minnas (to remember) | Swedish Grammar

minnas means "to remember" — and it is a deponent s-verb: it always carries an -s, yet its meaning is completely active, never passive. So although minns looks like a Swedish passive, it never is, and you must never peel the -s off. minnas is also one of the irregular deponents: it shortens to minns in the present, and its past and supine are built on a reduced stem min- (mindes, mints) rather than the regular *minnade, *minnat. This card lays out its forms, the minnas att / hur pattern, and its everyday rival komma ihåg.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Type
minnas	minns	mindes	mints	(minns — rare)	deponent (s-verb), irregular

Every form keeps the -s: that is the whole point of a deponent. The present minns is shortened from the infinitive (minnas → minns, not *minnas as a present), the past mindes is built irregularly on the reduced stem min- + -des (the vowel stays i; it is the double n that drops, not the vowel that changes), and the supine mints (used after har/hade) is likewise short and -s-final. There is no everyday imperative — you don't usually command someone "remember!" with this verb (Swedish reaches for kom ihåg! instead) — so that slot is rare. Like all Swedish verbs, minns is the same for every subject: jag minns, du minns, hon minns, vi minns.

Jag minns inte hans namn.

I don't remember his name. minns = present of the irregular minnas, same for every subject.

Minns du när vi träffades första gången?

Do you remember when we first met? In a question the verb comes first: Minns du…?

Jag har aldrig mints den natten så tydligt.

I've never remembered that night so clearly. mints = supine, after har — and it keeps the -s.

Use 1: remembering a thing, person, or fact

The core job of minnas is to say that something is present in your memory — a name, a face, an event. It takes a plain object, just like English "remember."

Minns du Anna från gymnasiet?

Do you remember Anna from high school? A direct object — a person you recall.

Jag minns fortfarande min farmors kök.

I still remember my grandmother's kitchen. minns + object, present tense.

Hon mindes inte ens att hon hade lovat det.

She didn't even remember that she'd promised it. mindes = past tense (preteritum).

Use 2: minnas att / hur — remembering that / how

Very often minnas introduces a whole clause: minnas att ("remember that…") for a fact, and minnas hur / när / var ("remember how / when / where…") for a circumstance. The clause says what it is you remember.

Jag minns att det regnade hela bröllopsdagen.

I remember that it rained the whole wedding day. minns att + a full clause.

Minns du hur man kommer dit?

Do you remember how to get there? minns hur — remembering a method or way.

Jag mindes inte var jag hade parkerat bilen.

I didn't remember where I'd parked the car. minns var — remembering a location, in the past.

Use 3: minnas vs. komma ihåg — the everyday synonym

In real speech, Swedes very often say komma ihåg ("come to mind / recall") rather than minnas. The two overlap heavily, but there is a feel-difference:

minnas is a touch more elevated and is the natural word for a memory you hold — a lasting impression, something stored away. (slightly more formal / written)
komma ihåg is the everyday, conversational choice, and it leans toward calling something to mind — remembering to do a task, recalling a detail on the spot. (informal, very common in speech)

Both are correct; komma ihåg is what you will hear most around the kitchen table. Note that komma ihåg is a normal (non-deponent) verb: kommer ihåg / kom ihåg / kommit ihåg.

Jag kommer inte ihåg var jag lade nycklarna.

I can't remember where I put the keys. komma ihåg — the colloquial everyday choice.

Kom ihåg att köpa mjölk på vägen hem!

Remember to buy milk on the way home! For 'remember to [do]', Swedish strongly prefers kom ihåg as the imperative.

Jag minns honom som en snäll man — men jag kommer inte ihåg vad han hette.

I remember him as a kind man — but I can't recall what his name was. minnas for the lasting impression, komma ihåg for calling up the detail.

💡

minnas is a deponent — it is always -s (minns / mindes / mints) yet active in meaning ("remember"). The -s is permanent: never *jag minne, never *jag minner. For everyday speech, especially "remember to do X," reach for the more colloquial komma ihåg (kom ihåg att…) instead — but for a lasting memory you hold, minnas is the more natural word.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag minne inte hans namn.

Incorrect — minnas is a deponent; the present is minns, with the -s, never *minne or *minner. The -s never drops.

✅ Jag minns inte hans namn.

I don't remember his name.

❌ Vi minnade vår första semester.

Incorrect — minnas is irregular; the past is mindes (reduced stem min- + -des), not a regular *minnade.

✅ Vi mindes vår första semester.

We remembered our first holiday.

❌ Jag har minnit den dagen länge.

Incorrect — the supine keeps the -s and is irregular: mints, not *minnit.

✅ Jag har mints den dagen länge.

I've remembered that day for a long time.

❌ Minns att köpa bröd! (as a command to someone)

Off — as an imperative 'remember to…', Swedish overwhelmingly uses kom ihåg, not minns.

✅ Kom ihåg att köpa bröd!

Remember to buy bread!

❌ Jag är mindd om henne. (treating it as passive)

Incorrect — minnas is never passive; you don't get 'remembered' from it. It simply means the active 'remember'.

✅ Jag minns henne väl.

I remember her well.

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