föds

Föds is the present tense form of the Swedish verb födas, meaning to be born. It is used in the passive voice and typically refers to the moment of birth for a person, animal, or by metaphor for the emergence of something new. For example, Hon föds den 3 maj means She is born on May 3, and Det barnet föds utan komplikationer means The child is born without complications.

The infinitive form is att födas, and född is the past participle used in perfect constructions such as har fötts (has been born). The simple past is föddes (was born). In everyday language, föds is common when stating a birth as a fact in the present or future sense, while födslan and födelse refer more to the event of birth itself rather than the ongoing birth process.

Origin and related forms: födas comes from the same root as other Germanic languages’ words for birth, with cognates in Danish fødes and Norwegian fødes. The word is primarily associated with living beings and is seldom used for inanimate objects, though metaphorical uses are common, such as ett nytt företag föds ur krisen (a new company is born out of the crisis).

Usage notes: Föds appears regardless of gender and number of the subject; the verb does not agree with the subject in the way active forms do. When specifying the agent of birth (for example, the mother), Swedish typically uses an agent phrase with av or om, though in many cases the agent is omitted.

See also: födelse (birth), födsel (delivery), födas i olika kulturer (birth customs and rites).