Födde

Födde is the simple past tense of the Swedish verb föda, meaning to give birth or to bear. It is used to describe a birth event that has already occurred, and can refer to both humans and animals. For example, "Hon födde två barn igår" means she bore two children yesterday.

In Swedish, föda is part of a small set of related forms. The present tense is föder, the infinitive is föda, and the past participle used in perfect tenses is fött. The passive form referring to being born is född, as in "hon är född i Stockholm" (she was born in Stockholm). The form födde specifically marks a completed act in the past.

Etymology and related terms: föda is a verb of Germanic origin and has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Norwegian and Danish. Related nouns include födsel (birth or delivery) and född (born), the latter used as an adjective to describe someone’s birth status.

Usage notes: födde appears in narrative and descriptive contexts when recounting a birth that took place in the past. It is not used to describe ongoing birth; for ongoing events, present tense forms like föder are used. As with many Swedish verbs, correct use depends on subject and tense, but födde is a standard past-tense form widely understood in Swedish.