väckte

Väckte is the preterite (simple past) form of the Swedish verb väcka, meaning to wake someone up or to awaken. It is used to describe a waking event that has already occurred and applies to all subjects (jag väckte, du väckte, han väckte, vi väckte, ni väckte, de väckte). The present tense of the verb is väcker, and the imperative singular is väck (as in Väck mig!).

The perfect and pluperfect forms use the supine väckt with a auxiliary verb, as in har väckt. For example: Nyheten har väckt stor uppmärksamhet; Larmet har väckt hela huset. This illustrates how väckte is contrasted with the non-past form väcker in tense and mood.

Usage can be literal or figurative. Literally, väcka can wake a person or an object such as a clock or alarm: “Klockan väckte mig kl. sju.” Figuratively, väcka is used to mean to arouse or provoke: “Nyheten väckte stor uppmärksamhet” (the news aroused a great deal of attention) or “Det väckte hans intresse” (it aroused his interest). The verb is transitive, requiring a direct object, whereas vakna is intransitive and describes waking up oneself.

Etymology and related forms: väcka derives from Old Norse vekkja and is cognate with the English wake and the German wecken. Common compounds include väckarklocka (alarm clock) and väckning (the act of waking).