besöka

Besöka is a Swedish verb meaning to visit, to go to and spend time at a person, place, or event. It is transitive and commonly used with a direct object, for example a friend, a museum, a city, or a country. The verb covers both casual visits and more formal or planned encounters.

Etymology and cognates: Besöka consists of the prefix be- attached to söka, “to seek.” The construction conveys going to seek or meet someone and is cognate with Norwegian besøke and Danish besøge.

Conjugation and forms: Infinitive is att besöka. Present tense is besöker; past tense is besökte; the supine is besökt. In perfect tenses one uses har besökt, e.g., har besökt. Imperative form is besök. A present participle is besökande, though common usage relies on finite verb forms. The passive construction is bli besökt, meaning “to be visited.”

Usage notes: Besöka is used for both individuals and locations. Common collocations include besöka en vän, besöka ett museum, besöka ett land, besöka slottet. The related nouns are ett besök (a visit) and en besökare (a visitor). The verb often appears in travel, cultural, and social contexts and can describe single instances or repeated visits.

Examples: Vi besökte Paris i somras. Hon vill besöka sina släktingar senare i veckan. Många turister besöker staden varje år. Through its verb and noun forms, besöka provides a standard way to express visiting activities in Swedish.