tröttna means "to get tired of, to grow weary, to lose patience." The crucial insight is hidden in its shape: the -na suffix is the Swedish inchoative marker — it turns an adjective into a verb of becoming. So tröttna is not "to be tired"; it is "to become tired/bored", the moment the state changes. You get sick of something with tröttna på. It conjugates as a perfectly regular Group 1 verb.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Preteritum (past) | Supine | Imperative | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tröttna | tröttnar | tröttnade | tröttnat | tröttna | Group 1 (inchoative -na) |
Despite the special meaning, the conjugation is ordinary Group 1: present tröttnar (+ -r), past tröttnade (full -ade), supine tröttnat (+ -at). The whole -na family conjugates this way.
The -na suffix: change of state
-na attaches to an adjective stem and produces an inchoative verb — one that means "become [adjective]." It describes the transition into a state, not the state itself. tröttna comes from the adjective trött ("tired") plus -na, so it means "become tired/fed up." This is a small but productive family in Swedish:
| Adjective / base | -na verb | Meaning (the change) |
|---|---|---|
| trött (tired) | tröttna | to get tired / fed up |
| (sömn, sleep) | somna | to fall asleep |
| (vaken, awake) | vakna | to wake up |
| mogen (ripe, mature) | mogna | to ripen, to mature |
| kall (cold) | kallna | to go cold |
Notice the pattern: each names the moment of change, not the resulting state. somna is "fall asleep" (the change), while sova is "be asleep" (the state); vakna is "wake up", while vara vaken is "be awake".
Barnen somnade direkt i bilen.
The kids fell asleep right away in the car. somna — the change into sleep, a fellow -na verb.
Tomaterna har äntligen mognat.
The tomatoes have finally ripened. mogna — change of state, supine mognat.
tröttna (change) vs vara trött (state)
This is the contrast to master. vara trött describes the state of being tired right now. tröttna describes the change — the point at which you become tired, bored, or fed up. English blurs them ("I'm tired of it" can mean either), but Swedish keeps them apart.
Jag är trött. Jag vill sova.
I'm tired. I want to sleep. vara trött — the physical state, right now.
Jag har tröttnat. Jag orkar inte mer.
I've had enough / I've grown weary. I can't take any more. tröttnat — the change, the point of giving up.
Han blir aldrig trött på att klaga.
He never gets tired of complaining. Here blir trött (becomes tired) overlaps with tröttna — both mark the change.
Use: tröttna på — get sick of
The standard pattern is tröttna på ("get tired of / sick of") + a noun or an att-clause. This is how you express losing patience with something.
Jag tröttnade på att vänta och gick hem.
I got tired of waiting and went home. tröttna på + att-clause — the trigger that exhausted your patience.
Hon tröttnade på det gamla jobbet och sa upp sig.
She got fed up with the old job and quit. tröttna på + noun.
Vi har tröttnat på allt regn.
We've grown sick of all the rain. har tröttnat — perfect, the change now complete.
Tröttnar du aldrig på den där låten?
Don't you ever get tired of that song? Present tröttnar — habitual.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag tröttnade på jobbet men jag är fortfarande tröttna.
Incorrect — tröttna is a verb (the change); the state uses the adjective trött: jag är trött.
✅ Jag tröttnade på jobbet, men jag är fortfarande trött.
I got fed up with the job, but I'm still tired.
❌ Jag är tröttna på att vänta.
Incorrect — for 'sick of', use the verb tröttna, not *vara tröttna. Say jag har tröttnat på or jag är trött på.
✅ Jag har tröttnat på att vänta.
I've got tired of waiting.
❌ Jag tröttnde på det.
Incorrect — Group 1 takes the full -ade: tröttnade, not *tröttnde.
✅ Jag tröttnade på det.
I got tired of it.
❌ Jag tröttnar det här.
Incorrect — tröttna needs på before its object: tröttna på det här.
✅ Jag tröttnar på det här.
I'm getting sick of this.
- the -na suffix, and conjugating as plain Group 1 (tröttnade / tröttnat). Keep it apart from vara trött ("to be tired", the state). Get sick of something with tröttna på. The same -na machinery gives somna (fall asleep), vakna (wake up) and mogna (ripen).
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