innehålla

Innehålla is a Swedish verb meaning to contain, include, or hold within. It can refer to physical contents as well as abstract ones, such as information or elements of a larger whole. The verb is transitive and normally takes a direct object: Den här flaskan innehåller vatten. Boken innehåller flera illustrationer.

The word is formed from the prefix in- attached to hålla (to hold). It has Old Norse roots and cognates in other Scandinavian languages, reflecting a common Germanic pattern for containment and inclusion. The construction is typical of Swedish compounds that express what something holds or comprises.

Grammatically, innehålla is used in present tense as innehåller, in the past as innehöll, and in the supine as innehållit. It is used in literal senses—what a container holds—as well as figurative senses, such as what a report or plan comprises. Negation is formed with inte: Den innehåller inte nötter. The verb also appears in forms like innehållande (present participle) and innehållit (past participle).

Related forms include the noun innehåll meaning content or contents, which is distinct but closely connected in use. The adjective phrase innehållande describes something that contains or is containing. In common usage, innehålla and its derivatives cover both tangible contents and broader notions of inclusion or scope in discourse.

See also: innehåll, the noun for content.