städa (to clean, tidy) | Swedish Grammar

städa means "to clean" or "to tidy" — specifically a space: a room, a flat, a desk, a whole house. It is a regular Group 1 verb conjugating exactly like tala. The single most important thing to learn about it is that Swedish splits English "clean / wash" across three different verbs, and städa covers only one of them: cleaning up a place.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
städa	städar	städade	städat	städa	Group 1

All four forms follow the Group 1 rule. Present is infinitive + -r (städar). Past adds the full -ade (städade). The supine ends in -at (städat). The imperative is the bare stem (Städa! "Clean up!"). The ä carries through every form — don't let it drift to a or e.

Use 1: present, past, and perfect

Jag städar rummet på lördagar.

I clean my room on Saturdays. städar rummet — Group 1 present; städa takes the space as object.

Vi städade hela lägenheten innan gästerna kom.

We cleaned the whole flat before the guests arrived. städade — the regular -ade past.

Har du städat ditt skrivbord någon gång?

Have you ever tidied your desk? har städat — perfect, supine städat after har.

Städa upp efter dig, tack!

Clean up after yourself, please! städa upp = tidy up; städa efter sig = clean up after oneself.

Use 2: städa undan — tidy away

The particle undan ("aside, out of the way") gives städa undan ("tidy away, clear away") — to put scattered things back where they belong. It's the everyday word for clearing a table or putting toys away.

Kan du städa undan leksakerna innan vi äter?

Can you tidy away the toys before we eat? städa undan = clear away, put back.

Hon städade undan papperna från bordet.

She cleared the papers away from the table. städa undan — past, with the particle undan.

The three 'clean' verbs: städa vs tvätta vs diska

Here is the distinction that trips up every English speaker. English "wash" and "clean" cover a lot of ground; Swedish makes you pick the right verb for the right object.

Verb	What you clean	Example object
städa	a space / room / home	städa rummet, städa huset
tvätta	clothes, the body, surfaces	tvätta kläder, tvätta håret, tvätta bilen
diska	dishes, plates, cutlery	diska tallrikarna, diska efter middagen

Jag tvättar kläderna på söndagar. (not städar)

I wash the clothes on Sundays. (not städar) Laundry is tvätta, never städa.

Det är din tur att diska i kväll. (not städa)

It's your turn to do the dishes tonight. (not städa) Washing up is diska, a verb of its own.

Hon städar köket, men hon diskar inte.

She cleans the kitchen, but she doesn't do the dishes. Same room, two different verbs — städa the space, diska the plates.

💡

One room can need all three verbs: you städa the kitchen (the space), diska the plates, and tvätta the tea towels. The noun from städa is en städning ("a cleaning / a clean-up"), and storstädning is a deep spring-clean.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag städde rummet. (bare -de)

Incorrect — städa is Group 1, so the past takes the full -ade: städade, not *städde.

✅ Jag städade rummet.

I cleaned the room.

❌ Jag måste städa kläderna.

Wrong verb — clothes are washed with tvätta, not städa: Jag måste tvätta kläderna.

✅ Jag måste tvätta kläderna.

I have to wash the clothes.

❌ Det är din tur att städa tallrikarna.

Wrong verb — dishes are done with diska, not städa: din tur att diska.

✅ Det är din tur att diska.

It's your turn to do the dishes.

❌ Jag har städat tänderna.

Wrong verb — you brush your teeth (borsta tänderna); for the body/hair it's tvätta, never städa.

✅ Jag har borstat tänderna.

I have brushed my teeth.

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