följt

Följt is the supine, or past participle, of the Swedish verb följa, meaning to follow. It is used with auxiliary verbs to form compound tenses, most commonly har följt (has followed) and hade följt (had followed). The participle indicates that the act of following has been completed relative to a reference time. In practice, it appears in sentences such as: Hon har följt instruktionerna noggrant, or De har följt händelseförloppet noggrant.

Grammatically, följt is the form that pairs with the auxiliary verb to express perfect aspects. The basic forms of följa are följer (present), följde (past), and följt (supine). The verb is irregular, with a stem change from föl- in the present to följ- in the past and supine forms. As a result, följt is most often encountered in written and formal Swedish within tensed constructions rather than as a standalone adjective.

Etymology traces följa to the Old Norse fylgja, meaning to accompany or follow, and it shares a common Germanic lineage with related verbs in Scandinavian languages. The supine föjt is a characteristic form used across Swedish to complete the verbal perfect and pluperfect tenses, and it remains distinct from the present and past stem used in simple tenses.

In usage, följt primarily serves verbal function in tense construction, while related forms and compounds (such as fullföljt in the sense of carried out) reflect more specific notions of following through.

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