påvirka

Påvirka is a verb form found in Scandinavian languages with the meaning to influence or to affect. It is most often encountered in Swedish and Norwegian contexts. In Swedish the standard infinitive is påverka, with present tense påverkar and past tense påverkade. In Norwegian, the corresponding standard infinitive is påvirke (bokmål) or påverke (nynorsk/dialect), with present tense påvirker; the form påvirka appears in some dialects and in certain past-tense spellings. The noun form påvirkning denotes influence or impact.

Etymology and related forms: the verb is built from the prefix på- meaning on or onto and a root related to working or acting, such that the sense is to act upon someone or something to bring about an effect. Related nouns include påvirkning in Norwegian and påverkan in Swedish, both referring to influence or the act of influencing. In everyday usage, bokmål and nynorsk speakers may choose between forms that align with their standard conjugation patterns, while dialects may preserve të past-tense spellings like påvirka.

Usage and examples: as a transitive verb, påvirka/påverka requires an object or consideration of what is being influenced. Swedish examples: Nyheten påverkar opinionen (The news influences public opinion). Det påverkade min åsikt (It affected my opinion). Norwegian examples: Nyheten påvirker opinionen. Nyheten påvirka opinionen. Jeg ble påvirka av faren min (I was influenced by my father). The phrase bli påvirka/bli påvirket is common for “to be influenced.”

See also: påvirkning, påvirker/påvirker, påvirkast.