underhåller

Underhåller is a Swedish verb that can mean both to entertain and to maintain or provide for someone or something. It is the present tense form of the infinitive underhålla. The etymology comes from under- “under” and hålla “to hold,” reflecting the idea of keeping someone amused or keeping something in a good condition.

The primary senses of the verb are versatile and used in different contexts. In the entertainment sense, underhålla means to amuse or engage an audience, guests, or company. For example, en artist underhåller publiken during a concert. In the sense of providing for or maintaining, underhålla can describe financially supporting someone (as in “hon underhåller sin familj”) or keeping a relationship, system, or facility in good condition (for example, “företaget underhåller goda relationer med kunderna” or “kommunen underhåller vägarna”). It can also describe performing regular maintenance on machinery or buildings (underhålla en maskin).

Conjugation and forms follow standard Swedish verb patterns. Infinitive: underhålla; present tense: underhåller; past tense (preterite): underhöll; supine or past participle used in perfect tenses: underhållit (as in har underhållit).

Related terms include underhåll, the noun meaning maintenance or upkeep, and underhållning, meaning entertainment. The word can be contrasted with håll igång, which means to keep something running, and with underhåll i tekniska sammanhang, which refers specifically to mechanical or infrastructural upkeep.

In usage, context usually clarifies whether the sense is to entertain or to provide for/maintain. The choice of sense can be explicit through objects or through accompanying words such as publik, relationer, eller maskinen.