lånades

Lånades is the past passive form of the Swedish verb låna, meaning that something was lent or loaned. In English, it corresponds to was lent or were lent, depending on the subject. It is commonly used in written Swedish to describe past lending events where the focus is on the fact that the item went on loan rather than on who performed the lending.

Formation and usage: The form is created with the root lån-, combined with the past passive suffix -des, yielding lånades. The phrase often includes ut to indicate that the item was lent out, as in böckerna lånades ut. The agent who lent the item is typically expressed with a prepositional phrase introduced by av, such as av biblioteket eller av museet. The recipient or destination can be shown with till or may be understood from context.

Nuances: Lånades is most common in formal writing, archival descriptions, and reports about past lending arrangements. It emphasizes the completed action of lending and the state of the object being on loan, rather than the actor. In everyday speech, speakers may opt for active forms (lånade ut av X) or alternative constructions, but lånades retains a formal tone.

Examples:

- Böckerna lånades ut till studenterna. (The books were lent out to the students.)

- Föremålen lånades ut av museet till forskarna.

Etymology: Låna originates from older Germanic roots, with the past passive suffix -des forming the preterite passive; lånades is the standard linguistic result of this pattern in Swedish.