Swedish has a unique group of verbs that always end in -s. While an -s ending usually marks the passive voice, these specific verbs have an entirely active meaning. Because they look passive but act active, they are called deponent verbs.
| We breathe in and out. | Vi andas in och ut. |
| They sweat a lot in the studio. | De svettas mycket i studion. |
Present Tense
Standard verbs usually end in -r in the present tense. Deponent verbs skip this -r and instead end in -s.
For verbs like andas (to breathe), hoppas (to hope), lyckas (to succeed), and svettas (to sweat), the present tense is identical to the infinitive.
| You must breathe and relax. | Du måste andas och slappna av. |
| Today I hope that we succeed. | Idag hoppas jag att vi lyckas. |
Other deponent verbs drop the a from their infinitive ending (-as) in the present tense. For example, kännas (to feel/seem) becomes känns, minnas (to remember) becomes minns, and trivas (to thrive) becomes trivs.
| Today the exercise feels very difficult. | Idag känns övningen mycket svår. |
| Do you remember the studio where we used to train? | Minns du studion där vi brukade träna? |
| We enjoy it here in the calm studio. | Vi trivs här i den lugna studion. |
The Permanent "-s"
The -s ending is a permanent part of the verb. Whether you use the infinitive, present, or a past tense, the verb always keeps its -s.
| It has often felt difficult to find the balance. | Det har ofta känts svårt att hitta balansen. |
