Motsvarats

Motsvarats is a Swedish past participle form of the verb motsvara, used in passive constructions to indicate that something has been matched, corresponded to, or has been answered by something else. It appears primarily in formal or written Swedish and is most common in technical, legal, or analytical contexts.

Etymology and meaning: The verb motsvara combines mot, meaning against or opposite, with svara, meaning to answer. In its core sense, motsvara means to correspond to, to be in accordance with, or to match a specification or reality. The form motsvarats is the passive participle used with auxiliary verbs to express completed or resulting states, for example har motsvarats or hade motsvarats.

Usage and nuance: Motsvarats is used when describing something that has been found to correspond to another thing, such as a requirement, standard, or reality, after evaluation or comparison. It contrasts with motsvara in the active voice (to correspond or to match) and with svara (to answer) in contexts concerning responses. In Swedish, phrases like en modell som motsvarats verkligheten (a model that corresponds to reality) or att kravet motsvarats av standarder (that the requirement has been met by standards) illustrate its typical usage. The term is common in academic, scientific, and technical writing, and in formal reporting.

Grammar and related forms: Motsvarats is the supine past participle used with perfect or passive constructions, e.g., har motsvarats, hade motsvarats. Related forms include motsvara (present), motsvarade (past), and motsvarat (supine). The word is often accompanied by av to indicate the agent performing the matching or answering.

Example sentences:

- Frågan har motsvarats av ett tydligt svar. (The question has been answered by a clear response.)

- Kravet har motsvarats av en ny standard. (The requirement has been met by a new standard.)