Nervöst

Nervöst is a Swedish adverb meaning “in a nervous manner” or “nervously.” It describes how an action is performed or how a situation unfolds, typically conveying anxiety, tension, or anticipation. The word is used to characterize behavior, speech, or the atmosphere around a person or event.

Etymology and form: Nervöst is formed from the adjective nervös (nervous) with the standard Swedish adverbial suffix -t. The root nerv- relates to nerves and tension, and nervöst functions as the adverbial counterpart to nervös in describing manner.

Usage: Nervöst is commonly used to convey a sense of nervous energy in real-time actions or in descriptions of scenes. It can modify verbs or predicative phrases: for example, Hon väntade nervöst på svaret. Han svarade nervöst när frågorna kom. Det var nervöst under presentationen. In contrast to nervös (the adjective), nervöst emphasizes the manner rather than a static state.

Related terms: The noun form is nervositet (nervousness). The adjective nervös describes a person or thing that is nervous; nervöst specifically marks the manner of an action or the mood of a situation. Similar expressions in Swedish include oro and ångest, though these convey distinct nuances of worry or anxiety.

See also: nervös, nervositet, oro, ångest.