tända (to light, turn on) | Swedish Grammar

tända means "to light" (a candle, a fire) or "to turn on" (a lamp, a light). It is a Group 2 verb, and it is the -de sub-type: the past is tände and the supine tänt. Learn it as a pair with its mirror-image opposite släcka ("to put out, turn off"), which sits in the -te sub-type — together they show the whole logic of how Swedish chooses -de versus -te.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
tända	tänder	tände	tänt	tänd	Group 2 (-de)

The present is tänder (the -er ending is the signature of Group 2). The past is tände — only -de on the stem, never the -ade of Group 1. The supine, after har, is tänt (har tänt). The imperative drops the infinitive -a: Tänd! ("Light it!").

Why -de and not -te? Because the stem tänd- ends in a voiced sound (-nd). Group 2 splits by the sound just before the ending: voiced stems take -de (tände), voiceless stems take -te. Hold tända next to släcka, whose stem ends in the voiceless -ck and which therefore makes släckte — and the rule clicks into place.

Use 1: tända ljus — lighting candles and fires

For an open flame — candles, a fire, matches — tända is the verb. The thing lit is a plain direct object.

Vi tänder alltid ljus när det blir mörkt.

We always light candles when it gets dark. tänder + a plain object — the present of Group 2 ends in -er.

Hon tände en brasa i kaminen.

She lit a fire in the stove. tände — the Group 2 -de past.

Jag har redan tänt ljusen på bordet.

I've already lit the candles on the table. har tänt — the perfect, supine tänt after har.

Use 2: tända lampan — turning on lights and devices

tända also covers switching on anything that gives off light — a lamp, the ceiling light, headlights.

Kan du tända lampan? Det är så mörkt här.

Can you turn on the lamp? It's so dark here. tända = 'turn on' for lights.

Glöm inte att tända lyset på cykeln.

Don't forget to turn on the light on your bike. tända lyset — switch on a light.

När vi kom hem hade någon tänt alla lampor.

When we got home, someone had turned on all the lamps. hade tänt — the pluperfect.

tända vs släcka — the opposites pair

tända and släcka are exact opposites: tända puts a flame or light on, släcka puts it out. The neat thing is that they fall on opposite sides of the Group 2 split, so they're also a perfect way to remember the -de / -te rule.

Tänd lampan när du går in och släck den när du går ut.

Turn on the lamp when you go in and turn it off when you leave. tänd ↔ släck, the imperatives of the opposite pair.

Vi tände ljusen, men glömde att släcka dem.

We lit the candles but forgot to put them out. tände (-de) next to släcka — the opposites side by side.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag tändade ljuset. (Group 1 -ade)

Incorrect — tända is Group 2, not Group 1. The past is tände, not *tändade.

✅ Jag tände ljuset.

I lit the candle.

❌ Vi har tändat lamporna. (Group 1 supine)

Incorrect — the supine is tänt, not *tändat. Say har tänt.

✅ Vi har tänt lamporna.

We've turned on the lamps.

❌ Jag tänte ljuset. (-te instead of -de)

Incorrect — the voiced stem tänd- takes -de: tände. -te is for voiceless stems like släck- (släckte).

✅ Jag tände ljuset.

I lit the candle.

❌ Tända ljuset, det är mörkt! (infinitive as command)

Use the imperative for a command: drop the -a → Tänd! The bare infinitive isn't a command.

✅ Tänd ljuset, det är mörkt!

Turn on the light, it's dark!

💡

tända is Group 2 of the -de sub-type — tända – tänder – tände – tänt — because its stem ends in the voiced -nd. It means "light" or "turn on" (tända ljus, tända lampan). Always learn it together with its opposite släcka ("put out / turn off"), which takes -te (släckte) — the pair captures the whole -de / -te rule in one breath.

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