The Simple Past of Group 3 Verbs
Group 3 verbs are short verbs whose infinitive ends in a stressed vowel rather than the typical -a (like bo, tro, or må). For these verbs, the infinitive is also the stem.
To form the simple past (preteritum), simply add -dde to the end of the word.
- bo (to live) → bo
- dde → bodde (lived)
- tro (to believe) → tro
- dde → trodde (believed)
- må (to feel) → må
- dde → mådde (felt)
Just like all Swedish verbs, the past tense form stays exactly the same regardless of who is performing the action.
Here is bodde in action, along with useful vocabulary for talking about places and timeframes like byn (the village), gården (the farm), utomlands (abroad), and länge (for a long time):
| We lived in the village. | Vi bodde i byn. |
| My sister lived abroad for a long time, but now she lives here. | Min syster bodde länge utomlands, men nu bor hon här. |
| Did the woman live alone on the farm? | Bodde kvinnan ensam på gården? |
Believing and Feeling
The verbs tro (to believe) and må (to feel) follow the exact same -dde pattern.
Keep in mind that må is used specifically to describe how someone is feeling in terms of their health, wellbeing, or state of mind. You will often see it paired with adjectives like stressad (stressed) or nervös (nervous).
| He told us the truth, but we did not believe him. | Han berättade sanningen för oss, men vi trodde honom inte. |
| The boy always believed in the ghost in the dark house. | Pojken trodde alltid på spöket i det mörka huset. |
| The student did not feel well because he was stressed. | Studenten mådde inte bra därför att han var stressad. |
When talking about feelings and states of being, you can also use adjectives like trygg (safe) alongside other verbs, such as vara (to be) or känna sig (to feel [emotionally/physically]).
| Are you nervous, or do you feel safe? | Är du nervös, eller känner du dig trygg? |