Lägg

Lägg is the singular imperative form of the Swedish verb lägga, meaning to place, put down, or to lay. It is used to give a direct command to one person in informal speech, for example Lägg boken på bordet (Put the book on the table). Lägg also appears in many phrasal or composite expressions formed with a particle, where the meaning changes with the particle.

Grammar and forms: lägg- is the root used in several tenses. Infinitive is lägga; present tense is lägger; past tense is lade; supine is lagt. The imperative form is lägg. Swedish verbs with lägg- commonly take particles to create phrases such as lägga till (to add), lägga ner (to put down or to stop), lägga upp (to post or to lay out), lägga fram (to present), and lägga märke till (to notice).

Usage notes: Lägg används in instructions, recipes, or procedural writing, and in everyday speech for placing objects or tasks. It also appears in contexts describing birds and other animals laying eggs, e.g., hönan lägger ägg (the hen lays eggs).

Etymology and related languages: Lägg är forms derived from the old verb ligga förändrat over time in Swedish, with cognates in other Scandinavian languages—Danish lægge and Norwegian legge—sharing a common Indo-European root for “to lay” or “to place.”

See also: läggning (laying or placement), lägg till (to add), lägg ner (to put down), lägg upp (to post or present).