väckas

Väckas is a Swedish verb form associated with the verb väcka, meaning to wake up or awaken. It functions primarily as a passive non-finite form, indicating that the subject experiences waking rather than performs it. In that sense, att väckas means “to be awakened.” The form is used in more formal or literary contexts, as well as in non-finite clauses that describe events happening to someone or something.

In ordinary speech, the present passive is usually expressed with väcks (for example, Den väcks av alarmet, “He is awakened by the alarm”). Väckas appears as the infinitive passive and in other non-finite constructions, where the action of waking is described as something that occurs to the subject rather than something the subject actively does. The past passive can be expressed with väcktes in finite clauses, while the related participle väckt is used in perfect constructions such as har väckt (“has awakened”) or den väckta nyheten (“the awakened/roused news” in rare idiomatic uses).

Etymology and related forms: väckas derives from the verb väcka. The root is part of the Germanic family and is cognate with similar words in other languages, including English wake. Related inflected forms include väcka (present active), väckte (past), väckt (supine/past participle), and väcks (present passive).

Usage notes: väckas is chiefly found in non-finite clauses or formal prose. In everyday Swedish, speakers more commonly use the active form or the standard passive väcks in many standard contexts. Väckas may appear in discussions of experiences, dreams, or moments when someone or something is awakened.