löpte

Löpte is the past tense form of the Swedish verb löpa, which means to run, to flow, or to progress. The verb belongs to the Germanic family and is used in both literal and metaphorical senses. In everyday Swedish, people more commonly use springa to describe physical running, but löpa remains common in formal, literary, or fixed expressions and for describing the movement of liquids or time.

Usage and meanings

In a physical sense, löpa appears mainly in historical or formal contexts when describing running or moving quickly, though it is still understood in modern Swedish. Metaphorically, löpa is widely used to describe processes or phenomena that unfold over time, such as "tiden löpte" (time ran its course) or "vattnet löpte genom dalen" (the water flowed/ran through the valley). An important idiom is "löpa linan ut," meaning to see something through to its end or to carry a plan to completion.

Conjugation and forms

Present tense: löper. Past tense: löpte. Supine (used with have/had): löpt. The perfect forms include "har löpt" and, in older or more formal texts, "hade löpt."

Examples

"Hon löpte tre kilometer igår." "Floden löpte genom dalen." "Tiden löpte ut när konferensen avslutades." The idiom "löpa linan ut" appears in contexts of completing a task.

Etymology

The verb löpa has cognates in other Germanic languages and is part of the traditional Swedish lexicon for movement, both physical and temporal.