höra

höra is a Swedish verb meaning to perceive sound with the ears and, by extension, to listen to or to hear that something is the case. It covers both concrete auditory perception, as in jag hörde en bil (I heard a car), and the reception of information or rumors, as in jag har hört talas om det (I have heard of it). The verb also appears in common expressions such as höra av sig (to get in touch), höra talas om (to hear of), and höra på (to listen to someone or something).

Conjugation follows the regular Swedish pattern for strong verbs. Infinitive: höra; present: hör; past: hörde; supine: hört; past participle: hört. Imperative: hör. The perfect tense is formed with har hört (have heard), as in jag har hört det. The verb can be used with direct objects (Jag hör dig) and in questions (Hörde du vad jag sa?).

Usage notes include the distinction between höra as sensing with the ear and as the act of listening, which can be more intentional or passive depending on context. It also participates in set phrases that convey communication or information flow, such as höra av sig (to get in touch) and höra talas om (to hear of). In everyday Swedish, höra is a versatile core verb for discussing sound, listening, and information reception, and it interacts with related verbs like lyssna (to listen) in nuanced ways.

Etymology traces höra to Old Norse heyra, and it is cognate with Danish høre and Norwegian høre. The form has remained relatively stable within the Swedish verb system, continuing to function as a fundamental verb for auditory perception and discourse about information.