förlora

Förlora is a Swedish verb meaning to lose, in the sense of failing to win a game or to misplace something. It can describe both a negative outcome in competition and the loss of objects, time, opportunities, or life. The verb is transitive, often used with a direct object (förlora något) or with the preposition mot when indicating defeat (förlora mot någon).

Conjugation in the present-day tense follows standard Swedish patterns: infinitive att förlora; present förlorar; past enkel förlorade; supine förlorat. The past participle is förlorad, used in perfect constructions (har förlorat). As an adjective, förlorad means lost (e.g., en förlorad nyckel or en förlorad möjlighet). The imperative form is forlora, though it is rarely used in ordinary speech.

Usage notes include distinctions with other verbs: tappa refers more to physically dropping or losing something, while missa om sammanhanget is to miss out on something; förlora emphasizes the event of losing, especially in competition or from a possession. Common phrases include förlora mot någon (lose to someone), förlora ett spel (lose a game), förlora tid (lose time), and make a förlust (to incur a loss; noun: en förlust).

Etymology traces förlora to the prefix för- combined with a root related to losing; it is a Germanic word with cognates in other languages, reflecting the general concept of loss across related languages.

See also: förlust (loss), tappa (to drop or lose physically), misslyckas (to fail). Examples: Jag förlorade matchen. Hon förlorade nycklarna. Vi förlorade i sista minuten. Det var en tung förlust.