köra means "to drive" — a car, a bus, a bargain, or, figuratively, a project forward. Like its sibling höra, it is a Group 2 verb with an -r stem, so the present is simply kör, never *körer. The most interesting thing about köra is that the same little word över can mean two completely different things depending on where the stress falls.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| köra | kör | körde | kört | kör | Group 2 (-de) |
The stem kör- already ends in -r, so the present takes no extra ending: jag kör ("I drive"). The voiced -r pulls a -de past (körde), the supine ends in -t (kört), and the imperative is the bare stem kör! ("drive!" / "go ahead!"). Note that köra is also a common slangy way to say "go for it / do it": Kör! on its own means "Go for it!"
Use 1: driving — present, past, perfect
Jag kör inte på motorvägen om det är halt.
I don't drive on the motorway if it's slippery. Present kör, no -er.
Hon körde hela natten för att hinna fram i tid.
She drove all night to make it in time. Preteritum körde.
Har du någonsin kört lastbil?
Have you ever driven a lorry? Perfect har kört, supine in -t.
Kan du köra mig till stationen?
Can you drive me to the station? köra someone = 'give a lift'.
Use 2: köra ÖVER vs köra över bron — the stress contrast
This is the key insight for köra. The word över can attach to it in two ways:
- köra över with stress on över is a particle verb: köra ÖVER means "to run someone over" (with a vehicle) or, figuratively, "to overrule / steamroll" someone.
- köra över with stress on the main verb and över unstressed is just köra plus the ordinary preposition över ("across"): köra över bron = "drive across the bridge."
Same three letters, opposite meanings — and Swedes hear the difference instantly from the stress. As a rule of thumb, when över is followed by an object naming a route or surface (bron, gränsen, torget), it's the "across" preposition; when över stands at the end or before a person/obstacle, it's the "run over / overrule" particle.
Var försiktig — du höll på att köra över en katt!
Be careful — you nearly ran over a cat! köra ÖVER, stressed particle, 'run over'.
Chefen körde helt enkelt över hela teamet och bestämde själv.
The boss simply overruled the whole team and decided alone. köra över = 'steamroll / overrule', figurative.
Vi körde över bron och svängde vänster direkt.
We drove across the bridge and turned left right away. köra över bron, unstressed preposition, 'across'.
Du måste köra över gränsen innan tullen stänger.
You have to drive across the border before customs closes. över as plain preposition, 'across'.
Use 3: köra fast — get stuck
köra fast means "to get stuck" — literally with a vehicle, or figuratively when a project, a negotiation, or your thinking grinds to a halt.
Bilen körde fast i snön och vi fick skotta loss den.
The car got stuck in the snow and we had to dig it out. köra fast, literal.
Jag har kört fast på fråga sju — kan du hjälpa mig?
I'm stuck on question seven — can you help me? köra fast, figurative ('hit a wall').
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag körer för fort ibland.
Incorrect — köra has an -r stem and takes no extra -er. The present is kör.
✅ Jag kör för fort ibland.
I drive too fast sometimes.
❌ Hon körte hela natten.
Incorrect — the stem kör- is voiced, so the past takes -de: körde, not *körte.
✅ Hon körde hela natten.
She drove all night.
❌ Hon körade till jobbet.
Incorrect — köra is Group 2, not Group 1; the past is körde, never *körade.
✅ Hon körde till jobbet.
She drove to work.
❌ Jag har köra bil i tio år.
Incorrect — after har you need the supine, not the infinitive: har kört.
✅ Jag har kört bil i tio år.
I've driven a car for ten years.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Using the Verb ReferenceA2 — How to read the single-verb reference cards and the principal-parts citation system that underpins them. Every Swedish verb is cited as a short chain — infinitive – present – preteritum – supine – (past participle) — because every other form is derivable from those parts. This page decodes one weak verb (tala – talar – talade – talat) and one strong verb (skriva – skriver – skrev – skrivit – skriven), explains the conjugation-group labels (1/2/3/4), and gives a key to everything on a card.
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- Verb + Preposition GovernmentB2 — Many Swedish verbs demand a specific, unpredictable preposition: tänka på (think about), vänta på (wait for), tro på (believe in), be om (ask for), tycka om (like), längta efter (long for), bero på (depend on). The governed preposition rarely matches English's, and it's unstressed (unlike a particle), so these combinations are vocabulary items you learn as whole units.