Swedish Deponent Verbs

What are deponent verbs?

Many Swedish verbs can form the passive voice with -s, but some verbs ending in -s are not passive at all.

These are called deponent verbs and carry their own meaning, even when a twin verb without -s exists.

Deponent verb	Meaning	Without -s	Example
hoppas	hope	hoppa	Jag hoppas du vinner.I hope you win.
lyckas	succeed, manage	–	Jag lyckades inte öppna dörren.I didn't manage to open the door.
trivas	thrive, feel at home	–	Hon trivs bra i Sverige.She feels at home in Sweden., She likes it in Sweden.
andas	breathe	–	Han har slutat andas.He has stopped breathing.

Some s-verbs express interaction

Other non-passive s-verbs can describe reciprocal actions involving two or more people. These forms can have meanings similar to constructions with varandra.

Vi träffades i Stockholm.We met in Stockholm.

Barnen slåss.The children are fighting.

De kramades.They hugged.