Begått

Begått is the supine or past participle form of the Swedish verb begå, meaning “to commit” or “to perpetrate.” It is used to describe that an act has been carried out, typically in relation to crimes, offenses, or mistakes. The form can function as part of a perfect tense (har begått, hade begått) or as an attributive participle before a noun (ett begått brott, ett begått misstag).

Conjugation and grammar. The verb begå is conjugated in the present as begår and in the simple past as begick. The past participle is begått, which is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses, and it can also modify nouns as an adjective, indicating that the act has already taken place. Examples: hon har begått ett brott (she has committed a crime); de hade begått flera felaktigheter (they had committed several faults). In literary or formal contexts, begått is common when discussing legality, ethics, or accountability.

Usage and collocations. Begått is most often found with nouns like brott (crime), misstag (mistake), överträdelse (violation), gärning (deed), or fel (error). The phrase att begå ett brott is a standard legal-lexical expression, while begått misstag is a frequent way to denote that a mistake has occurred. In everyday language, more general verbs such as “göra” may be used, but begå remains standard in formal or juridisk texts.

Etymology. Begå derives from a Germanic-rooted verb with the be- prefix, historically forming a sense of undertaking or executing an act. Begått as the past participle reflects this completed-action meaning.