packa means "to pack" — to put things into a bag, box or suitcase. It is a regular Group 1 verb conjugating exactly like tala, and it's a great verb for learning how Swedish particles steer meaning: the same root, packa, can mean "pack" or "unpack" depending entirely on the little word that follows.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| packa | packar | packade | packat | packa | Group 1 |
Every form follows the Group 1 rule. Present is infinitive + -r (packar). Past adds the full -ade (packade). The supine ends in -at (packat). The imperative is the bare stem (Packa! "Pack!"). Note the double -ck-: Swedish spells a /k/ after a short stressed vowel as ck, and because the a in packa is short, the doubled ck stays in every single form.
Use 1: present, past, and perfect
Jag packar väskan kvällen innan jag reser.
I pack my bag the night before I travel. packar — Group 1 present; packa väskan = pack the bag.
Vi packade i sista minuten, som vanligt.
We packed at the last minute, as usual. packade — the regular -ade past.
Har du packat allt du behöver?
Have you packed everything you need? har packat — perfect, supine packat after har.
Hon packade matsäck till hela klassen.
She packed a picnic for the whole class. packade — past, transitive.
Use 2: packa ner and packa upp — the particle flips the direction
This is the heart of packa. packa ner ("pack down") means to pack things away / into a bag — to put them in. packa upp ("pack up") means to unpack — to take things back out. English is the opposite trap: in English "pack up" means to put away, but in Swedish packa upp means to take out. Watch the direction:
Packa ner regnkläderna — det ser ut att bli regn.
Pack the rain gear away — it looks like rain. packa ner = pack in / pack away.
Vi packade upp direkt när vi kom fram till hotellet.
We unpacked straight away when we got to the hotel. packa upp = unpack, take out.
Har du packat upp än, eller ligger allt kvar i väskan?
Have you unpacked yet, or is everything still in the bag? har packat upp — perfect of 'unpack'.
Use 3: packa ihop and packa ner the camp
packa ihop ("pack together") means to gather and pack everything up — to wrap things up, often before leaving. It overlaps with packa ner but stresses bundling everything together rather than the downward direction.
Vi packade ihop och åkte hem innan mörkret.
We packed up and drove home before dark. packa ihop = gather and pack everything together.
Det är dags att packa ihop nu — festen är slut.
Time to pack up now — the party's over. packa ihop in the 'wrap things up' sense.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag packde väskan. (bare -de)
Incorrect — packa is Group 1, so the past takes the full -ade: packade, not *packde.
✅ Jag packade väskan.
I packed the bag.
❌ Jag paka väskan. (single k)
Spelling error — after the short vowel a, the /k/ doubles to ck: packa, packade, packat.
✅ Jag packade väskan.
I packed the bag.
❌ Vi packade upp allt i väskan innan resan. (wrong particle)
Off — to put things INTO the bag, use packa ner; packa upp means to take them OUT (unpack).
✅ Vi packade ner allt i väskan innan resan.
We packed everything into the bag before the trip.
❌ Har du packat upp väskan när du kom hem?
Tense clash — the perfect har packat can't combine with the finished past time när du kom hem ('when you got home'). Use the plain past: Packade du upp...?
✅ Packade du upp väskan när du kom hem?
Did you unpack the bag when you got home?
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
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