motsvarande

Motsvarande is a Swedish adjective meaning corresponding or equivalent, used to indicate that something matches or corresponds to another item, amount, time period, or condition. It is commonly employed in formal writing, especially in finance, statistics, contracts, and reports. The term is typically placed before the noun it qualifies, as in motsvarande belopp (the corresponding amount) or motsvarande period (the corresponding period).

Etymology and usage notes: motsvarande is formed from mot- (toward, against) and svara (to answer, to correspond), with the participle-like ending -ande to create an attributive adjective. In Swedish, it functions mainly as an adjective and is used in both attributive and predicative positions. It is widely used in comparisons across years, figures, and categories to denote the item that matches or is equivalent to another reference point. While closely related to words meaning “similar” or “equal,” motsvarande emphasizes a direct correspondence to a specified counterpart rather than a general similarity.

Common contexts: financial statements and budgets (motsvarande intäkter), annual reports (motsvarande period), and comparative analyses (motsvarande värde). It can be paired with nouns describing amounts, time frames, or categories to establish a direct link to a reference value.

English equivalents include corresponding and equivalent. Note that the exact translation depends on context; common Swedish phrases should be translated to preserve the sense of direct correspondence to a specified counterpart.