Bedöma

Bedöma is a Swedish verb meaning to judge, assess or evaluate. It is a transitive verb used when forming an assessment of something’s quality, risk, performance, or outcome. Common constructions include bedöma något (to assess something) and bedöma att-clause (to judge that…). For example, “läkaren bedömde patientens tillstånd som stabilt” or “vi bedömde att projektet var ekonomiskt försvarbart.”

Grammatical notes: bedöma has the present tense bedömer, the past tense bedömde, and the supine/perfect participle bedömt. The past participle can form perfect constructions such as har bedömt. The related adjective is bedömd, used to describe something that has been assessed, for example “en bedömd risk.”

Etymology and nuance: bedöma is a compound of be- and döma (to judge). The prefix be- signals an act of forming an assessment or applying criteria, rather than merely making a quick judgment. It often implies a reasoned or evidence-based evaluation.

Usage and synonyms: In formal contexts—medicine, education, research, law—the verb suggests a deliberate appraisal based on criteria and evidence. Synonyms include utvärdera (to evaluate) and värdera (to value or assess worth). utvärdera tends to emphasize a systematic process, while värdera focuses more on assigning value.

See also: bedömning, utvärdering, bedömningskriterier.