klaga

Klaga is a verb used in several Scandinavian languages, most often Swedish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Danish. It means to complain or to express dissatisfaction. In everyday speech it describes voicing displeasure about people, situations, or conditions. The verb forms include klagar (present), klagade (past), and klagat (supine). It commonly takes the prepositions över or om when specifying the topic, as in hon klagar över vädret or hon klagar om hur arbetet går. In Swedish, related nouns are klagan (a complaint or expression of discontent) and klagomål (a formal complaint or objection).

Etymology and cognates: Klaga belongs to the Germanic language family. It is cognate with Danish klage, Norwegian klage, Icelandic klaga, and German klagen, all meaning to complain or lament. The form is attested in Old Norse as well, reflecting a common Germanic root associated with lament or objection. The modern Scandinavian forms closely mirror this shared heritage.

Usage notes: In everyday language, klaga conveys ordinary dissatisfaction, while in formal contexts the concept of a complaint is often expressed with klagan or klagomål in Swedish, or with klage/klagebrev in other Scandinavian varieties. The language distinguishes between a casual complaint (klaga, klagar) and a formal grievance (klagomål, a filed complaint). Colloquially, people may say “Hon klagar ofta över…” (She often complains about…) and in official channels one might submit a klagomål or a klage to a public authority.

See also: complaint, klagan, klagomål, klage.