läsa means "to read" — but it carries a second meaning English keeps separate: "to study (a subject)." Hon läser medicin doesn't mean she's reading a book about medicine; it means she's studying medicine at university. This double life is the single most important thing to know about läsa. It's a regular Group 2 verb with a voiceless s-stem, so its past is läste.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| läsa | läser | läste | läst | läs | Group 2 (-te) |
The present is the stem plus -er (läs- → läser). The past is läste: the stem läs- ends in s, voiceless, so the ending is -te. The supine is läst (har läst, "have read"), and the imperative is the bare stem läs! ("Read!").
Use 1: läsa = to read
The everyday meaning. läsa takes a direct object — the thing you read — with no preposition.
Jag läser en deckare just nu och kan inte lägga ifrån mig den.
I'm reading a crime novel right now and can't put it down. läser — present, direct object.
Hon läste tidningen från första till sista sidan.
She read the paper from the first to the last page. läste — the -te past, voiceless s-stem.
Har du läst boken jag gav dig?
Have you read the book I gave you? har läst — perfect, supine läst.
Use 2: läsa = to study (a subject)
This is the meaning English speakers miss. To say what you study — your university subject or school course — Swedish uses läsa plus the subject, no article. Läsa juridik = "study law"; läsa på universitetet = "study at university." For studying for an exam or revising, the particle verb läsa på ("read up / revise") is used.
Min syster läser medicin i Lund.
My sister is studying medicine in Lund. läsa + subject = 'study'; medicin has no article here.
Jag läste juridik i tre år innan jag bytte bana.
I studied law for three years before I changed paths. läste — the same 'study' sense in the past.
Han läser på universitetet i Uppsala.
He's studying at the university in Uppsala. läsa på universitetet — the standard phrase for 'study at uni'.
Jag måste läsa på inför provet.
I have to revise / read up for the test. läsa på = revise, study for an exam.
Use 3: the -s passive (läses) and läsa upp
Swedish forms a tidy passive by adding -s: läses means "is read." It's common in instructions and notices. Separately, the particle verb läsa upp means "to read aloud."
Den här texten läses bäst i lugn och ro.
This text is best read in peace and quiet. läses — the -s passive of läsa.
Kan du läsa upp adressen för mig?
Can you read out the address for me? läsa upp — read aloud.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag läsde hela boken igår.
Incorrect — läs- ends in voiceless s, so the past is läste (-te), not *läsde.
✅ Jag läste hela boken igår.
I read the whole book yesterday.
❌ Min syster studerar medicin.
Not wrong, but unidiomatic for a degree — Swedes say hon läser medicin; läsa is the natural 'study a subject'.
✅ Min syster läser medicin.
My sister is studying medicine.
❌ Jag läsar en bok varje kväll.
Incorrect — läsa is Group 2, so the present is läser (-er), not the Group 1 *läsar.
✅ Jag läser en bok varje kväll.
I read a book every evening.
❌ Jag har läsat tidningen.
Incorrect — that's a Group 1 supine. läsa's supine is läst: har läst.
✅ Jag har läst tidningen.
I've read the paper.
Now practice Swedish
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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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