förstora

Förstora is a Swedish verb meaning to enlarge or magnify something, most commonly used about images or objects, such as photographs or drawings. It can also be used figuratively to mean exaggerating or overstating a situation, claim, or event, especially in media or rhetoric.

Etymology and usage

The verb combines the prefix för- with stor, meaning big, to express making something larger in size or scope. It is a transitive verb, typically taking a direct object: förstor[a] bilden, förstor[a] fotot. In everyday language it is common in contexts like photography, printing, digital editing, and design, as well as in discussions of reporting or storytelling where details are magnified or exaggerated.

Conjugation and forms

Förstora is a regular weak verb. Infinitive: förstora. Present: förstorar. Preterite: förstorade. Supine (used with har to form perfect): förstorat. Past participle used as an adjective is usually förstorad or the verb phrase with ha, e.g., har förstorat (I have enlarged) and related constructions. The word for enlargement as a noun is förstoringen or, more commonly, förstoringen/förstorningar depending on context. The related noun for the act is förstoring.

Examples

- Present: Jag förstorar bilden med bildredigeringsprogrammet. (I am enlarging the image with the editing program.)

- Past: Hon förstorade fotograferna så att detaljerna blev tydligare. (She enlarged the photos so the details became clearer.)

- Figurative: Media kan förlora nyanser in the process när de förstorar en händelse.

Related terms

- Förstoringsglas: magnifying glass.

- Förstoringsprogram eller bildbehandling: software or methods for enlargement.

- Förstorad: past participle used as an adjective meaning magnified.

- Förstoring: enlargement or magnification as a concept.

See also

- Förstoringsgrad

- Bildredigering

- Reportage och överdrift in journalism

Note: The term is neutral in technical use, while figurative use may carry evaluative nuances depending on context.