Störa

Störa is a Swedish verb meaning to disturb, interrupt, or hinder. It describes actions or effects that break someone’s concentration, peace, or ongoing activity, such as noise, interruptions, or disruptive behavior. The verb is transitive and usually requires a direct object, as in Ljudet stör mig när jag försöker sova.

In present tense the form is stör (for example, Jag stör dig). The past tense is störde (Ljudet störde mig igår). The supine form is stört and is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect and pluperfect tenses, such as Jag har stört mina planer.

Störa also yields a noun and related adjectives. Störning means a disturbance, nuisance, or disruption, with plural störningar. Störande is an adjective meaning disturbing or disruptive, as in ett störande ljud (a disturbing noise) or störande beteende (disturbing behavior).

Usage and nuance: störa is generally used for external causes of disruption, such as sounds, interruptions, or other people’s actions, but it can also refer to hindering one’s own plans in certain contexts. Common collocations include “störa friden” (to disturb the peace) in everyday language, and “störa människors arbete” (to disrupt people’s work). The term is widely understood in both formal and informal Swedish.

See also: störning, störande, ordningsfrågor, ljudnivå (noise level).

Notes: The word is native to Swedish and has cognates in other North Germanic languages. It remains a common and versatile verb used across many registers to describe disruption, disturbance, and interruption in daily life.