löper

Löper is the present tense form of the Swedish verb löpa. The verb has several related senses, including to run on foot, to flow or leak (as liquid from a container or pipe), and to operate or function, such as a process, machine, or business running. In addition to literal movement, löpa is used figuratively to indicate progression or continuation of events or time.

Common uses include expressions such as tiden löper ut (time runs out) and vattnet löper genom röret or vattenlöper (the water runs/leaks through the pipe). The phrase löpa risk or löpa en risk means to run a risk. Another idiom, löpa linan ut, conveys going to the very end or pushing something to its limit. The grammar follows standard Swedish verb conjugation: löper is the third-person singular present; löpte is the simple past; löpt is the supine/perfect participle used with har (has run).

Etymology and cognates: löpa is a native Swedish verb with cognates in other Germanic languages, reflecting the broad sense of movement, flow, and progression that the word has developed over time. The term also appears in compound forms and regional variations within the language.

In modern usage, löp forms extend into related nouns such as löpare (runner) and löpning (running or jogging), and the verb appears across everyday language, sports, logistics, and technical contexts where processes or liquids are described as “running” or “flowing.”