bemöter

Bemöter is a Swedish verb with the infinitive bemöta. It means to respond to, address, or confront something, typically a statement, claim, criticism, or question. The word implies an active engagement with what has been said or proposed, rather than a simple or passive reply. While it can denote meeting someone in a literal sense, its common use is figurative, referring to how one handles or counters remarks, arguments, or accusations.

Common contexts for bemöta include politics, journalism, academia, and customer service. In public discourse, expressions like bemöta kritiken or bemöta anklagelser are frequent. In everyday language, one may bemöta another’s comment with a reasoned answer. The nuance of bemöta is often a deliberate, measured response, sometimes implying a counter-argument, but it can also be neutral or courteous. It is generally distinguished from svara (to answer), which focuses on giving a reply, and from möta (to meet), which more often conveys a physical meeting or encounter.

Conjugation and forms in common use: infinitive bemöta; present bemöter; past bemötte; supine/past participle bemött. Example sentences: Hon bemöter kritiken med saklighet. Försvarsadvokaten bemötte anklagelserna i rätten. Vi har bemött kritiken. The verb is widely used in formal and semi-formal registers, especially in written and spoken discourse that addresses how opinions or statements are handled. Etymologically, bemöta is formed with the prefix be- added to möta (to meet), giving a sense of meeting something in a particular way or addressing it directly.