föreligga

föreligga is a Swedish verb primarily used in formal, administrative, or legal language. It means to exist or to be present before a person or body for consideration, such as a court, committee, or other authority. It can also mean that a situation or issue is the case or in effect. In practice, it is often used impersonally with constructions like det föreligger or det förelåg to indicate that something exists or is pending before a decision-maker. The term also appears in attributive form, föreliggande, meaning “present before us” or “before-mentioned” when describing documents or topics.

Etymology and sense: föreligga derives from före “before” and ligga “to lie,” literally “to lie before” someone to be reviewed or decided. Over time the meaning extended to refer to matters that are currently before an authority or that exist in a given state.

Conjugation and forms: the infinitive is föreligga; the present tense commonly appears as föreligger; the past tense as förelåg; the present participle used adjectivally is föreliggande (as in föreliggande handlingar, “the documents before us”).

Usage notes: föreligga is a formal term often found in legal opinions, government reports, policy discussions, and scholarly writing. It is sometimes contrasted with förelägga, a related verb meaning to lay before someone (to present something for examination or to order someone to do something). For practical use, kanske det föreligger ett problem is a typical way to state that a problem exists and needs consideration.

See also: förelägga.