målat

Målat is the past participle of the Swedish verb måla, meaning to paint. In Swedish, it functions mainly as an adjective that indicates something has received a coat of paint, and it also appears in perfect tense constructions with the auxiliary ha or har, as in har målat. The form is used with neuter nouns as målat and with en-words as målad, depending on the grammatical gender of the noun it modifies. In predicative constructions, the phrase Vägg är målad is common, as is Huset är målat.

Forms and typical usage: As an attributive adjective, målat appears with neuter nouns, for example ett målat rum (a painted room). With common-gender nouns, the attributive form is målad, for instance en målad tavla (a painted painting). In plural, the participle usually takes the ending målade, as in väggarna är målade (the walls are painted). In predicate position, the form agrees with the noun in number and definiteness: Vägen är målad, Väggarna är målade, Huset är målat. The verb måla also forms a finite past tense with målade: de målade en bild (they painted a picture), while the perfect tense uses har målat (they have painted).

Etymology and relation: Målat derives from the Swedish verb måla. The term is a standard part of Swedish grammar and shared cognates with related Germanic languages’ terms for painting, reflecting a common Indo-European heritage of verbs for making colored surfaces.

Usage notes: Målat is not a noun; it is a participial form used in conjunction with nouns and verbal tenses. When used attributively with en-words, the form is målad for singular common-gender nouns and målat for neuter nouns. In plural definite contexts, målade is used.