Besvara

Besvara is a verb used in Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Danish that means to answer, reply, or respond to a question, request, or communication. It is typically transitive, taking an object such as a question, letter, or inquiry. The word exists as an infinitive in all three languages and forms corresponding conjugations: in Swedish, besvara (infinitive), besvarar (present), besvarade (past), besvarat (past participle); in Norwegian Bokmål, besvare (infinitive), besvarer (present), besvarte (past), besvart (past participle); in Danish, besvare (infinitive), besvarer (present), besvarede (past), besvaret (past participle). The term is a cognate across the Nordic languages and shares roots with the English “to answer” and other Germanic verbs that use the be- prefix or a similar formation.

Usage and nuance: Besvara is commonly used in formal, written, or official contexts, such as when addressing inquiries, applications, or formal questions. In everyday speech, speakers often use svara or svar to express simply “to answer.” In Swedish, for example, phrases like besvara en fråga or besvara ett brev are common, while svara på en fråga is also widely used. In Norwegian and Danish, besvare is similarly employed for answering questions or addressing correspondence, with the present tense forms besvarer indicating ongoing responses.

See also: svara, svar, return to the topic of answering in Nordic languages; related terms in English include to answer, to respond, and to reply.