fortolkes

Fortolkes is the present tense, third-person singular passive form of the Danish and Norwegian verb fortolke, meaning to interpret or construe. The form is used when describing how a text, statement, object, or phenomenon is understood by someone. In academic and critical writing, fortolkes signals that there can be multiple readings rather than a single, fixed meaning.

Fortolke derives from tolke, meaning to interpret or translate, with the prefix for- in Danish and Norwegian that can add emphasis or indicate a reframing, though the exact nuance varies by language. The corresponding noun is fortolkning (interpretation).

Fortolkes is the passive voice; the active present form is fortolker. The past participle used in passive constructions is fortolket, as in Teksten er fortolket af eksperter. Other related forms include fortolkende (interpretive) and fortolkning (interpretation).

Common contexts include literary criticism, philosophy, and social sciences. Phrases such as Teksten fortolkes som allegorisk eller som kritik af magtstrukturerne illustrate how readings are framed. In empirical studies, researchers might write that data fortolkes differently depending on the theoretical perspective.

See also: fortolkning, tolke, fortolkningens metode.