uttrycka (to express) | Swedish Grammar

uttrycka means "to express" — to put a feeling, an opinion, or a thought into words. It is built from the particle ut- ("out") plus the verb trycka ("to press"), so its literal image is "to press out": you press your inner state out into language. The ut- here is fused to the front and does not detach, so uttrycka inflects as a single unit. Because the stem tryck- ends in a voiceless consonant, it belongs to Group 2 and takes the -te past, giving uttryckte and the supine uttryckt.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
uttrycka	uttrycker	uttryckte	uttryckt	uttryck	Group 2 (-te)

This is a textbook Group 2b verb (the subgroup whose stem ends in a voiceless consonant and so takes -te, not -de). The present is stem + -er (uttrycker), the past is stem + -te (uttryckte), and the supine is stem + -t (uttryckt). The imperative is the bare stem uttryck. The agreeing past participle is uttryckt / uttryckta ("expressed"). The trap for learners is reaching for -de (uttryckte, not uttryckde) — after the voiceless -ck the ending is always -te.

Hon uttrycker sig alltid väldigt tydligt.

She always expresses herself very clearly. uttrycker — present.

Han uttryckte sin oro för framtiden.

He expressed his worry about the future. uttryckte — Group 2 past with -te.

Jag har aldrig uttryckt det så bra själv.

I've never put it so well myself. har uttryckt — perfect, supine -t.

Use 1: present, past and perfect

The three tenses follow the principal parts mechanically. Present uttrycker covers "express" and "am expressing." The past uttryckte is the Group 2 -te form. The perfect is har uttryckt; the pluperfect is hade uttryckt. The object is typically an abstract noun — a feeling, view, or wish.

Rapporten uttrycker en tydlig oro över utvecklingen.

The report expresses a clear concern about the trend. Present uttrycker. (formal)

Flera medlemmar uttryckte sitt missnöje på mötet.

Several members expressed their dissatisfaction at the meeting. uttryckte — simple past.

Styrelsen hade redan uttryckt sitt stöd innan omröstningen.

The board had already expressed its support before the vote. hade uttryckt — pluperfect.

Why -te and not -de here? Group 2 splits into two halves by the final sound of the stem. If the stem ends in a voiced consonant the past is -de (ringa → ringde); if it ends in a voiceless consonant — -k, -p, -s, -t, -x — the ending devoices to match, giving -te. The stem of uttrycka ends in -ck (voiceless k), so the past is uttryckte. This is the same rule that gives köpte, läste, and tyckte. Once you hear the voiceless consonant, the -te is automatic.

Use 2: uttrycka åsikter, känslor — express opinions and feelings

The everyday transitive use takes a direct object naming what is being expressed — most often en åsikt ("an opinion"), känslor ("feelings"), tacksamhet ("gratitude"), or oro ("concern"). English "express" maps onto this one-to-one.

Du måste våga uttrycka vad du känner.

You have to dare to express what you feel. uttrycka + an object clause.

Många uttryckte tacksamhet efter hjälpen.

Many expressed gratitude after the help. uttryckte tacksamhet.

Det är svårt att uttrycka hur glad jag blev.

It's hard to express how happy I was. uttrycka + an embedded clause.

Use 3: uttrycka sig — express oneself

Made reflexive, uttrycka sig means "to express oneself" — how you phrase things, how well you put your thoughts into words. The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject (jag uttrycker mig, han uttrycker sig), and an adverb of manner usually follows: uttrycka sig väl ("express oneself well"), uttrycka sig på svenska ("express oneself in Swedish").

Han uttrycker sig väl på både svenska och engelska.

He expresses himself well in both Swedish and English. uttrycker sig väl.

Förlåt om jag uttryckte mig klumpigt.

Sorry if I put that clumsily. uttryckte mig — reflexive past.

Barn lär sig att uttrycka sig med ord redan tidigt.

Children learn to express themselves in words early on. uttrycka sig.

The noun: ett uttryck

The verb's noun is ett uttryck — "an expression," covering both a facial expression and a fixed phrase or idiom. It is neuter with an unchanged plural (ett uttryck, flera uttryck). The common collocation ge uttryck för means "to give expression to / voice" something, and ett vanligt uttryck is "a common phrase."

'Att kasta in handduken' är ett vanligt uttryck för att ge upp.

'To throw in the towel' is a common phrase for giving up. ett uttryck — the noun.

Hennes ansikte fick ett bekymrat uttryck.

Her face took on a worried expression. ett uttryck — the facial sense.

Common Mistakes

❌ Han uttryckde sin oro. (-de instead of -te)

Incorrect — after the voiceless -ck the Group 2 past is -te: uttryckte, not *uttryckde.

✅ Han uttryckte sin oro.

He expressed his worry.

❌ Hon uttrycker väl. (missing reflexive sig)

Incorrect — 'express oneself' needs the reflexive: uttrycka sig väl, not bare uttrycka väl.

✅ Hon uttrycker sig väl.

She expresses herself well.

❌ Jag har uttryckat det dåligt. (-at supine)

Incorrect — uttrycka is Group 2, so the supine is uttryckt with -t, not the Group 1 -at.

✅ Jag har uttryckt det dåligt.

I've put it badly.

❌ Det är ett bra uttrycka för det.

Incorrect — the noun is ett uttryck; uttrycka is the verb. Don't use the infinitive as a noun.

✅ Det är ett bra uttryck för det.

That's a good expression for it.

💡

uttrycka = "press out" your inner state into words. It is Group 2 with the -te past — uttryckte / uttryckt, never uttryckde or uttryckat. Add the reflexive for "express oneself" (uttrycka sig väl), and keep the verb apart from its noun ett uttryck, "an expression / a phrase."

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