Verbs (SVFL)

In a moment, you'll see a few sentences. In every sentence there is a word missing. You're going to need paper and pencil for this, so that you can write down the missing words. Are you ready? Let's go!

Leon _____ till skolan. Lina har ett eget rum i huset där hon ______. Jenny _____ en tårta. Michael _____ på klubben varje vecka. Pause the film and write down four words, which fit in the sentences and make them complete.

Finished? okay. Now let's change the sentences just a bit. Try fitting those same words that you chose into these sentences. If the exact same word doesn't fit, then make the necessary changes to it, so that it does fit.

Write down these changed words too, next to the four words you first picked. Igår ____ Leon till skolan. Lina hade ett eget rum i huset där hon _____ förut. Jenny _____ en tårta på lördag. Förut, _____ Michael jämt, men det var innan han skadade knät.

Now look at both sets of words you have written down. Can you tell what they have in common? In what way do these words differ from say, nouns? Pause the film and think for yourself first. If you have a friend nearby, then try to explain as clearly as you can, what the words in this group have in common.

This is an example set of words that would fit the gaps. There are no "correct answers", these are just examples. Cyklar, bor, bakar, dansar Cyklade, bodde, ska baka, dansade All these words are of the same sort, they belong to the same part of speech, and that part is called... ... verb! A verb is something that you do, or something that happens: ride, live, bake, dance, sleep, wake, lie, stand, buy, sell, forget, understand, breathe, sneeze, build, tear down, fight, forgive.

Try putting a sentence together without a verb, and you'll notice that in effect, they are the core of what you are saying. It is the verb that brings the action to the sentence. Verbs can differ a bit depending on context. One thing that makes the verbs change form is: when in time the action is taking place. Like this: Kommer att cykla, cyklar, cyklade, har cyklat Ska dansa, dansar, dansade, har dansat.

No other part of speech behaves like this. Nouns, for example, like chair or blueberry, keep the same form, regardless of whether the chair was only there yesterday, or the blueberries aren't showing up until late July. Verbs. They are words expressing: what someone is doing, or something happening, and they are words that change their form depending on when it is happening.