välja

Välja is a Swedish verb meaning “to choose” or “to elect.” It denotes the act of selecting one option from several or appointing someone to a position. The verb is common in everyday language, politics, business, and journalism. It often appears with prepositional phrases such as välja mellan (to choose between), välja ut (to pick out), and välja bort (to exclude). In election or decision contexts, forms such as har valt (have chosen) or blev vald (was elected) are typical.

Conjugation and forms: Infinitive välja; present tense väljer; past tense valde; past participle valt; imperative välj. The form har valt is used to express a completed choice in perfect tenses. The present participle väljande exists but is rare in everyday Swedish.

Usage examples: Jag väljer en bok att läsa. Hon valde mellan två erbjudanden. Vi har valt en ny styrelse. I politiska sammanhang används ofta passiva former som blev vald eller väljs till ordförande.

Etymology: Välja originates from Old Swedish velja/velja, cognate with Danish vælge and Norwegian velge, all derived from a Proto-Germanic root related to the concept of choosing or willing.

See also: val (noun, meaning “a choice” or “an election”). The verb is closely linked to phrases describing selection processes, elections, and decisions.