me a coffee." You can also use till ("to/for") for emphasis or clarity.

Han köpte blommor till sin mormor.

He bought flowers for his grandmother. till marks the recipient, 'for'.

Kan du köpa mig en kaffe?

Can you buy me a coffee? Bare indirect object mig before the thing — no preposition needed.

Use 3: the opposite — sälja (to sell)

The natural pair of köpa is sälja ("to sell") — and it's worth learning them together, because while köpa is regular Group 2, sälja is irregular: sälja – säljer – sålde – sålt. Notice the vowel change to å in the past and supine. Buyer and seller, köpa and sälja, turn up together constantly in real life.

De köpte huset 2019 och sålde det redan 2021.

They bought the house in 2019 and sold it as early as 2021. köpte (regular) vs sålde (irregular, å).

Jag har köpt mycket men aldrig sålt något online.

I've bought a lot but never sold anything online. har köpt vs har sålt — note the irregular supine sålt.

Use 4: köpa till — add on / buy as an extra

The particle verb köpa till means "to buy in addition," "add on" — the optional extras on top of a base purchase.

Frukosten ingår inte, men du kan köpa till den för hundra kronor.

Breakfast isn't included, but you can add it on for a hundred kronor. köpa till — buy as an extra.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag köpde en ny cykel.

Incorrect — köp- ends in voiceless p, so the past is köpte (-te), not *köpde.

✅ Jag köpte en ny cykel.

I bought a new bike.

❌ Jag köpar bröd varje dag.

Incorrect — köpa is Group 2, so the present is köper (-er), not the Group 1 *köpar.

✅ Jag köper bröd varje dag.

I buy bread every day.

❌ De sälde huset förra året.

Incorrect — sälja is irregular: the past is sålde with å, not *sälde.

✅ De sålde huset förra året.

They sold the house last year.

❌ Jag har köpat en present.

Incorrect — that's a Group 1 supine. köpa's supine is köpt: har köpt.

✅ Jag har köpt en present.

I've bought a present.

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köpa in one breath: it's your model -te verb — voiceless p-stem gives köper / köpte / har köpt. Its opposite is the irregular sälja (säljer / sålde / sålt, with å) — learn the pair together and you cover buying and selling at once.

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