Learn Swedish: Jag råkade göra en tabbe igår. - I accidentally made a blunder yesterday.

In this sentence, råka acts as a semi-modal verb meaning 'to accidentally do' or 'to happen to do' something. Just like true modal verbs (such as kan or måste), it is followed directly by the bare infinitive of the next verb, so you drop the att.

How does en tabbe differ from ett misstag?

Ett misstag is the standard, neutral word for a mistake. En tabbe is more colloquial and translates closer to a blunder, a goof, or a slip-up. It usually implies a slightly clumsy or foolish error.

Does råka always mean 'to accidentally do' something?

Not always! When followed by an infinitive verb (like göra here), it means you did that action by accident or chance. However, if råka is followed directly by a noun or pronoun, it means 'to happen to meet' or 'to chance upon' someone.

Is göra en tabbe a fixed expression?

Yes, it is a very common collocation. Just as you 'make a mistake' in English, in Swedish you use the verb göra to talk about committing a blunder. You will almost always see en tabbe paired with göra.