försvann

Försvann is a Swedish verb form meaning to disappear or vanish. It is the past tense (preterite) of the verb försvinna, which is used to describe something that ceases to be visible or present. The base verb is intransitive and commonly appears in news, literature, and everyday speech.

Conjugation and related forms: infinitive försvinna; present försvinner; past försvann; supine försvunnit, used with auxiliary have (har) to form perfect tenses, as in har försvunnit. The past participle or adjective form försvunnen is used to describe someone or something that has disappeared, for example en försvunnen person or de försvunna objekten.

Etymology and related terms: försvinna is formed from the prefix för- combined with svinna (to fade away or vanish). The prefix often adds a sense of movement away, outward, or completion. The word has cognates in other Scandinavian languages and shares a similar construction with other verbs that use prefixes to modify meaning.

Usage and nuance: försvinnan describes events where visibility or presence ends, not merely moving out of sight. It is commonly used in reporting about missing persons, disappearing objects, or phenomena that have ceased to exist. It can appear in various tenses through auxiliary verbs, as in har försvunnit (has disappeared) or hade försvunnit (had disappeared).

See also: försvunnen (adjective form meaning missing or disappeared), försvinna (to disappear, base form). The term is a standard part of Swedish vocabulary for describing disappearance in both factual and narrative contexts.