Bemästrade

Bemästrade is the past tense form of the Swedish verb bemästra, meaning to master or to bring something under control, especially a skill, task, or emotion. It denotes having achieved command or proficiency through effort and practice.

Usage notes: Bemästrade is commonly found in formal, literary, or journalistic Swedish. It describes the completion of mastering something, rather than ongoing effort. It can apply to physical skills, intellectual tasks, or emotions, and is often used when describing notable or described achievements.

Morphology: The verb bemästra has the forms: infinitive bemästra, present bemästrar, past bemästrade, past participle bemästrat, and present participle bemästrande. The past tense bemästrade corresponds to the simple past in English, while bemästrat is used with auxiliary verbs in perfect tenses.

Origin: The word is formed with the prefix be- attached to the verb mästra, which conveys the idea of disciplining, training, or bringing under control. The concept of mastery is reflected in cognate forms in other Nordic languages, indicating a shared semantic field around competence and command.

Examples: Efter många års övning bemästrade han sin nervositet inför framträdandet. Företaget bemästrade de tekniska utmaningarna i projektet. These sentences illustrate mastery of fears and technical challenges respectively.

Synonyms and nuance: A close synonym is behärska, which also means to master but can carry slightly different nuances, often emphasizing competence or fluency rather than the process of attaining mastery. Bemästrade tends to highlight the achievement itself.

See also: behärska, mästra. References: Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL) and standard svenska ordböcker.