röra means "to touch," "to stir," and — reflexively — "to move." It is a Group 2 verb with one important quirk: the stem ends in -r (rör-), so the present is just rör, with no second -er tacked on. You say jag rör, not jag rörer. This -r-stem shortcut shows up in a small set of high-frequency verbs (köra, höra, lära, göra all share it), so learning it on röra pays off across the board.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| röra | rör | rörde | rört | rör | Group 2 |
Because the stem already ends in -r, the present -er ending would create an awkward -rer, so it collapses to a single -r: rör. The past is the regular Group 2 -de (rörde), the supine ends in -t (rört), and the imperative is the bare stem, rör — identical to the present here.
Use 1: röra — touch
The first sense is "touch," physically making contact. The most common form you'll hear is the sharp imperative Rör inte! ("Don't touch!").
Rör inte! Färgen är våt.
Don't touch! The paint is wet. Rör — the bare imperative, no extra ending.
Han rörde försiktigt vid den gamla boken.
He gently touched the old book. röra vid = touch something — note the vid.
Jag har inte rört dina saker.
I haven't touched your things. har rört — the perfect.
Use 2: röra — stir
In the kitchen, röra means "to stir." You stir in a pot (röra i grytan) or stir something into something else.
Rör i soppan så att den inte bränns vid.
Stir the soup so it doesn't burn. Rör i + the pot/dish you stir.
Hon rörde ner sockret i degen.
She stirred the sugar into the dough. röra ner = stir something in.
Use 3: röra sig — move
Add the reflexive sig and röra means "to move (oneself)" — to budge, to be in motion. The reflexive agrees with the subject: jag rör mig, du rör dig, hon rör sig. The classic example is the command Rör dig inte! ("Don't move!").
Rör dig inte — det sitter en geting på din arm.
Don't move — there's a wasp on your arm. röra sig = move; dig agrees with du.
Det är viktigt att röra på sig varje dag.
It's important to move (be active) every day. röra på sig = get exercise / be active.
Ingenting rörde sig i den tomma gatan.
Nothing moved in the empty street. rörde sig — past of the reflexive.
Use 4: röra till and röra ihop — mess up, mix up
With particles, röra turns into "mess up." röra till means to make a mess of something; röra ihop means to mix up or muddle (facts, names, ingredients).
Barnen har rört till hela vardagsrummet. (informal)
The kids have made a mess of the whole living room. (informal) röra till = mess up.
Förlåt, jag rörde ihop datumen.
Sorry, I mixed up the dates. röra ihop = muddle, confuse.
The related noun is en röra — "a mess, a muddle." Vilken röra! means "What a mess!"
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag rörer inte dina saker. (double -r)
Incorrect — the stem ends in -r, so the present is just rör, not *rörer.
✅ Jag rör inte dina saker.
I'm not touching your things.
❌ Rör inte dig! (word order)
Off — the reflexive comes right after the verb: Rör dig inte! The negation inte follows.
✅ Rör dig inte!
Don't move!
❌ Han har rörat soppan. (wrong supine)
Incorrect — the Group 2 supine is rört, not *rörat.
✅ Han har rört soppan.
He has stirred the soup.
❌ Jag rör dig varje morgon. (wrong reflexive)
Wrong reflexive — to say 'I move' it must agree with the subject: jag rör mig, not dig.
✅ Jag rör mig varje morgon.
I move (get moving) every morning.
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