skynda

Skynda is a Swedish verb meaning to hasten, hurry, or speed up. It is used to describe making an action occur more quickly or to urge someone to move or act with greater speed. The verb can be used transitively (to hasten something) as well as reflexively (to hurry oneself), and it appears in a variety of everyday contexts, from casual speech to formal writing.

In common constructions, skynda combines with other verbs or phrases to express speeding up processes or punctuality. For example, skynda sig is used to convey rushing oneself, while skynda på can indicate accelerating an ongoing activity or project. The expression skynda på arbetet, for instance, conveys the idea of expediting work or moving a task forward.

Etymology and historical usage: the word is attested in Swedish from the medieval period and is part of a broader family of North Germanic verbs with related meanings. While precise origins are not always clear, skynda is generally treated as an older core verb within the language, with cognates and related forms appearing in neighboring Nordic tongues.

Grammar and forms: skynda follows patterns typical of many Swedish -a verbs. In the present, past, and supine forms, it participates in standard tense constructions used in Swedish, including phrases that form perfect and pluperfect tenses with auxiliary verbs. It also yields common phrasal expressions like skynda sig and skynda på, which are widely understood across dialects.

See also: hast, hastighet, hastande.