trivas means roughly "to thrive / feel at home / be content" — and it is a deponent s-verb: it always carries an -s, yet its meaning is completely active, never passive. It is one of the most culturally telling words in Swedish, because English has no single equivalent for it: depending on context, trivas is rendered "thrive," "feel comfortable," "be happy," "enjoy it," "feel at home." It names a quiet, settled sense of well-being in a place, a job, or company. You never strip the -s. This card covers its forms and the two prepositions that go with it, med and på/i.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trivas | trivs | trivdes | trivts | trivs | deponent (s-verb) |
The present trivs drops the a of the infinitive (trivas → trivs) but keeps the -s — this is the regular pattern for these -as deponents. The past trivdes and the supine trivts (used after har/hade) both keep the -s too. As always, one form covers every subject: jag trivs, du trivs, hon trivs, vi trivs. There is an imperative trivs, but it is uncommon — you don't often order someone to feel content.
Jag trivs jättebra på mitt nya jobb.
I'm really happy in my new job. trivs = present; here 'be happy at work' — there's no neat one-word English match.
Vi trivdes så bra i den lilla byn att vi stannade en vecka till.
We liked it so much in the little village that we stayed another week. trivdes = past, with -s.
Hon har alltid trivts bäst när hon får jobba ensam.
She has always been happiest when she gets to work alone. trivts = supine, after har.
Use 1: trivas på / i — feel at home at / in a place
To say you feel comfortable in a place — a job, a town, a flat, a school — Swedish uses trivas på or trivas i (the choice of preposition follows the noun: på jobbet, i Stockholm, i lägenheten). This is the most frequent use.
Jag trivs på jobbet — kollegorna är fantastiska.
I'm happy at work — my colleagues are fantastic. trivas på jobbet is a set everyday phrase.
Trivs ni i den nya lägenheten?
Are you settling in well in the new flat? trivas i + a place; a very natural 'how do you like it there?' question.
Barnen trivs i skolan, och det är det viktigaste.
The kids are happy at school, and that's what matters most. trivas i skolan.
Use 2: trivas med — be happy with a person, situation, or thing
When the source of your contentment is a person, a situation, or a thing you do, Swedish uses trivas med ("be happy / get on well with").
Jag trivs med mina arbetskamrater.
I get on well with my workmates. trivas med + people.
Han trivs inte riktigt med att jobba hemifrån.
He doesn't really enjoy working from home. trivas med + an activity (here a verb phrase).
Trivs du med livet i en storstad?
Are you happy with life in a big city? trivas med + a situation.
Use 3: trivas on its own — be content, in general
Used absolutely, with no preposition, trivas simply means "be content / feel good / be in one's element." It paints an overall mood rather than pointing at one cause.
Katten trivs framför brasan.
The cat is in its element in front of the fire. trivas alone — pure contentment.
Man märker direkt om någon trivs eller inte.
You can tell straight away whether someone is happy or not. trivs used absolutely.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag triv bra på jobbet.
Incorrect — trivas is a deponent; the present is trivs, with the -s, never *triv. The -s never drops.
✅ Jag trivs bra på jobbet.
I'm happy at work.
❌ Vi trivde i den nya staden.
Incorrect — the past keeps the -s: trivdes, not *trivde.
✅ Vi trivdes i den nya staden.
We felt at home in the new city.
❌ Jag trivs i mina kollegor.
Off — with people, use trivas med, not trivas i. (trivas i is for places.)
✅ Jag trivs med mina kollegor.
I get on well with my colleagues.
❌ Han har trivit på sin nya skola.
Incorrect — the supine keeps the -s: trivts, not *trivit.
✅ Han har trivts på sin nya skola.
He has been happy at his new school.
❌ Jag är trivd här. (treating it as passive)
Incorrect — trivas is never passive; you don't get 'be thrived'. It simply means the active 'feel at home / be content'.
✅ Jag trivs här.
I feel at home here.
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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.
- Using the Verb ReferenceA2 — How to read the single-verb reference cards and the principal-parts citation system that underpins them. Every Swedish verb is cited as a short chain — infinitive – present – preteritum – supine – (past participle) — because every other form is derivable from those parts. This page decodes one weak verb (tala – talar – talade – talat) and one strong verb (skriva – skriver – skrev – skrivit – skriven), explains the conjugation-group labels (1/2/3/4), and gives a key to everything on a card.
- 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.