kvittra
Swedish
Etymology
Onomatopoeic. Compare Danish kvidre, German zwitschern. Arguably from Proto-Germanic *twitwizōną.
Verb
kvittra (present kvittrar, preterite kvittrade, supine kvittrat, imperative kvittra)
- to twitter (make high-pitched vocalizations typical of (smaller) birds)
- Solen skiner och fåglarna kvittrar
- The sun is shining and the birds are singing
- (figurative) to speak in a high-pitched (and cheerful) voice
Conjugation
Conjugation of kvittra (weak)
| Active | Passive | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | kvittra | kvittras | ||
| Supine | kvittrat | kvittrats | ||
| Imperative | kvittra | — | ||
| Imper. plural1 | kvittren | — | ||
| Present | Past | Present | Past | |
| Indicative | kvittrar | kvittrade | kvittras | kvittrades |
| Ind. plural1 | kvittra | kvittrade | kvittras | kvittrades |
| Subjunctive2 | kvittre | kvittrade | kvittres | kvittrades |
| Participles | ||||
| Present participle | kvittrande | |||
| Past participle | kvittrad | |||
| 1 Archaic. 2 Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs. | ||||
Related terms
- kvitter
See also
- kviddevitt
- kvitt
References
- kvittra in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- kvittra in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- kvittra in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- kvittra in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)