Benytte

Benytte is a verb used in Danish and Norwegian Bokmål meaning to use or to employ. It covers a range from making practical use of something to taking action with a resource or opportunity. The reflexive form benytte seg av is common in both languages and translates roughly to “make use of” or “take advantage of.”

Inflection and usage: In Danish and Norwegian Bokmål, the infinitive is benytte. The present tense is benytter, for example: Vi benytter oss av muligheden. The simple past is benyttede, and the past participle is benyttet, as in: Vi har benyttet oss av tilbudet. The verb can take a direct object or be used with the reflexive pronoun in phrases like benytte seg av.

Relation to other terms: Benytte is closely related to the noun nytte/nyttighet in the sense of usefulness, and to related verbs in the Scandinavian family such as Swedish nyttja/nyttjar or udnytte in Danish and Norwegian contexts. The choice of synonym often reflects nuance: benytte emphasizes practical use, while udnytte can imply exploiting a situation, sometimes with a stronger or less neutral connotation.

Usage notes: Benytte is common in formal and informal registers and is appropriate for everyday statements as well as technical or administrative language. The verb is often paired with prepositional phrases like baggrund, mulighed, tilbud, or ressourcer to specify what is being used.

See also: Nytta, nytte, anvende, udnytte. These terms cover related concepts of usefulness, applying methods, or exploiting opportunities in Scandinavian languages.