svær

Svær is an adjective used in Danish and Norwegian (bokmål and nynorsk) meaning difficult, hard, or challenging. It describes tasks, situations, or conditions that require substantial effort, time, or care. Common collocations include svær opgave (a difficult task), svære forhold (difficult circumstances), and en svær beslutning (a difficult decision). The word can apply to both concrete and abstract ideas and is widely used in everyday and formal language.

Grammatical notes vary slightly between Danish and Norwegian. In both languages svær behaves like a typical descriptive adjective, and it forms phrases with indefinite nouns as in en svær opgave in Danish or ei svær oppgåve in Norwegian nynorsk. When used with definite nouns or in different syntactic positions, the form may be adjusted according to the language’s adjective agreement rules. The word also appears in comparative or emphatic constructions, sometimes intensified with adverbs such as meget or særligt, depending on dialect and style.

Etymology and cognates: svær is cognate across the Scandinavian languages. It corresponds to Swedish svår, and is related to other North Germanic forms that express hardness or difficulty. The term traces back to Proto-Nordic roots and has remained a stable descriptor of challenging conditions or tasks in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish usage.

See also: synonyms and related terms in Scandinavian languages include vanskelig (Danish and Norwegian for “difficult” in more formal or technical contexts) and other expressions describing hardship or complexity. The concept of svær is central to everyday discourse about effort, risk, and complication.