undvika (to avoid) | Swedish Grammar

undvika means "to avoid," and it is a model example of a prefixed strong verb. It is built from the inseparable prefix und- ("away from") plus the simple verb vika ("to fold; to give way"). Because the prefix is inseparable and carries no weight of its own, the verb conjugates exactly like vika, keeping its i–e–i ablaut: undvika – undvek – undvikit. The whole point of this card is that prefix verbs inherit their base verb's strong forms — you do not invent a new pattern.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
undvika	undviker	undvek	undvikit	undvik	Group 4 (strong), und- + vika, i–e–i

Strip the prefix and you see the base verb: vika – viker – vek – vikit. Add und- and every form simply carries the prefix along: undvika – undviker – undvek – undvikit. The vowels run i (infinitive/present) → e (past undvek) → i (supine undvikit). The agreeing past participle is undviken (en-word), undviket (ett-word), undvikna (plural). Perfect har undvikit; pluperfect hade undvikit.

Jag undviker att köra in till stan i rusningstrafik.

I avoid driving into the city during rush hour. undviker — present, vowel i.

Hon undvek ämnet skickligt under hela middagen.

She skilfully avoided the subject throughout the dinner. undvek — past, vowel e.

Vi har undvikit varandra sedan grälet.

We've avoided each other since the argument. har undvikit — perfect, vowel i.

Use 1: undvika + noun — avoid someone or something

In its simplest use undvika takes a direct object: a person, place, food, situation or feeling you keep away from. There is no preposition — it is plain undvika någon / något, just like English "avoid someone / something."

Han undviker folksamlingar sedan pandemin.

He avoids crowds since the pandemic.

För att undvika krockar bör du hålla avståndet.

To avoid collisions you should keep your distance. undvika + noun object krockar.

Use 2: undvika att + infinitive — avoid doing something

To say "avoid doing something," Swedish uses undvika att + infinitive. Note that the att here is required — unlike the modal-type verbs, undvika governs its complement clause with att, and the verb inside it is an ordinary infinitive.

Försök att undvika att äta sent på kvällen.

Try to avoid eating late in the evening. undvika att + infinitive äta.

Hon undvek att svara på den känsliga frågan.

She avoided answering the sensitive question. Past undvek + att svara.

Vi vill undvika att fatta beslut i panik.

We want to avoid making decisions in a panic.

Use 3: the inseparable prefix und-

The prefix und- never detaches — it is inseparable, so it stays glued to the verb in every position, including the imperative undvik and in particle-verb word order. This contrasts with separable particles (like ut in skriva ut), which break off and follow the verb. With undvika there is nothing to break off.

Undvik att lova mer än du kan hålla.

Avoid promising more than you can keep. Imperative undvik — prefix stays attached.

Det går inte att undvika konflikten helt.

It's not possible to avoid the conflict entirely. Prefix never separates from the verb.

💡

Prefix verbs inherit the base verb's ablaut. Since undvika = und- + vika, and vika goes vika – vek – vikit (i–e–i), undvika goes undvika – undvek – undvikit. So whenever you meet a strong verb hiding under a prefix, conjugate the part you recognise and carry the prefix along unchanged.

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag undvikade trafiken.

Incorrect — undvika is strong (it inherits vika's ablaut), so there is no -ade past. The past is undvek.

✅ Jag undvek trafiken.

I avoided the traffic.

❌ Försök att undvika äta sent.

Incorrect — undvika governs its verb complement with att: undvika att äta.

✅ Försök att undvika att äta sent.

Try to avoid eating late.

❌ Jag har undvek henne hela dagen.

Wrong perfect — after har you need the supine undvikit, not the past undvek.

✅ Jag har undvikit henne hela dagen.

I've avoided her all day.

❌ Jag undviker från att gå dit.

Over-translated — undvika takes a direct object or att + infinitive; there is no 'from'.

✅ Jag undviker att gå dit.

I avoid going there.

❌ Vik und problemet. (treating und- as a separable particle)

Wrong — und- is inseparable; it never breaks off. The imperative is undvik.

✅ Undvik problemet.

Avoid the problem.

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