kunna is the Swedish equivalent of "can / be able to," and it is one of the most useful verbs in the language. But it reaches into territory that English hands to a different verb entirely: where English splits "I can swim" (ability) from "I know Swedish" (knowledge), Swedish uses kunna for both. Getting comfortable with that wider range is the main work of this page. As a modal it takes a bare infinitive (Jag kan simma), but in its "know a skill / language" sense it often takes a plain object and no following verb at all.
Forms
kunna is irregular. Its three principal parts are the ones to memorise:
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Supine (with har/hade) |
|---|---|---|---|
| kunna | kan | kunde | kunnat |
As with every Swedish verb, these forms don't change for person: jag kan, du kan, hon kan, vi kan, de kan. The past kunde and the supine kunnat work the same way.
Förut kunde jag inte simma, men nu kan jag.
Before, I couldn't swim, but now I can. Past 'kunde' vs present 'kan' — neither changes for the subject.
Hon har alltid kunnat hålla huvudet kallt.
She has always been able to keep a cool head. Supine 'kunnat' after 'har'.
Sense 1: ability — "can, be able to"
This is the use that maps cleanly onto English. kunna + bare infinitive expresses that someone has the ability to do something.
Hon kan köra bil.
She can drive (a car). kan + köra — bare infinitive, no 'att'.
Kan du hjälpa mig en stund?
Can you help me for a moment? Question word order: the modal comes first.
Jag kunde inte sova i natt.
I couldn't sleep last night. Past ability with 'kunde', negated by 'inte'.
Sense 2: possibility — "may, might, could"
kunna also expresses that something is possible — that it might happen or might be the case. Here English usually reaches for "may / might / could" rather than "can," but Swedish keeps kan.
Det kan regna i eftermiddag.
It may rain this afternoon. 'kan' = possibility, not ability. English switches to 'may/might'; Swedish keeps 'kan'.
Det kan hända att han kommer för sent.
It may happen that he arrives late. 'Det kan hända' = 'maybe' / 'it could happen' — a very common set phrase.
Var är Anna? — Hon kan vara på jobbet.
Where's Anna? — She could be at work. A guess about a present situation: possibility, not ability.
Sense 3: knowing a skill or a language — the big one for English speakers
Here is where Swedish parts ways with English. To say you know a language, a skill, a fact you've learned, or a piece you've memorised, Swedish uses kunna — and crucially, it takes a plain noun object with no following verb:
Jag kan svenska.
I know Swedish. Literally 'I can Swedish' — but it means 'I know / have learned Swedish'. NO following verb, NO 'att'.
Hon kan franska och lite spanska.
She knows French and a little Spanish. Languages take 'kunna', not 'veta'.
Kan du läxan utantill?
Do you know the homework by heart? A memorised skill/content — 'kunna' again.
Han kan dikten utantill.
He knows the poem by heart. 'kunna ... utantill' = 'know ... by heart' — learned, internalised knowledge.
The logic is worth holding onto: kunna is knowledge you have mastered or internalised — a skill, a language, a memorised text — the kind of "knowing" that is really an ability. That is why Swedish files it under the same verb as "can." English happens to call this "know," but it is closer to "be able to do / be able to produce."
kunna vs veta in one line
English uses "know" for both facts and skills; Swedish does not. Keep them apart:
| You mean… | Swedish verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| know a fact / piece of information | veta | Jag vet att han kommer. |
| know / have mastered a skill or language | kunna | Jag kan svenska. |
| be acquainted with a person / place | känna | Jag känner honom. |
Jag vet att hon kan tyska, men jag vet inte hur bra.
I know (fact) that she knows (skill) German, but I don't know (fact) how well. One sentence with both 'veta' and 'kunna' — watch which is which.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jag vet svenska.
Incorrect — 'veta' is for facts. For a language you use 'kunna': Jag kan svenska.
✅ Jag kan svenska.
I know Swedish.
❌ Jag kan att simma.
Incorrect — 'kunna' is a modal; it takes the bare infinitive with no 'att'.
✅ Jag kan simma.
I can swim.
❌ Hon vet spela piano. / Hon kan att spela piano.
Incorrect on both counts — it's 'kunna' (a skill), and a modal takes the bare infinitive.
✅ Hon kan spela piano.
She can play the piano / knows how to play the piano.
❌ Han har kunde göra det.
Incorrect — after 'har' you need the supine 'kunnat', not the past 'kunde'.
✅ Han har kunnat göra det.
He has been able to do it.
Key Takeaways
- kunna = kan / kunde / kunnat, irregular and invariable for person.
- It covers three English senses: ability (Jag kan simma), possibility (Det kan regna = "it may rain"), and knowing a skill or language (Jag kan svenska = "I know Swedish").
- For a language, a skill, or anything memorised, use kunna, never veta — and in that sense it takes a plain object with no following verb.
- As a modal (ability / possibility) it takes the bare infinitive, no att.
- Reserve veta for facts and känna for people/places — see kunna vs veta vs känna.
Now practice Swedish
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Start learning Swedish→Related Topics
- Modal Verbs: OverviewA2 — The Swedish modal verbs — kan, vill, ska, måste, får, bör, lär, må — all share one liberating syntax: they take a BARE infinitive with NO att (Jag kan simma, not *Jag kan att simma), and like all Swedish verbs they never agree for person. Learn one present form and you can build every modal sentence. This page maps the whole set and warns you that several modals (få, ska, må) are heavily polysemous.
- kunna vs veta vs känna (to know)A2 — English 'know' does three jobs that Swedish splits across three verbs: veta = know a FACT (Jag vet att...), kunna = know a SKILL or have learned content, including languages (Jag kan svenska, 'I know Swedish'), and känna = be acquainted with a PERSON or recognise (Jag känner honom). The surprise for English speakers is that languages and skills take kunna, not veta. This page gives you a clean test and the errors to avoid.
- få (may, get to, have to)A2 — få (får / fick / fått) is the most polysemous verb in Swedish. As a modal it means permission (Får jag komma in? 'May I?'), opportunity (Vi fick se filmen 'we got to see it'), and mild obligation (Du får vänta 'you'll have to wait'); as a main verb it means 'get / receive' (Jag fick ett brev). And få inte means 'may not / must not' — prohibition — making it the partner of behöver inte ('need not') on a three-way deontic scale: får inte / behöver inte / måste.
- kunna (can, be able to, know)A2 — kunna is Swedish 'can' — present kan, past kunde — and it takes a bare infinitive with no att. Beyond ability and possibility, kan also means 'know' a skill or a language (Jag kan svenska, with NO verb after it), and its past kunde / skulle kunna builds polite requests.