tillagar

Tillagar is a Swedish verb meaning to prepare or to cook, specifically in the sense of preparing food for consumption. It is the third-person singular present tense form of the infinitive tillaga. The verb is commonly used in culinary contexts to describe the act of cooking or making a meal. For example, Hon tillagar middag varje kväll means She prepares dinner every evening. In a passive construction, Maten tillagas av kocken means The food is being prepared by the chef.

Related forms include tillaga (the infinitive), tillagade (the past tense), tillagat (the supine and past participle form used in perfect tenses), and tillagas (present passive). The word is often contrasted with laga, which can be used more generally for repairing or fixing things, and med förbereda, which stresses preparation more broadly and not only cooking.

Etymology typically traces tillaga to the combination of till- "toward/for" with laga "to fix, to repair, to prepare," reflecting a sense of making ready. The term remains common in modern Swedish, especially in recipes, restaurant menus, and everyday speech about cooking.

Usage notes: tillagar emphasizes the action of cooking or preparing food and is appropriate for deliberate, active preparation. In many contexts, especially informal speech, speakers may use laga or förbereda as synonyms, depending on whether the emphasis is on cooking or overall preparation.

See also: laga, tillagad, tillagning, förbereda.