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är is the present tense form of the Swedish verb vara, used as the copular verb “to be.” It functions to link a subject with a predicate, such as a description, identity, or state. Examples: Hon är lärare. Det är viktigt.

In Swedish, är is the present tense form for all persons, so the conjugation is jag är, du är, han/hon/den/det är, vi är, ni är, de är. It appears in predicative positions after nouns or adjectives, for example “Det är en bil” or “Hon är lycklig.” The form is also used in questions by subject–verb inversion, as in “Är du redo?” and in negation with inte, “Det är inte sant.”

Etymology and cognates: the verb vara, of which är is the present form, comes from Old Norse vera and belongs to the Germanic family. The present tense form är is part of a widespread pattern in Scandinavian languages, with Norwegian and Danish having similar forms (er). The Swedish verb vara itself is related to the English verb be, with all sharing a common Proto-Indo-European heritage.

Usage notes: är appears in many common constructions, including existential statements and idiomatic expressions. It combines with adjectives to form predicates (är glad, är sjuk) and with nouns to identify or classify (är student, är svensk). It also participates in compound tenses when paired with haber-like auxiliary forms to express aspects such as perfect tenses (har varit) or future-like meanings in combination with other verbs.