Questions & Answers about Han lägger locket på kastrullen.
What tense is lägger, and what is the basic (dictionary) form of the verb?
Lägger is the present tense of the verb lägga.
The main forms are:
- infinitive (dictionary form): lägga – to put, to lay
- present: lägger – puts, is putting
- past (preterite): la or lade – put, laid
- supine (used with har/ha): lagt – has put/laid
So Han lägger locket på kastrullen = He is putting / puts the lid on the saucepan in English.
Why is lägger used here instead of verbs like sätter or ställer?
Swedish uses different verbs depending on how you place an object:
- lägga – to put something so that it lies (usually flat or “lying” position)
- ställa – to put something so that it stands (upright, on its base)
- sätta – to set or seat something/someone (often for people, or abstractly)
A lock (lid) is placed so that it lies on the pot, not stands up, so Swedes say:
- lägga locket på kastrullen – put/lay the lid on the saucepan
Using sätta or ställa here would sound wrong in standard Swedish.