fattar

Fattar is the present tense, third-person singular form of the Swedish verb fatta. It primarily means to understand or to grasp something, but it can also refer to physically seizing or taking hold of something. In idioms it denotes taking action or coming to a conclusion, for example fatta ett beslut (to make a decision) or fatta pennan (to put pen to paper). In everyday language, fattar is commonly used as an informal synonym of förstår, meaning “to understand.”

Origin and cognates: Fatta comes from North Germanic roots, with cognates in other Scandinavian languages such as Norwegian fatte and Danish fatte. The verb follows regular Swedish conjugation patterns, with fattade as the simple past tense and fattat as the supine/perfect participle.

Usage notes: In casual speech, fattar is widespread, while in more formal contexts speakers may prefer förstår. It combines with a variety of objects, as in Jag fattar inte vad du menar (I don’t understand what you mean). Fatta ett beslut means “to make a decision,” and phrases like fatta hur det fungerar emphasize grasping how something works. The overall meaning can be cognitive (understanding) or physical (grasping) depending on context.

Forms: The present-stem form is fattar; past tense is fattade; supine/perfect participle is fattat. The verb is versatile and appears in many everyday expressions, contributing to its status as a common staple of informal Swedish language.