upphörde

Upphörde is the past tense form of the Swedish verb upphöra, which means to cease, stop, or discontinue. The verb describes the end of an ongoing action, process, or state. It is typically used intransitively, but can be followed by an infinitive clause introduced by att to express ceasing to do something. Key forms include: infinitive upphöra, present upphör, past tense upphörde, and past participle upphört. The imperative form is upphöra, though it is relatively uncommon in everyday speech.

Etymology and cognates: upphöra is from the prefix upp- combined with a root related to ending or finishing, and is cognate with the German aufhören (to cease). The prefix adds sense of completion or termination to the action described by the root verb.

Usage and nuance: Upphöra denotes a cessation of a process or activity rather than a temporary interruption. It can be used for concrete events (a sound ceasing, a war ending) as well as for more abstract processes (production ceasing, a policy being discontinued). Common constructions include directly intransitive use, or with med (“with”) to indicate cessation of a particular activity, for example, upphöra med sin verksamhet.

Examples:

- Ljudet upphörde plötsligt. (The sound ceased suddenly.)

- Kriget upphörde 1945. (The war ceased in 1945.)

- Företaget upphörde med sin verksamhet. (The company discontinued its operations.)

- Produkten upphörde att säljas i butiken. (The product ceased to be sold in the store.)

The noun form upphörande (cessation) and the related phrase upphörandet are used to refer to the act or result of ceasing.