återgå

Återgå is a Swedish verb meaning to return to a previous state, place, or topic, or to revert to something that existed before. It is used when activity resumes after an interruption or when a discussion returns to a matter that was previously raised. The sense can be physical, as in returning to a location, or abstract, such as returning to normal conditions or to the original subject of a conversation.

Grammatically, återgå is often used with the preposition till. The present tense is återgår, the simple past is återgick, and the supine or perfect participle is återgått, used with har in compound tenses. Examples: Det tar tid att återgå till arbetet efter semestern. Efter uppehållet har verksamheten återgått till ordinarie drift. I möten används ofta uppmaningen att återgå till ämnet.

Etymology traces återgå to åter- meaning again and gå meaning to go, forming a compound that expresses returning or going back. The construction reflects historical Swedish and shares roots with other Germanic languages that use a similar prefix to indicate repetition or reversal.

Usage notes: återgå is common in formal or written Swedish, such as official statements, reports, or meeting minutes. It can describe a change back to a previous condition or state, as well as the act of returning to a topic or argument after digression. In everyday speech, more colloquial alternatives like gå tillbaka or komma tillbaka may be used, but återgå remains standard in precise or formal contexts.