Breakdown of Kocken har precis lagat maten.
laga
to cook
maten
the food
ha
to have
kocken
the chef
precis
just
Questions & Answers about Kocken har precis lagat maten.
Why does this sentence use lagat instead of lagar or lagade?
The sentence is in the present perfect tense to show an action that just finished. This tense uses the helping verb har plus the supinum form of the main verb. For Group 1 verbs like laga (to cook/make), you form the supinum by adding -t to the end, giving us lagat.
Why does the word precis go between har and lagat?
In a standard Swedish main clause, sentence adverbs like precis (just/exactly), inte (not), and ofta (often) usually go directly after the first verb. Here, har is the first verb, so precis squeezes in right before the second verb, lagat.
Does the verb laga only mean to cook?
Not exactly! The phrase laga mat specifically means to cook food. However, the verb laga by itself usually means to fix or repair. If the chef wasn't in a kitchen, har lagat could mean he just fixed something, like a broken chair.
Why is the word maten used instead of just mat?
Maten is the definite form of mat (food), meaning the food. Because the chef cooked a specific meal, we use the definite form. If you wanted to say the chef just cooked food in general, you would say Kocken har precis lagat mat.
Learn Kocken har precis lagat maten and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free