kändes

Kändes is the preterite form of the Swedish verb kännas, meaning to feel in the sense of sensation or impression. It is used to describe how something felt at a particular moment, including physical sensations, emotional states, or the overall impression of a situation. The present tense is känns, and the infinitive is kännas. Kändes is commonly used in impersonal constructions such as Det kändes bra, and can introduce clauses with som om, as in Det kändes som om vi hade varit här förut.

Kännas and känna: Kännas is an intransitive verb used to express perception or appearance, while känna is the active verb meaning to feel something physically or to know someone. For example, Det kändes kallt betyder it felt cold, whereas Jag kände kylan means I felt the cold. In expressions about past sensation or impression, kändes is the natural choice.

Usage notes: In everyday Swedish, kändes often appears with det or with a subject, frequently in clauses like Det kändes bra, Det kändes lite konstigt. The negation is Det kändes inte. The present tense form is used for current sensations (Det känns bra), while kändes anchors past experiences or memories.

Etymology: The form derives from kännas, with the reflexive suffix -nas, related to the verb känna in the sense of sensing or perceiving. It shares cognates with other North Germanic languages and reflects a common semantic family around feeling and appearance.