räcka is a small word that does two big jobs. It means "to suffice / be enough" — as in the everyday Det räcker "that's enough" — and it also means "to reach / hand / pass," as in Räck mig saltet "Pass me the salt." It is a regular Group 2 verb whose stem ends in -ck, so the past takes the voiceless -te ending (the 2b subtype): räcka – räckte – räckt.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| räcka | räcker | räckte | räckt | räck | Group 2b (weak, -te past) |
Because the stem räck- ends in a voiceless consonant (-ck), the past ending is -te, not -de: räckte, not räckade or räckde. The supine is räckt (perfect har räckt), and the imperative is the bare stem räck. Note the ä throughout — never racka, which is a different word entirely.
En flaska vatten räcker till oss båda.
One bottle of water is enough for us both. räcker — present, 'is enough'.
Pengarna räckte inte till hyran den månaden.
The money wasn't enough for the rent that month. räckte — past, -te ending.
Maten har räckt hela veckan, otroligt nog.
The food has lasted the whole week, amazingly. har räckt — perfect.
Use 1: suffice / be enough — Det räcker
This is the sense you will hear most. Det räcker means "that's enough / that'll do," and it is the standard way to stop someone pouring, serving or continuing. The subject is often an impersonal det or a concrete thing whose quantity is at issue (money, time, food).
— Vill du ha mer? — Nej tack, det räcker.
— Do you want more? — No thanks, that's enough. Det räcker — the fixed everyday phrase.
Det räcker nu, sluta bråka!
That's enough now, stop arguing!
Tiden räcker inte för att hinna allt.
There isn't enough time to get everything done. räcker inte = isn't enough.
Use 2: räcka till — be sufficient to go around
The particle phrase räcka till sharpens the "enough" sense to "be enough to go around / to cover the need." It is what you say when a limited supply has to stretch across several people or demands.
Räcker tårtan till alla gästerna?
Is there enough cake to go around for all the guests? räcka till = be enough to go round.
Lönen räcker inte riktigt till i slutet av månaden.
The salary doesn't quite stretch far enough at the end of the month.
Use 3: reach / hand / pass — Räck mig saltet
The second core meaning is physical: to reach out and hand something over. The imperative Räck mig … "Pass me / Hand me …" is the polite table request. With the particle över, räcka över något is "hand / pass something over." And räcka upp handen is the fixed phrase "to raise one's hand" (in class).
Kan du räcka mig saltet, tack?
Can you pass me the salt, please? räcka mig X = hand me X.
Hon räckte över nycklarna och gick.
She handed over the keys and left. räcka över = hand over; past räckte.
Räck upp handen om du vet svaret.
Raise your hand if you know the answer. räcka upp handen = raise one's hand.
Common Mistakes
❌ Pengarna räckade inte.
Incorrect — räck- ends in a voiceless consonant, so the past is räckte (-te), not -ade.
✅ Pengarna räckte inte.
The money wasn't enough.
❌ Det är nog. (intending 'that's enough')
Unidiomatic for stopping someone — Swedish says Det räcker. (nog more often means 'probably'.)
✅ Det räcker.
That's enough.
❌ Kan du ge mig saltet över bordet och nå det? (over-translating 'reach')
Clumsy — to ask someone to reach and hand you something, use räcka: Räck mig saltet.
✅ Räck mig saltet, tack.
Pass me the salt, please.
❌ Lyfta handen om du vet svaret. (in a classroom)
Not the school idiom — to raise your hand in class the fixed phrase is räcka upp handen.
✅ Räck upp handen om du vet svaret.
Raise your hand if you know the answer.
❌ Maten har räckte hela veckan.
Wrong perfect — after har you need the supine räckt, not the past räckte.
✅ Maten har räckt hela veckan.
The food has lasted the whole week.
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