Adverbs from adjectives (-t)

Forming Adverbs with "-t"

To describe how an action is performed, you need an adverb. Just as English often adds "-ly" to an adjective (turning "wonderful" into "wonderfully"), Swedish typically adds a -t to the base form of the adjective.

The band plays wonderfully.
Bandet spelar underbart.
She sings wonderfully on the stage.
Hon sjunger underbart på scenen.

Describing Skills and Performances

When talking about skills or actions, these adverbs sit after the verb (and any direct object) to describe the manner of the action.

He plays the piano very skilfully.
Han spelar pianot mycket skickligt.
The teacher plays the piano calmly.
Läraren spelar pianot lugnt.
The choir must sing clearly.
Kören måste sjunga tydligt.

Spelling Adjustments and Idioms

If an adjective ends in -d, the -d usually drops and is replaced by a -t to make pronunciation easier. For example, vild (wild) becomes the adverb vilt (wildly).

The audience danced wildly before we cycled home.
Publiken dansade vilt innan vi cyklade hem.

Another useful adjective is falsk (false). By adding a -t, it becomes falskt. When applied to music, Swedish speakers use this adverb to describe playing or singing "out of tune".

We thought that the band played out of tune.
Vi trodde att bandet spelade falskt.
They danced wildly when he played out of tune.
De dansade vilt när han spelade falskt.
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