njuta means "to enjoy" — but not in the loose way English uses the word. It is the verb of savouring, of sinking into a pleasure with your full attention: a good meal, a warm bath, the first sun of spring. It governs the preposition av (njuta av något), and it is markedly deeper than the everyday tycka om or gilla ("like"). It is a strong verb of the ju–ö–u type, with principal parts njuta – njöt – njutit: present ju, past ö in njöt, supine u in njutit. The spelling nj- is pronounced as a palatal "ny," like the ñ in Spanish señor.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| njuta | njuter | njöt | njutit | njut | Group 4 (strong), ju–ö–u |
Track the vowel: present ju (njuta, njuter), past ö (njöt), supine u (njutit). A past participle (njuten) exists but is rare — njuta is overwhelmingly intransitive, so the supine njutit is the form you'll use after har. The trap is the supine vowel: njutit, not njötit. And mind the pronunciation: nj- is one palatal sound, "ny," not "n + j."
Jag njuter av varje minut av semestern.
I'm enjoying every minute of the holiday. njuter — present, governed by av.
Vi njöt av solnedgången i tystnad.
We savoured the sunset in silence. njöt — past, vowel ö.
Har du njutit av maten?
Did you enjoy the meal? har njutit — perfect, supine vowel u.
Use 1: present, past and perfect
The three tenses follow the principal parts. Present njuter covers "enjoy / am enjoying." The past njöt is the bare vowel-changed stem with ö. The perfect is har njutit; the pluperfect is hade njutit. Watch the shift from ö in the past to u in the supine.
Hon njuter av en kopp te innan resten av huset vaknar.
She enjoys a cup of tea before the rest of the house wakes up. Present njuter.
Efter en lång vecka njöt vi verkligen av ledigheten.
After a long week we really savoured the time off. njöt — simple past with ö.
De hade njutit av varje rätt innan notan kom.
They had savoured every course before the bill arrived. hade njutit — pluperfect, supine njutit.
Use 2: njuta av — the governed preposition
The thing you enjoy is almost always introduced by av: njuta av något. This is fixed and easy to drop if you transfer from English, where "enjoy" takes a direct object. You can use njuta alone — Njut! ("Enjoy!") as a standalone wish — but the moment you name what is being enjoyed, the av appears.
Njut av helgen — du har förtjänat den!
Enjoy the weekend — you've earned it! njut av — named object takes av.
Han njöt av att äntligen ha tid att läsa.
He savoured finally having time to read. njöt av att + infinitive.
Sätt dig ner och njut av utsikten en stund.
Sit down and enjoy the view for a while. njut av — imperative with av.
Use 3: njuta vs tycka om — depth of feeling
njuta and tycka om / gilla are not interchangeable. tycka om and gilla state a preference ("I like coffee") — a standing fact about your taste. njuta describes the act of savouring something in the moment, a fuller, more sensory pleasure. You tycker om coffee in general; you njuter av this particular cup right now. The related noun njutning means "pleasure, enjoyment" of exactly this savouring kind.
Jag gillar choklad, men just nu njuter jag verkligen av den.
I like chocolate, but right now I'm truly savouring it. gilla (standing preference) vs njuta av (savouring now).
Den första kaffekoppen på morgonen är en ren njutning.
The first cup of coffee in the morning is pure pleasure. njutning — the noun.
Att bada bastu och sedan hoppa i sjön — det är att njuta av livet.
A sauna and then a jump in the lake — that's enjoying life. njuta av livet.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag njuter maten.
Incorrect — njuta governs av. You enjoy of the food: njuta av maten.
✅ Jag njuter av maten.
I'm enjoying the food.
❌ Vi njutade av kvällen.
Incorrect — njuta is strong and takes no -ade ending. The past is the vowel-changed njöt.
✅ Vi njöt av kvällen.
We enjoyed the evening.
❌ Har du njötit av semestern? (ö in the supine)
Incorrect — the supine is njutit with u, not njötit. Keep ö only in njöt.
✅ Har du njutit av semestern?
Did you enjoy the holiday?
❌ Jag njuter om naturen. (wrong preposition)
Incorrect — the governed preposition is av, not om. It's njuta av naturen.
✅ Jag njuter av naturen.
I enjoy nature.
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