"We go."

Translation: Vi åker.

[DehPuh]

What is the difference between "ga°" and "a°ker"?

[Dsgoo]

Gå - is getting to a place usually by walking (not always) Åka - is getting to a place by riding in something, like a boat, a car, train or a plane.

[CapdeBurro]

Like gehen and fahren in german ?

[Arnauti]

They don't work 100% the same. In German, they can actually say things like Ich gehe ins Ausland, whereas you can't use gå like that in Swedish.

[zamlet]

OK, but does that imply that "åker" means something more like "drive" (operate a vehicle) or "ride" (be transported by a vehicle) than "go" (move yourself somewhere)? Or am I misinterpreting something?

[Arnauti]

Yes, åker implies that you use some means of transportation. But it still translates go in many cases. We go abroad -> Vi åker utomlands.

[lee304564]

No. Åker means travel by. If you drive it you kör...

[Daniel718696]

Actually, if one skis or rollerblades, åka is used.

[DogePamyuPamyu]

Is åka like fahren and gå like laufen?

[Arnauti]

Only in some cases, not generally.
fahren can mean 'drive', but åker cannot. Kannst du Auto fahren? -> Kan du köra bil? -> Can you drive a car?

laufen can mean both 'run' and 'walk', but gå cannot mean 'run'.

[amaltamim]

what does åker mean literally

[sotnosen93]

I don't know if you can just give it one definite main meaning, but I guess it would be "rides" (as in riding a vehicle)? I'm assuming that's what you mean by "literally", since it's not a compound verb or something.

[Daniel718696]

Åka means 'ride' and also 'come', 'go' when the speaker implies using some means of transport (a vehicle, a train, a plane, a boat). It doesn't matter if you are a driver or passenger. This verb is also used when things like rollerblades and skis are involved.

Gå means 'walk on foot' and also 'come', 'go' when walking on foot is implied.

This distinction is very important.

[Eline799871]

When is it åka/gå, and when is it åker/går?

[Daniel718696]

åka/gå are infinitives: to ride/to walk

åker/går are present tense forms: (I, we) ride/walk, (you) ride/walk, (he, she, it) rides/walks, (they) ride/walk

[Tilastokeskus]

Should I say "Vi åker" or "Vi går" if I don't want to specify whether we're walking or going by car (because I don't know or it's a secret)?

[Daniel718696]

This distinction is basic, it is how speakers of Swedish see the world. Languages have different strategies for describing reality. Perhaps, you would use some phrase, something like vara på väg (be on the way) or ska in questions (Vart ska du? = Where are you going?).
However, what is important is that for Swedish the distinction between riding a vehicle and walking on foot is very important, in this respect Swedish is different from English.