åldrats

åldrats is a Swedish linguistic term referring to the past participle form of the verb åldras, meaning to age. It denotes that something has undergone aging and reached an aged state, and is most often used in passive voice constructions or in perfect tenses.

Etymology and form: åldrats is derived from åldras (to age) with the participial suffix -ats, yielding a past participle that can function in compound tenses with auxiliary verbs such as har or har varit. While åldras is active in meaning, åldrats signals the completed aging of the subject.

Usage: In practice, åldrats is relatively formal and more common in written Swedish, historical, or scientific contexts. It can describe both living beings and inanimate objects that have aged. For example: “Kroppen har åldrats mycket de senaste åren.” “Huset har åldrats sedan det byggdes.” In everyday speech, speakers often express aging with periphrastic phrases like “har blivit äldre” rather than using åldrats, though the participle remains correct in appropriate contexts.

Comparison: åldras conveys the process of aging, while åldrats emphasizes that aging has occurred and the subject is now in a more aged state. It is distinct from adjectival phrases formed directly from ålder or from other participles.

See also: ålder, ålderdom, åldersrelaterade.