köps

Köps is the present passive form of the Swedish verb köpa, meaning to buy. It marks that the action of buying is performed on the subject, typically by an agent introduced with av. In modern Swedish the passive voice is often formed by adding -s to the finite verb, which makes köps a common way to express ongoing or general purchasing actions without specifying who buys.

Examples include: varor köps av kunderna dagligen (goods are bought by customers daily) and det köps mycket begagnat under rean (a lot of used items are bought during the sale). The subject of köps is the thing being bought, while the agent, if present, is expressed with av.

Köps is not used as a noun. The related noun is köp, which means a purchase, a deal, or the act of buying. For example, ett bra köp means a good purchase. The verbs tied to this noun include köper (present active), köpte (past), and köpt (supine/participial form).

Etymology traces köpa to Old Norse kaupa, with cognates in other Germanic languages, reflecting the long-standing semantic field of buying and commerce.

In usage, köps appears in formal, written, or neutral narrative contexts where the passive voice is preferable or where the actor is unknown or irrelevant. In everyday speech, speakers may opt for the active köper for clarity or emphasis, as in Jag köper nya böcker (I buy new books).