inställa

Inställa is a Swedish verb meaning to cancel or suspend a planned event, activity, or service. The primary sense is that something is no longer going to take place as scheduled. In more formal or official contexts, inställa can also carry a sense of temporary suspension or discontinuation, though the everyday equivalent is more often ställa in.

In practice, the most common way to express cancellation in spoken Swedish is the phrasal verb ställa in: “Vi måste ställa in mötet.” The passive form is usually “mötet ställs in” and the past form “mötet ställdes in.” In written or formal language, the single-word verb inställa can appear, but the more frequent construction uses ställa in and its inflected forms. The past participle forms such as inställt/inställd and related phrases like “har ställts in” or “blev inställt” are also encountered when describing past cancellations.

Inställa is often contrasted with postponement, which is expressed by verbs like skjuta upp or flytta fram. Canceling implies that the event or service will not be rescheduled under the same arrangement, whereas postponement indicates a rescheduled date. Common synonyms in everyday use include avboka for bookings and avbryt in certain contexts, though each term carries slightly different nuances.

Etymology and usage notes: inställa derives from the verb ställa with the prefix in-, giving a more formal nuance. It is widely understood in Swedish and is frequently found in official announcements, notices, and administrative language, though the phrasal form ställa in is dominant in everyday speech.