vara (to be) | Swedish Grammar

vara is the Swedish verb "to be," and it is the single most common verb in the language. Its forms are completely irregular and must be learned as fixed words — above all the present är, which looks nothing like the infinitive. Just as important is knowing where Swedish does not use it: English "be" covers far more ground than vara, and pinning down the difference saves you from a whole family of beginner errors.

Principal parts

Infinitive	Present	Preteritum (past)	Supine	Imperative	Group
vara	är	var	varit	var	irregular

The present är is pronounced roughly like English "air" — the v of the infinitive disappears entirely. There is one form for every subject: jag är, du är, hon är, vi är, de är. Swedish verbs never change for person, so you never adjust är the way English juggles am / is / are. The past var and the supine varit (used after ha: har varit) are the other two forms you must own cold.

Jag är jättetrött, jag måste sova.

I'm really tired, I have to sleep. är — present of vara, same form for every subject.

Var du hemma igår? — Nej, jag var på jobbet.

Were you home yesterday? — No, I was at work. var is the past tense of vara.

Jag har aldrig varit i Finland.

I've never been to Finland. varit — the supine, used after har.

Use 1: copula — identity and description

The core job of vara is to link a subject to who or what it is, or to a quality it has. This is identity ("X is Y") and description ("X is [adjective]") — exactly the English copula, and here the two languages line up.

Min syster är läkare och bor i Göteborg.

My sister is a doctor and lives in Gothenburg. är links the subject to a profession — note: no en before läkare.

Det här kaffet är alldeles för starkt.

This coffee is far too strong. är + adjective: a description.

Vem är det där? — Det är min granne.

Who's that? — That's my neighbour. Identity: det är + a noun.

A useful little pattern is the inverted answer Det är jag ("It's me / That's me"), where vara connects a placeholder det to the real identity.

Vem har ätit upp tårtan? — Det var jag.

Who ate up the cake? — That was me. Det var jag, literally 'it was I' — Swedish keeps the subject form jag here.

Use 2: the vara-passive — a resultant state

When vara is combined with a past participle, it describes a state that results from an action — the door is in the condition of being open, not the act of opening it. This contrasts with the bli-passive, which describes the dynamic event itself.

Dörren är öppen — det drar kallt.

The door is open — there's a cold draught. är + participle = the resulting state, the door's current condition.

Affären är redan stängd, vi kom för sent.

The shop is already closed, we got here too late. stängd is the state the shop is in now.

Brevet är skrivet, jag postar det imorgon.

The letter is written, I'll post it tomorrow. The writing is finished; we describe the result.

Use 3: existential and identifying det är

Vara anchors the existential and identifying construction with det — Swedish's counterpart to English "there is / it is." Here det is a dummy subject and vara carries the tense.

Det är någon vid dörren.

There's someone at the door. det är introduces existence — like English 'there is'.

Det är kallt ute idag.

It's cold out today. Weather and general states use det är.

Where Swedish does NOT use vara: physical location of objects

Here is the trap. In English, an object "is" somewhere: the book is on the table. Swedish finds that vague and instead picks a positional verb that says how the object sits there — ligga (lying flat), stå (standing upright), or sitta (fixed in place). Using vara for an object's location sounds distinctly foreign.

Boken ligger på bordet.

The book is on the table. Swedish says ligger ('lies') — a flat object rests lying down, not *är.

Glasen står i skåpet.

The glasses are in the cupboard. står ('stand') — upright objects stand.

Nyckeln sitter i låset.

The key is in the lock. sitter ('sits') — something wedged or fixed in place.

So vara is for identity and description; for where a thing physically rests, reach for ligga / stå / sitta. (People and the weather are fine with vara: Jag är i köket, "I'm in the kitchen.")

Common Mistakes

❌ Jag varar hemma idag.

Incorrect — the present of vara is är, never the regularised *varar.

✅ Jag är hemma idag.

I'm at home today.

❌ Boken är på bordet.

Off — for an object's physical location Swedish prefers a positional verb.

✅ Boken ligger på bordet.

The book is on the table (it lies flat).

❌ Han är 25 år. (intending 'he turns 25')

Careful — är states a current fact; for a change of state ('becomes / turns') Swedish uses bli.

✅ Han fyller 25 år. / Han är 25 år.

He turns 25. / He is 25 (his current age is fine with är).

❌ Det var mig som gjorde fel.

Incorrect — the pattern is fixed: det är/var + the subject form jag, never the object form mig.

✅ Det var jag som gjorde fel.

It was me who got it wrong.

❌ Vi äro glada. (archaic plural)

Incorrect in modern Swedish — the old plural äro is archaic; the present is är for all subjects.

✅ Vi är glada.

We're happy.

💡

Swedish vara is narrower than English "be." Use it for identity and description (Jag är trött, Hon är läkare) and for resultant states (Dörren är öppen) — but when an object simply sits somewhere, Swedish wants ligger / står / sitter, not är. And never regularise the present: it is är, not varar.

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