synas means "to be visible," "to show," or "to be seen" — what is on view, what shows, what can be made out. Det syns — "it shows." Stjärnorna syns ikväll — "the stars are visible tonight." It is a middle-voice s-verb, related to se ("see") and syn ("sight"): it always carries an -s, and although it looks passive, it is best understood lexically as "show / be visible" rather than as a true passive "be seen." Its subject is a thing or the dummy Det, and it powers the very useful frame det syns att ("you can tell that").
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synas | syns | syntes | synts | (none) | middle s-verb (deponent) |
Every form keeps the -s — the hallmark of a middle/deponent verb. The present is syns. The past is syntes — an irregular form to memorise (not a regularised *synades). The supine, after har, is synts. There is no imperative in practice. As with all Swedish verbs, the form doesn't vary with the subject, and here the subject is typically Det or a concrete thing that does (or doesn't) show.
Det syns att du har ansträngt dig.
You can tell you've made an effort. det syns att — 'it shows / you can tell that'.
Stjärnorna syntes knappt på grund av molnen.
The stars were barely visible because of the clouds. syntes — the irregular past.
Fläcken har synts hela tiden.
The stain has been visible the whole time. har synts — the perfect, supine synts after har.
Use 1: being visible
The base sense is "to be visible / to be in view" — whether something can be seen at all, from where you are.
Härifrån syns hela staden.
You can see the whole city from here. (Lit. 'the whole city is visible'.) syns — present.
Stjärnorna syns ikväll.
The stars are out tonight. syns = 'are visible' — a clear-sky observation.
Huset syntes inte bakom alla träd.
The house wasn't visible behind all the trees. syntes inte — past, negated.
Use 2: showing — a mark, a feeling, an effect
synas also means "to show" — for a stain, a scar, a repair, or an emotion that can't be hidden. The thing that shows is the subject.
Syns fläcken mycket?
Does the stain show much? A question — verb first, subject fläcken after.
Lagningen syns nästan inte alls.
The repair barely shows at all. syns = 'shows / is visible'.
Det syntes på henne att hon var besviken.
You could see on her face that she was disappointed. det syntes på någon att — 'you could tell from someone that'.
Use 3: det syns att — "you can tell that"
The frame det syns att is one of the most useful idioms built on this verb. It means "you can tell that / it's obvious that" — the evidence is visible. English has no single verb for it; we paraphrase with "you can tell," "it shows," "it's evident."
Det syns att du är trött.
You can tell you're tired. det syns att — the visible evidence speaks for itself.
Det syns tydligt att de är syskon.
You can clearly see they're siblings. tydligt strengthens it — 'it clearly shows that'.
Det syntes att han ljög.
You could tell he was lying. The past, syntes — 'it showed that he was lying'.
Common Mistakes
❌ Det syn att du är trött. (dropping the -s)
Incorrect — synas is a middle s-verb; the -s is permanent. The present is syns, never *syn.
✅ Det syns att du är trött.
You can tell you're tired.
❌ Stjärnorna synade ikväll. (regular past)
Incorrect — the past is the irregular syntes, not a regularised *synade.
✅ Stjärnorna syntes ikväll.
The stars were visible tonight.
❌ Du kan se att han ljuger. (calque of 'you can tell')
Understandable but the natural idiom is impersonal: Det syns att han ljuger ('it shows that…').
✅ Det syns att han ljuger.
You can tell he's lying.
❌ Fläcken har synt mycket. (active supine)
Incorrect — the middle supine keeps the -s: synts, not *synt.
✅ Fläcken har synts mycket.
The stain has shown a lot.
❌ Det ses att du är trött. (wrong verb)
Off — for 'you can tell' use synas, not the passive of se. The idiom is det syns att, not *det ses att.
✅ Det syns att du är trött.
You can tell you're tired.
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Deponent Verbs (s-verbs That Aren't Passive)B1 — A small but extremely common set of Swedish verbs that always end in -s yet mean something fully active: hoppas ('hope'), trivas ('feel at home'), lyckas ('succeed'), minnas ('remember'), andas ('breathe'), and — most importantly — finnas, the everyday verb for 'there is'. You never strip the -s, and you use one of these constantly without realising it forms a category.
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- Existential Sentences (det finns / det är)A2 — How to say 'there is / there are' in Swedish — and why it splits into two constructions English merges into one. Det finns marks pure existence ('is there such a thing?': Det finns en lösning), while det är and presentational verbs mark located presence ('is something here right now?': Det är någon vid dörren / Det står en man där). The dummy subject is det, the real ('logical') subject follows the verb — and it must be INDEFINITE.