sakna

Sakna is a Swedish verb meaning to miss someone or something, or to lack or be without. In everyday use, it often expresses emotional longing as in Jag saknar dig, or a deficiency as in Vi saknar tillräcklig utrustning or Det saknas information i rapporten.

Grammatical notes and forms: Sakna is transitive and takes a direct object. The present tense is saknar (jag saknar, du saknar, han/hon saknar). The simple past is saknade. The supine form is saknat, and the present perfect is formed with har saknat (jag har saknat). In impersonal constructions the present passive saknas is common, as in Det saknas pengar eller Det saknas information i rapporten.

Usage and nuance: The verb covers both longing for people or places and the existence of a shortage or absence. Use saknar for emotional yearning, as in Jag saknar min familj, and use sakna or det saknas for lack of something, as in Vi saknar resurser eller Det saknas uppgifter. Negative forms are possible, as in Jag saknar inte dig.

Noun form and related terms: The noun saknad refers to absence or the state of being missing. It can appear in phrases like en saknad person (a missing person) or den saknade i nyhetsrapportering. Related verbs and expressions include längta (to long for) and vara utan (to be without), which sometimes convey related ideas in different contexts.

Overall, sakna functions across emotional, existential, and absence-related meanings, with distinct grammatical patterns for tense and voice.