Swedish

Verb

lägga ‎(present lägger, preterite lade, la, supine lagt, imperative lägg)

1. lay, put; to place something down in a position of rest, in particular when it either lies down flat, or the eventual orientation doesn't matter, such as, in a heap.

   Jag lade jeansen på sängen.

   I put the jeans on the bed.

   Kan du lägga boken på bordet?

   Could you please lay the book on the table?

   Lägg lite sand i burken.

   Put some sand in the can.

2. to put (into a bag, in a pocket or in a box of some kind)

   Jag är säker på att jag lade nyckeln i den fickan.

   I'm positive I put the key in that pocket.

3. to cause something or someone to lie down
4. (reflexive) to lie down; to assume a reclining position.

   Sara kände sig inte så bra utan fick lägga sig en stund.

   Sara didn't feel very well but had to lie down for a little while.

5. (reflexive, about snow) accumulate on the ground without melting
6. to lay someone in a bed; to make someone to go to bed

   När brukar ni lägga barnen?

   At which time do you usually put the kids in bed?

7. (reflexive) to go to bed; to go to sleep

   Jag tänker lägga mig tidigt ikväll.

   I intend to get to bed early tonight.

8. lay; to install e.g. flooring or a roof
9. lay; give birth to (about egg)

   Fågeln har bara lagt ett ägg.

   The bird has only laid one egg.

10. fold into a shape suitable for storage (about large pieces of fabric, e.g. sheets or larger table cloths)
11. (card games) to play (a card)
12. (card games, reflexive) to fold; to cease to take further part in a certain deal; to withdraw from further betting
13. (reflexive, with a preposition) to position oneself, with respect to someone else who is moving in the same direction

    När det var ett varv kvar lade han sig precis bakom ledaren.

    When there was one lap to go, he placed himself right behind the leader.

Synonyms

• (to put into a pocket): stoppa ner
• (to put someone in bed): stoppa om (about small children), natta (about small children)
• (go to bed): gå och lägga sig, hoppa i säng, knyta sig, krypa till kojs
• (fold into a suitable shape): vika ihop (also about clothing in general)
• (play a card): spela ut

Conjugation

Related terms

See also

• ställa
• sätta

References

• lägga in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)
• lägga in Svenska Akademiens ordbok online.