följs

Följs is a Swedish grammatical form that represents the present passive of the verb följa, meaning to follow. In Swedish, passive voice is formed by adding the suffix -s to the verb, so följs translates roughly to “is followed.”

Morphology and related forms

- Active present: följer (he/she/it follows)

- Passive present: följs (is followed)

- Past active: följde (followed)

- Past passive: följdes (was followed)

- Past participle: följd (followed)

- Noun form: följd can mean consequence or sequence, and is unrelated to the passive form grammaticaly even though it shares the same root.

Usage

The passive följs is commonly used in formal and descriptive Swedish to foreground the action or phenomenon rather than the agent. It often appears with an agent phrase introduced by av, which is optional:

- Reglerna följs av de flesta företagen. (The rules are followed by most companies.)

- Principen följs noggrant. (The principle is followed closely.)

Context and style

Följs is a neutral, impersonal construction suitable for media, official documents, manuals, and analytical prose. It contrasts with the active form följer, which names the actor performing the action. In more colloquial speech, the passive may be less frequent, and active constructions with a stated subject may be preferred.

Etymology

The form derives from the verb följa (to follow) with the Swedish passive suffix -s, a common pattern for forming passive constructions in Swedish.

See also

Swedish grammar, passive voice, följ(a) verb conjugation, följd.