Skærer

Skærer is the present-tense form of the Danish verb skære, meaning to cut, slice, or carve. It is used to describe cutting actions in the present and is conjugated with the same form for all subjects (jeg skærer, du skærer, han skærer, vi skærer, I skærer, de skærer).

The verb skære is irregular and belongs to the class of strong verbs in Danish. The simple past tense is skar, and the past participle is skåret, used with have or had to form perfect tenses (for example, har skåret). The passive present form can be skæres, often seen in constructions with bliver (for example, materialet skæres i skiver).

In ordinary usage, skærer governs direct objects and can appear in a wide range of contexts, such as cutting bread, meat, fabric, or other materials. Common collocations and expressions include skære ned (to cut down on), skære ud (to cut out or carve out), skære gennem (to cut through), and skære i stykker (to cut into pieces). Reflexive usage exists as well, such as skære sig, to indicate cutting oneself, as in Han skærer sig i fingeren (He cuts himself on his finger).

Etymology traces skære to Old Norse roots and it has cognates in other North Germanic languages, including Swedish skära and Norwegian skjære, which share the core sense of cutting. The word appears across everyday Danish, culinary terms, crafts, and manufacturing contexts, reflecting its central role in describing the action of cutting.