åka

Åka is a verb in Swedish meaning to go or travel, typically by vehicle or other conveyance. It is used to describe moving from one place to another and is common for everyday travel, regardless of distance. The term is often contrasted with resa, which is more formal or general for travel; åka emphasizes movement and mode of transport. It also appears in many idioms, such as åka runt (to go around), åka iväg (to depart), and åka hem (to go home).

Conjugation and use: present tense åker; past tense åkte; supine åkt; perfect tense uses har åkt. Imperative form is Åk!. Verbs combining åka with prepositional phrases produce phrases like åka till jobbet, åka med bussen, or åka utomlands. While åka often implies traveling by vehicle or rides, it can also be used more generally for going somewhere, including non-motorized movement in informal speech.

Etymology and language notes: åka derives from Old Norse aka, related to other Germanic verbs for driving or moving. In Norwegian dialects and some Bokmål usage, a cognate form åke exists with similar meaning, though standard Norwegian often uses kjøre for driving and reise for travel. In modern Swedish, åka remains the common everyday term for getting around by transport, while resa is used for longer or more formal travel.