Talking About Habits: Bruka
To talk about regular routines, Swedish relies heavily on the verb bruka (to usually do). It acts as a helping verb and is followed directly by the infinitive of another verb.
| to usually do | bruka |
Habitual Seasons
To describe things that happen regularly during a specific time of year, use the preposition på followed by the definite singular form of the season.
| Season | Habitual Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| våren (the spring) | på våren | in the spring(s) |
| sommaren (the summer) | på sommaren | in the summer(s) |
| hösten (the autumn) | på hösten | in the autumn(s) |
| vintern (the winter) | på vintern | in the winter(s) |
| In the autumn it rains a lot in Sweden. | På hösten regnar det mycket i Sverige. |
| In the spring we usually clean the house. | På våren brukar vi städa huset. |
| In the summer we are often outdoors. | På sommaren är vi ofta utomhus. |
Habitual Days of the Week
For weekly routines on specific days, use på followed by the indefinite plural form of the day.
Notice the contrast: seasons take the singular definite, while days take the plural indefinite (usually ending in -ar, like måndag becoming måndagar).
| What do you usually do on Mondays? | Vad brukar ni göra på måndagar? |
| On Tuesdays the team usually trains indoors. | På tisdagar brukar laget träna inomhus. |
| We often play outdoors on Saturdays. | Vi leker ofta utomhus på lördagar. |
Community Events
You can combine these habitual time expressions with recurring community events and locations, such as festivalen (the festival), marknaden (the market), kören (the choir), or klubben (the club).
| The choir usually sings at the festival in the summer. | Kören brukar sjunga på festivalen på sommaren. |
| We often buy fruit at the market on Fridays. | Vi köper ofta frukt på marknaden på fredagar. |
| The club usually closes late on Mondays. | Klubben brukar stänga sent på måndagar. |