Sökte

Sökte is the simple past tense of the Swedish verb söka, meaning to seek, search, or apply for. It is used to describe actions that were completed in the past and can refer to both physical searching and more abstract seeking, such as seeking information or applying for something. The present tense is söker; the supine and past participle are sökt; the infinitive is söka. In normal usage, sökte functions as the standard past tense form for all subjects (jag sökte, du sökte, han sökte, vi sökte, ni sökte, de sökte).

Etymology and cognates: söka derives from Old Norse søkja, and is related to the Danish søgte and Norwegian søkte. The form reflects a common Germanic root associated with seeking or searching across related languages.

Usage notes: sökte is versatile and appears in both literal and figurative contexts. It can describe physically searching for objects (Hon sökte i lådan) or more abstract pursuits (Hon sökte svar). In employment contexts, the related verb ansöka is often used for formal applications (Hon ansökte om tjänsten), while söka constructions are common in everyday speech. The past participle sökt is used with perfect tenses (har sökt, hade sökt).

Examples: Jag sökte efter information hela eftermiddagen. Hon sökte ett jobb hos flera företag. De sökte asyl i landet. These illustrate the range from information and employment to asylum contexts.