öppna (to open) | Swedish Grammar

öppna means "to open" — a regular Group 1 verb. The forms are by-the-book, and the everyday opposite is stänga ("to close"). The one feature worth special attention is the -s passive form öppnas, which is the standard form you meet on signs, schedules, and instructions ("the door opens at 9").

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
öppna	öppnar	öppnade	öppnat	öppna	Group 1

Standard Group 1: present öppna + -r = öppnar; past öppnade (full -ade); supine öppnat (after har); imperative Öppna! ("Open!"), the bare stem. No vowel change, no agreement with the subject.

Use 1: öppna + object — open something

The basic transitive use: someone opens a thing — a door, a window, a bottle, a shop. The thing opened is a plain direct object.

Kan du öppna fönstret? Det är varmt här inne.

Can you open the window? It's hot in here. öppna + direct object, present/imperative.

Jag öppnade dörren och gick in.

I opened the door and went in. öppnade — the regular Group 1 past.

Har de redan öppnat presenterna?

Have they already opened the presents? har öppnat — the perfect, supine öppnat after har.

Affären öppnar klockan tio på lördagar.

The shop opens at ten on Saturdays. Here öppnar is intransitive — the shop opens (for business).

Use 2: the -s passive öppnas — the sign-and-schedule form

The -s passive öppnas is the form you constantly see on notices, opening hours, and instructions. It states what happens to something without naming who does it: "the door is opened / opens." On signs it is the natural, impersonal register — far more common there than the active.

Dörren öppnas klockan nio. (sign)

The door opens at nine. (sign) öppnas — the -s passive, the standard form on notices.

Affären öppnas igen imorgon efter renoveringen. (notice)

The shop reopens tomorrow after the renovation. (notice) öppnas in an announcement register.

Locket öppnas genom att vrida åt vänster. (instruction)

The lid is opened by turning to the left. (instruction) -s passive in how-to text.

Use 3: stänga — the opposite

The everyday opposite of öppna is stänga ("to close"). It is worth pairing them, since signs and instructions constantly contrast the two — and stänga likewise has the -s passive stängs.

Stäng dörren, det drar.

Close the door, there's a draught. stänga — the opposite of öppna; here the imperative Stäng!

Banken öppnar klockan nio och stänger klockan tre.

The bank opens at nine and closes at three. The two opposites side by side.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag öppner dörren. (Group 2 ending)

Incorrect — öppna is Group 1, so the present is öppnar (-ar), not *öppner (-er).

✅ Jag öppnar dörren.

I open the door.

❌ Jag öppnde fönstret. (bare -de)

Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade. The past is öppnade, not *öppnde.

✅ Jag öppnade fönstret.

I opened the window.

❌ Dörren öppna klockan nio.

Incorrect — a sign needs a finite form. Use the -s passive Dörren öppnas, or the active Dörren öppnar.

✅ Dörren öppnas klockan nio.

The door opens at nine.

❌ Affären oppnar imorgon. (missing diacritic)

Incorrect — the word is öppna with ö, not *oppna. The dots are part of the spelling.

✅ Affären öppnar imorgon.

The shop opens tomorrow.

💡

For signs, schedules, and instructions, reach for the -s passive öppnas (Dörren öppnas kl. 9) — it's the impersonal, official register. In ordinary speech about a person doing the opening, use the plain active öppnar / öppnade. The opposite throughout is stänga (stänger / stängs).

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