Läsas

Läsas is a Swedish non-finite passive form of the verb läsa, meaning “to read.” It denotes that the action of reading is performed on the subject, rather than by the subject, and is used in non-finite clauses, often in combination with modals or other auxiliaries. In English this corresponds to the passive infinitive “to be read.”

Morphology and forms. Läsas is formed from the verb stem läs- with the suffix -as to create the passive infinitive: att läsas means “to be read.” The finite passive forms are different: läses is present passive (the book is read), and lästes is past passive (the book was read). These finite forms are used in main clauses, while läsas remains non-finite and appears in subordinate clauses or after modal verbs.

Usage and examples. Läsas appears in contexts where the action of reading is described without naming an agent. Examples include: Boken ska läsas av eleverna. (The book shall be read by the students.) Dokumentet måste läsas innan vidare behandling. (The document must be read before further processing.) Det är viktigt att texten läses av en bred publik. (It is important that the text be read by a broad audience.) In everyday speech the active or finite passive forms like boken läses are more common than the infinitive läsas, but läsas is frequent in formal or instructional writing.

Notes. Läsas is primarily a grammatical form used in non-finite clauses and formal registers. It is less common in casual spoken Swedish, where finite forms of läsa or passive constructions with läses tend to appear more often.

See also: Swedish grammar, passive voice, läsa.

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