Knowing, and Knowing Of
Swedish splits know three ways, and you now have all three. Känna is to know a person. Veta is to know a fact. Känna till is to know of something — to be aware that it exists, without knowing it well.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| känna | to know (a person) |
| veta | to know (a fact) |
| känna till | to know of, to be aware of |
| I am aware of the problem. | Jag känner till problemet. |
Getting It
Fatta is the everyday to get it. Where förstå is neutral and usable anywhere, fatta is what you say to a friend: Fattar du? And räkna is to count — both counting objects and doing arithmetic.
Changing, Stopping, Ending Up
Ändra alters something; förändra changes it fundamentally, so that it is no longer what it was. A haircut is ändra; a war is förändra.
Stoppa is transitive — you stop something. Compare stanna, which is what the thing itself does. Lugna works the same way: you calm someone else, and lugna sig is to calm down yourself.
| The police stopped the car. | Polisen stoppade bilen. |
Meeting and Landing
Möta is to meet in the sense of encountering — coming face to face with someone or something, often by chance or head-on. Träffa is the arranged meeting. Hamna is to end up somewhere you did not necessarily plan, and it is one of the most useful verbs in the language.
