slänga means "to throw, toss, chuck." It is a Group 2 verb (slänga – slänger – slängde – slängt) and the casual cousin of kasta. Where kasta is the neutral word for "throw," slänga carries a flavour of carelessness or breeziness — you slänga something into a corner, slänga away rubbish, or slänga ihop a quick meal. Learning when to reach for slänga instead of kasta is half the value of this card.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| slänga | slänger | slängde | slängt | släng | Group 2 |
The present is stem plus -er (släng- → slänger), the past adds -de (slängde), the supine ends in -t (slängt), and the imperative is the bare stem, släng. Same pattern as hänga — Group 2 with a voiced stem, so -de rather than -te.
Use 1: slänga — toss, chuck
The core sense is throwing something somewhere, usually quickly or casually. It often implies you didn't take much care about where it landed.
Han slängde nycklarna på bordet och försvann.
He tossed the keys on the table and disappeared. slängde — casual, careless past.
Släng inte böckerna så där — de går sönder!
Don't throw the books around like that — they'll break! släng — imperative.
Hon har slängt alla gamla brev.
She has thrown out all the old letters. har slängt — the perfect.
Use 2: slänga bort / iväg — throw away
To "throw something away" is slänga bort or just slänga on its own; slänga iväg adds a sense of flinging something off. In Sweden, day-to-day, people most often simply say slänga for "bin it."
Du kan slänga den där tidningen, jag har läst den.
You can throw away that newspaper, I've read it. Plain slänga = 'bin it'.
Vi slängde bort massor av saker när vi flyttade.
We threw away loads of stuff when we moved. slänga bort = discard.
Släng inte iväg kvittot — vi kan behöva det.
Don't chuck the receipt — we might need it. slänga iväg = fling away.
Use 3: slänga ihop and slänga ut
Two more high-frequency particle phrases. slänga ihop means "throw together" — to make something quickly and without fuss (a meal, a text). slänga ut means "toss out" — physically, or "kick someone out."
Jag slänger ihop en sallad, så är vi klara. (informal)
I'll throw together a salad and we're done. (informal) slänga ihop = make quickly.
Vakterna slängde ut honom från klubben.
The bouncers threw him out of the club. slänga ut = eject someone.
slänga vs kasta
Both mean "throw," but they sit at different registers and shades. kasta is the neutral, all-purpose verb — you kastar a ball, kastar a glance, kastar dice. slänga is more casual and often implies carelessness or speed; it's the natural word for binning things and for offhand actions. For deliberate, aimed throwing — sport, a precise toss — kasta is the right choice. When you mean "bin it" or "fling it down without caring," slänga fits better.
Kasta bollen till mig!
Throw me the ball! Aimed, deliberate — kasta, not slänga.
Han slängde bara kläderna på golvet. (informal)
He just threw his clothes on the floor. (informal) Careless — slänga is the natural fit.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag slängar bort tidningen. (Group 1 ending)
Incorrect — slänga is Group 2, so the present is slänger (-er), not *slängar.
✅ Jag slänger bort tidningen.
I'm throwing away the newspaper.
❌ Jag har slängat soporna. (wrong supine)
Incorrect — the Group 2 supine is slängt, not *slängat.
✅ Jag har slängt soporna.
I've thrown out the rubbish.
❌ Hon slängde en blick på klockan.
Off — for a 'glance' the idiomatic verb is kasta: kasta en blick. slänga sounds wrong here.
✅ Hon kastade en blick på klockan.
She glanced at the clock.
❌ Släng bollen exakt till mållinjen.
Off — for precise, aimed throwing use kasta; slänga implies careless tossing.
✅ Kasta bollen exakt till mållinjen.
Throw the ball precisely to the goal line.
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