Mælar

Målar is a Swedish verb meaning to paint. It is used for both applying paint to a surface and creating painted art. In present tense, it is conjugated as jag målar, du målar, han/hon målar, vi målar, ni målar, de målar. The infinitive is måla; the past tense is målade; the supine is målat, and the past participle used in perfect tenses is målat. The passive voice is målas, as in Väggarna målas av målare.

Common uses include måla väggar, måla en tavla, eller måla om ett rum. The verb covers everyday painting as well as artistic activities, and can be used with various objects, such as färg (paint), penslar (brushes), and kanvas (canvas). Figurative or extended uses are possible, for example måla upp en bild av något, where painting serves as a metaphor for presenting or describing something.

Relation to other words: the standard noun for a painter is målare (with ä), not målar, which is strictly a verb form in standard Swedish. Related forms include målat (past participle) and målning (the act or result of painting). The word participates in common phrases like målararbete (painting work) and färgbyte (repaint).

In summary, målar denotes the act of painting in the present, with clear verb forms for past and perfect tenses, and it is distinct from the noun målare, which names a painter by profession.