Återtas

Återtas is the present passive form of the Swedish verb återta, which means to take back, reclaim, retake, or recover possession or control. The term is used when something is being taken back by another party, rather than by the subject itself.

Etymology and form

Återta is built from åter-, meaning “again,” and ta, meaning “to take.” The suffix -s marks the passive voice in Swedish, so återtas literally means “is taken back.” As a passive construction, the agent performing the action is typically introduced with av, for example av armén (by the army).

Grammatical usage

Återtas appears in sentences where the subject is the entity being retaken or reclaimed. It is common in news reporting, historical writing, and discussions of territory, property, or custody. The form can stand alone with a clear agent indicated, as in Staden återtas av armén. The passive voice allows focus on the result of the action rather than on the doer.

Typical contexts

- Military or political contexts describing territory being retaken

- Legal or administrative contexts involving reclaiming rights, property, or status

- Cultural or museum contexts describing objects being recovered or returned

Related terms

- Att återta (to retake, to reclaim)

- Återtagande (the act of taking back, reclaiming)

- Återtagen/återtagen (participial forms used as adjectives in other constructions)

See also

Återtag, återtaget, och andra derivat av återta

Note: The entry focuses on the common linguistic usage of återtas as a Swedish verb form and its functional role in passive constructions.