bestämma
Swedish edit
Etymology edit
be- + stämma, like German bestimmen
Pronunciation edit
Audio (file)
Verb edit
bestämma (present bestämmer, preterite bestämde, supine bestämt, imperative bestäm)
- to decide (from a position of getting to decide things)
- to decide (something) from a position of authority
- Jag bestämmer att kebabsåsen måste göras krämigare
- I'm deciding (as a person who gets to decide things) that the kebab sauce must be made creamier
- to decide (something) from a position of getting to decide things more generally
- Kunderna får själva bestämma vilken sås de vill ha
- Customers get to decide themselves which sauce they want
- Synonym: (often) välja (“choose”)
- to be the one in charge, to be the one calling the shots, to be the one who gets to decide
- Kunderna bestämmer
- Customers (get to) decide
- Jag bestämmer här!
- I am in charge here! / I am the one calling the shots here! / I am the person who decides things here!
- Han bestämmer över skogen
- He is in charge of / gets to decide over / rules the forest
- Kungen bestämde över landet
- The king ruled ("decided over") the country
- Vem bestämmer här?
- Who's in charge / calls the shots here?
- De lät Nisse bestämma
- They let Nisse decide
- Du bestämmer inte över mig!
- You're not my boss!
- to decide (something) from a position of authority
- (reflexive) to decide (as an individual or group)
- De bestämde sig för att beställa pizza
- They decided to order pizza
- Jag kan inte bestämma mig
- I can't make up my mind ("I can't decide")
- to determine (something)
- bestämma avståndet till Jupiter
- determine the distance to Jupiter
- (grammar) to modify
Usage notes edit
Like "rule," "be in charge," etc. in sense (sense 1), but general to any role where someone gets to decide things.
Conjugation edit
Conjugation of bestämma (weak)
| Active | Passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | bestämma | bestämmas | ||
| Supine | bestämt | bestämts | ||
| Imperative | bestäm | — | ||
| Imper. plural1 | bestämmen | — | ||
| Present | Past | Present | Past | |
| Indicative | bestämmer | bestämde | bestäms, bestämmes | bestämdes |
| Ind. plural1 | bestämma | bestämde | bestämmas | bestämdes |
| Subjunctive2 | bestämme | bestämde | bestämmes | bestämdes |
| Participles | ||||
| Present participle | bestämmande | |||
| Past participle | bestämd | |||
| 1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. | ||||
Related terms edit
References edit
- bestämma in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- bestämma in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- bestämma in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- bestämma in Reverso Context (Swedish-English)