gnälla
Swedish
editEtymology
editUnknown. Arguably onomatopoeic. Arguably related to Proto-Germanic *gnīdaną (“to rub”). Compare Danish gnælde, Icelandic gnella (“to scream”), Norwegian Nynorsk gnella, Old Norse gnǫllra (“to howl, to bark”).
Verb
editgnälla (present gnäller, preterite gnällde, supine gnällt, imperative gnäll)
- to whinge, to whine, to nag, to complain incessantly about minor issues
- 1972, Philemon Arthur and the Dung (lyrics and music), “Jag vill va i fred”:
- Varför ska alla gnälla på mig att jag ska följa med ut
till något fånigt danspalais, där jag har varit förut?- Why does everybody need to nag at me that I must join them out
to some silly dance hall, where I have been before?
- Why does everybody need to nag at me that I must join them out
- to squeak; make a sound as from rusty hinges
Conjugation
editConjugation of gnälla (weak)
| Active | Passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | gnälla | — | ||
| Supine | gnällt | — | ||
| Imperative | gnäll | — | ||
| Imper. plural1 | gnällen | — | ||
| Present | Past | Present | Past | |
| Indicative | gnäller | gnällde | — | — |
| Ind. plural1 | gnälla | gnällde | — | — |
| Subjunctive2 | gnälle | gnällde | — | — |
| Participles | ||||
| Present participle | gnällande | |||
| Past participle | gnälld | |||
| 1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. | ||||
Related terms
editReferences
edit- gnälla in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- gnälla in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- gnälla in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- gnälla in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)