Tillgå

Tillgå is a Swedish verb with several related senses. The primary meaning is to occur or take place, i.e., to come to pass. In legal, administrative, or literary contexts it also carries the nuance that something applies to a given situation or falls under a rule. In everyday language, tilgå is relatively formal and is less common than synonyms such as inträffa, hända, förekomma, or gälla, depending on the nuance.

Usage and nuance: The verb expresses that an event happens or is applicable. In law or regulation it often indicates that a provision or condition applies to a case. For example, a formulation such as “Vad som tillgår enligt denna lagregel är…” signals what is applicable under that rule. The sense of applicability rather than mere occurrence is a common facet in formal Swedish.

Conjugation and forms: Tillgå behaves like a typical Swedish verb with finite forms. Present tense is tillgår and past tense is tillgick. In compound tenses a participle form is used, as with other verbs, to form perfect and pluperfect constructions.

Etymology and related forms: The verb is composed of till- (toward/to) and gå (to go), reflecting an old Germanic sense of reaching or coming to pass. It has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Danish tilgå, with closely related meanings.

Frequency and register: Tillgå is most often found in formal, legal, political, or literary texts. It is not part of everyday colloquial Swedish, where speakers are more likely to use inträffa, hända, eller gälla depending on context. See also inträffa, hända, förekomma, gälla, tillämpa.