ta (to take) | Swedish Grammar

ta means "to take," and it is one of the most versatile verbs you will use daily. Beyond literally grasping an object, ta is Swedish's go-to verb for taking a means of transport (Jag tar bussen), and — most usefully for learners — it is the default light verb for a long list of everyday activities where English reaches for "have": ta en fika (have a coffee), ta en dusch (take/have a shower), ta en promenad (take a walk). It also heads a family of particle verbs. The forms are strong and contracted: ta – tar – tog – tagit.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
ta	tar	tog	tagit	ta	strong (contracted)

The everyday infinitive is the contracted ta; you may occasionally meet the full literary form taga (literary / archaic) in older texts, but nobody says it. The present is tar, the strong past tog (long å-like o, "tohg"), and the supine tagit. The imperative ta ("take!") is extremely common.

Ta en stol och slå dig ner.

Grab a chair and sit down. ta — imperative, plus the reflexive slå sig ner.

Han tog det sista äpplet.

He took the last apple. tog — strong past.

Vem har tagit min penna?

Who's taken my pen? tagit — the supine, after har.

Use 1: transport — ta + means of travel

To say which mode of transport you use, Swedish says you take it: ta bussen, ta tåget, ta bilen, ta flyget. This pairs neatly with åka (the general "travel by") — ta foregrounds the choice of vehicle.

Jag tar tåget till Göteborg imorgon.

I'm taking the train to Gothenburg tomorrow. ta tåget — take the train.

Ska vi ta bussen eller gå?

Shall we take the bus or walk? ta bussen vs gå (on foot).

Vi tog en taxi hem eftersom det regnade.

We took a taxi home because it was raining. tog — past.

Use 2: the light verb — ta en fika, ta en dusch

This is where ta earns its keep. For a whole class of everyday activities, Swedish uses ta + a noun where English uses "have" or "take." Learn these as set phrases: ta en fika (have a coffee break), ta en dusch (have/take a shower), ta en promenad (take a walk), ta en paus (take a break), ta ett beslut (make a decision), ta hänsyn till (take into consideration / be considerate of).

Ska vi ta en fika? Jag bjuder.

Shall we go for a coffee? My treat. ta en fika — the quintessential Swedish light-verb phrase.

Jag tar en snabb dusch innan vi går.

I'll have a quick shower before we go. ta en dusch — not *ha en dusch.

Vi måste ta ett beslut innan fredag.

We have to make a decision before Friday. ta ett beslut — 'make a decision'.

Du måste ta hänsyn till dina grannar.

You have to be considerate of your neighbours. ta hänsyn till — a fixed light-verb idiom.

Use 3: particle verbs

ta heads several high-frequency particle verbs. The essentials: ta av (take off — clothes, or turn off a road), ta på (put on — clothes), ta med (bring along), ta upp (pick up / bring up a topic), and ta reda på (find out, "take knowledge of").

Ta av dig skorna i hallen, tack.

Take off your shoes in the hall, please. ta av sig — take off (clothing), reflexive.

Glöm inte att ta med paraplyet.

Don't forget to bring the umbrella. ta med — bring along.

Jag ska ta reda på när tåget går.

I'll find out when the train leaves. ta reda på — find out, look up.

Use 4: 'take time' — det tar

Like English, Swedish uses ta for duration: det tar + a length of time means "it takes."

Det tar ungefär en timme att laga maten.

It takes about an hour to cook the food. det tar — 'it takes' (duration).

Common Mistakes

❌ Ska vi göra en fika?

Incorrect — the fixed light verb is ta, not göra. You 'take' a fika.

✅ Ska vi ta en fika?

Shall we go for a coffee?

❌ Jag ska ha en dusch.

Off — Swedish uses ta for showers, not ha (have).

✅ Jag ska ta en dusch.

I'm going to have a shower.

❌ Jag takade bussen. (regularised past)

Incorrect — ta is strong; the past is tog, not *takade.

✅ Jag tog bussen.

I took the bus.

❌ Jag har tatt det. / Jag har ta det. (wrong supine)

Incorrect — the supine is tagit.

✅ Jag har tagit det.

I've taken it.

❌ Jag ska finna ut när tåget går. (literal 'find out')

Off — Swedish doesn't say *finna ut; the idiom is ta reda på.

✅ Jag ska ta reda på när tåget går.

I'll find out when the train leaves.

💡

ta is Swedish's default light verb: where English says "have a coffee / have a shower / take a walk," Swedish says ta en fika / ta en dusch / ta en promenad. It also covers transport (ta bussen) and "make a decision" (ta ett beslut). When in doubt about a routine activity, reach for ta before ha or göra — and remember the strong past is tog, supine tagit.

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