åka

See also: Appendix:Variations of "aka"

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish aka, from Old Norse aka, from Proto-Germanic *akaną. Cognate with Danish age. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-. Doublet of agera, which was borrowed from Latin agō, from the same ultimate Proto-Indo-European source.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈoːka/
Audio: (file)

Verb

åka (present åker, preterite åkte, supine åkt, imperative åk)

to go by using something more/else than the human or animal body, for example a vehicle, skis, or skates; to go, to ride, etc.
att åka skateboard
to ride a skateboard

att åka skidor
to ski
(literally, “to ride skis”)

att åka skridskor
to ice skate
(literally, “to ride ice skates”)

att åka buss till affären
to ride a bus to the store

att åka hiss
to ride an elevator

– Hur kom ni hit? – Vi åkte bil.
– How did you get here? – We went by car [rode a car (or cars)].

Dags att åka hem
Time to go [ride] home [with a vehicle, skis, skates, etc.]

Dags att gå hem
Time to go [walk] home [for comparison]
1. to ride (an amusement ride or the like)
  att åka bergochdalbana
  to ride a roller coaster
to go (by sliding), to slide
Synonym: (places more emphasis on the sliding as opposed to the going) glida

Jag åkte nedför backen på ändan
I went down the hill on my butt

Hjälmen åkte ner framför ögonen
My helmet slipped down over [in front of] my eyes
to go (by being driven in some sense, focusing on the "riding" (movement, etc.) rather than the "driving" (action of moving, etc.))
Rullgardinen åkte upp
The roller blind went up

Varje gång vi är hos Nisse åker dragspelet fram
Every time we're at Nisse's, the accordion comes [goes] out

Jag hoppade in i bilen och körde / åkte mot Säffle
I jumped into the car and drove / went towards Säffle [focus on either the driving or the riding – somewhat interchangeable]
2. (usually with ut (“out”) or the like) to be driven, to be run ((usually) out, away, or the like – be made to leave, by commanding to leave, through physical means, or the like – compare köra (“drive”))
  – Körde vakterna ut honom? – Ja, han åkte ut med ändan före.
  – Did the bouncers kick him out? – Yeah, he was kicked out [went out] butt first [idiomatic].
(intransitive) to leave, to depart
Vi åker nu
We are leaving [riding] now [with a vehicle, skis, skates, etc. – could also literally mean "we are riding now"]

Vi går nu
We are leaving [walking] now [for comparison – could also literally mean "we are walking now"]

Usage notes

To ride a horse or other mount is to rida. Saying "åka häst" makes a horse sound like a vehicle, or like something you strap to your feet or the like.
Riding a bike is to cykla.
Sometimes somewhat interchangeable with köra (“drive”), like in English.

Conjugation

Conjugation of åka (weak)

	Active		Passive
Infinitive	åka		—
Supine	åkt		—
Imperative	åk		—
Imper. plural¹	åken		—
	Present	Past	Present	Past
Indicative	åker	åkte	—	—
Ind. plural¹	åka	åkte	—	—
Subjunctive²	åke	åkte	—	—
	Participles
Present participle	åkande
Past participle	—
¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Related terms

References