Undergår

Undergår is a verb form used in Danish and Norwegian to express the idea of undergoing or being subjected to a process, examination, or change. The infinitive form is undergå, and the present tense in standard modern spelling is undergår. In some texts, especially older ones or depending on typographical choices, the form without the diacritic can appear as undergår or undergår. The word is commonly used in formal or technical contexts.

Etymology and formation: Undergår is a compound built from the prefix under- (meaning “under” or “through”) and gå (to go). The sense shift from a literal notion of “to go under” to that of being subjected to something—a procedure, examination, or transformation—developed over time in Danish and Norwegian.

Usage and meanings: The verb is most often used for medical procedures (undergå en operation), tests and investigations (undergå en undersøkelse/undergå en prøve), and various changes or reforms (undergå en reform, undergå betydelige endringer). It can describe both voluntary and involuntary experiences, and is typically transitive with a direct object being the process or event one undergoes. In contrast, related expressions like gjennomgå (to go through, to review) can be used in slightly different nuances, depending on dialect and register.

Examples:

- Danish: Patienten undergår en operation i dag. Virksomheden undergår en større omstrukturering.

- Norwegian: Han undergår en operasjon i dag. Regjeringen undergår omfattende endringer.

See also: gå under, gjennomgå, undergåelser in formal contexts.