berättar

Berättar is a Swedish verb meaning to tell, narrate, or recount. It is used transitively with an object, as in “Hon berättar en historia.” The present tense form can refer to any third-person subject (han berättar, de berättar) as well as to the first-person singluar in informal speech.

Conjugation and related forms: the infinitive is berätta, the present tense is berättar, the simple past is berättade, and the past participle used in perfect tenses is berättat (as in “har berättat”). The imperative form is also berätta. Related nouns include berättelse (story), berättare (narrator), and berättande (narration or the act of telling). The adjectival past participle or passive form berättad is used in contexts like “en berättad historia” to describe something that has been told.

Usage notes: berätta is common in everyday language, journalism, and literature, where speakers recount events, describe experiences, or convey information. It appears in direct speech and in reported speech, and it can convey both factual accounts and fictional storytelling. The verb often pairs with phrases such as “berätta om” (tell about) or “berätta sanningen” (tell the truth). Its various forms allow speakers to situate statements in time and aspect, making it a core verb for communication and narrative in Swedish.