varit

Varit is the past participle of the Swedish verb vara, meaning "to be." It is the form used with auxiliary verbs to express states or experiences that have held up to a reference point in time.

Grammatical role and forms

Varit combines with auxiliary verbs such as har (have) and hade (had) to form perfect and pluperfect tenses. The present tense of vara is är, and the simple past is var, but varit is the participial form: jag har varit, jag hade varit. Swedish also uses phrases like kommer att ha varit (will have been) to express future perfect aspects. Varit is thus primarily seen in compound tenses rather than as a stand-alone finite verb form.

Usage examples

Common constructions include: Jag har varit i Sverige. (I have been in Sweden.) Det har varit en lång dag. (It has been a long day.) Hon hade varit sjuk två dagar. (She had been sick for two days.) Varit is also used to describe past states in phrases like "har varit" or "hade varit" without implying action, but rather existence or condition.

Pronunciation and etymology

Varit is typically pronounced with a long “a” sound: [ˈvaːrɪt]. It is the standard past participle form of vara, reflecting the common Germanic pattern for participles in Swedish.

See also

In English, varit corresponds to been, as in “have been” or “had been.” It is a fundamental element in expressing past experience and states in Swedish.