ägna

Ägna is a Swedish verb meaning to devote, dedicate, or allocate something—such as time, effort, or resources—to a specific purpose or activity. It is commonly used with objects that indicate what is being devoted and with the reflexive form ägna sig åt to express devotion to an activity or field.

Grammatically, ägna is a regular verb. Present tense: ägnar; past tense: ägnade; supine (perfect participle): ägnat. In passive or impersonal constructions, the form ägnas is used, as in forskningen ägnas åt klimatfrågor (the research is devoted to climate issues). The verb is typically transitive when it takes a direct object such as tid (time), uppmärksamhet (attention), or pengar (money), e.g., Hon ägnar tid åt studierna (She devotes time to her studies). For devoting oneself, the reflexive form ägna sig åt is used: Hon ägnar sig åt volontärarbete (She devotes herself to volunteer work).

Usage notes and nuances: ägna conveys intentional focus and sustained commitment, often over a period. It is common in formal and literary Swedish, as well as in policy or organizational language when describing aims or allocations. The verb can be paired with various domains (forskning, arbete, studier) to indicate the scope of devotion.

Etymology and related forms: ägna belongs to the Germanic family of verbs with cognates in other Scandinavian languages. Its form and meaning center on fitting, allocating, or devoting something to a purpose. Related constructions include ägnas åt (is devoted to) and ägnat åt, used to describe objects of devotion or allocation.