skära

See also: Skara, skara, skåra, and skæra

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ɧæːra/

• Audio (Gotland):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Swedish skæra, from Old Norse skera (“to cut”), from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”). Cognate to English scar and shear.

Verb

skära (present skär, preterite skar, supine skurit, imperative skär)

2. to cut; to perform an incision (compare klippa, used for cutting with scissors, shears, or the like, with a snipping motion)

   skära med en kniv

   cut with a knife

   Han skar mig med kniven

   He cut me with the knife

   Han skar mig i armen

   He cut my arm

   (literally, “He cut me in the arm [compare the poster usage examples below]”)

   "Han skar min arm" is unidiomatic and sounds too impersonal in Swedish, as if the arm was the target rather than the person. Compare "pat someone's shoulder" vs. "pat someone on the shoulder."

   ungdomar som skär sig

   young people [youth] who cut themselves

   Jag skar upp säcken

   I cut open [cut up] the sack

   Jag skar av repet med kniven

   I cut [off] the rope with the knife

   The av (“off”) is not implied in Swedish. Without it, it sounds like "I cut into the rope with the knife," like in "I cut his arm."

   Vincent van Gogh skar av en bit av sitt vänstra öra

   Vincent van Gogh cut off part of [a bit of] his left ear

   skära halsen av någon

   cut someone's throat

   (literally, “cut the neck off someone [idiomatic]”)

   Jag skar (ut) affischen

   I cut (out) the poster [from a larger sheet or the like]

   Jag skar i affischen

   I cut into the poster [made cuts in the poster]

   "Skära i affischen" (cut in the poster) means being in the poster material and cutting it, which can be translated as "cut into the poster."

   Verktyg för att skära glas

   Tools for cutting glass [sheets of glass or the like]

   Verktyg för att skära i glas

   Tools for cutting ["in" – into] glass [for cutting glass as a material]

   "Skära i glas" (cut in glass) means being in glass and cutting it, like above, which puts the focus on the material.

3. (usually with upp (“up”)) to cut (up); to divide something with a knife, etc.

   Jag skar upp limpan

   I cut the loaf of bread [implied into slices]

   The upp (“up”) is not implied in Swedish. Without it, it sounds like "I cut into the loaf of bread," like in "I cut his arm."

   Låt brödet svalna innan du skär upp det

   Allow the bread to [let the bread] cool before cutting it

   Jag skar upp vattenmelonen

   I cut up the watermelon [into pieces of any shape]

   1. to carve (meat)

      Jag skar upp julskinkan

      I carved the Christmas ham

   • 1915, Dan Andersson, Kolvaktarens Visor, Gengångare:

     Men ve oss, för sent ha vi gått ur vår grav
     för att krämares domare bli -
     de män som skuro vår plågas stav
     äro döda och vandra som vi.

     But woe unto us, too late have we went out of our grave
     to become the judgers of mongers -
     the men who cut the staff of our torment
     are dead, and wander like we.

4. to cut ((part of) oneself); to accidentally hurt oneself with a sharp object

   Jag skar mig på kniven

   I cut myself on the knife

   Jag skar mig i fingret

   I cut my finger

   (literally, “I cut myself in the finger”)

   Compare the usage examples for (etymology 1 sense 1). "Jag skar mitt finger" would also sound deliberate here.

   Jag skar mig när jag rakade mig

   I cut myself while shaving [when I shaved myself]

   Jag ramlade på en vass sten och skar upp armen

   I [inadvertently] fell on a sharp rock and slashed ["cut up" – cut open] my arm

   Skar du dig? Behöver du ett plåster?

   Did you cut yourself? Do you need a band-aid?

5. (with ner (“down”), optionally followed by på (“on”)) to cut; to make reductions in a budget or the like

   De har skurit ner (på) budgeten

   They have cut the budget

6. (reflexive) to separate, to split, to break (lose homogeneity, said of milk, a sauce, etc.); (when implied) to curdle

   Synonym: (of a sauce) spricka

   Mjölken har stått framme och skurit sig

   The milk has been left out [has stood out] and curdled [separated]

   Citron får mjölk att skära sig

   Lemon makes milk ["gets milk to," causes milk to] curdle [separate]

   skuren bearnaisesås

   broken [separated] béarnaise sauce

7. (reflexive, figuratively) to (come to) not harmonize; to clash, to jar, to not go well together, etc.

   Jag gillar inte de färgerna tillsammans. Jag tycker att det skär sig.

   I don't like those colors together. I think it clashes.

   Kepsen skär sig mot uniformen

   The baseball cap [likely to be implied here – see keps] clashes with the uniform

   De brutala våldsscenerna passar inte i komedin. Det skär sig.

   The brutally violent scenes [brutal violence-scenes] do not fit [in] the comedy. It jars / they feel jarring.

   Det skar sig mellan de tidigare så goda vännerna

   There was a falling out between the once close-knit friends [between the earlier/formerly so good friends]

8. (geometry) to cut; to intersect; to cross

   Kurvorna skär varandra i punkten (1, 2)

   The curves intersect [cut each other] at the point (1, 2)

9. (archaic) to purify, to cleanse one's soul

   skärselden

   Purgatory

Usage notes

• The weak conjugation with the past tense skärde instead of skar and the supine skärt instead of skurit is proscribed, though it is very common for native speakers to slip up. Most native speakers have probably at some point heard some variation of "'Skärde'? 'Skar' heter det!" ("Cutted"? It's "cut"! ["'Cut' is-named it!" – idiomatic, with skar at the beginning for emphasis. "Det heter 'skar'!" also works. "Cutted" is for illustration, as "skärde" sounds less off.]).
• Klippa is used for cutting with scissors or shears or the like, with a snipping motion. Using skära with scissors or shears implies one of the blades is being used like a knife.

Conjugation

Conjugation of skära (class 4 strong)

	active		passive
infinitive	skära		skäras
supine	skurit		skurits
imperative	skär		—
imper. plural1	skären		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	skär	skar	skärs, skäres	skars
ind. plural1	skära	skuro	skäras	skuros
subjunctive2	skäre	skure	skäres	skures
present participle		skärande
past participle		skuren

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Conjugation of skära (weak, nonstandard)

	active		passive
infinitive	skära		skäras
supine	skärt		skärts
imperative	skär		—
imper. plural1	skären		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	skär	skärde	skärs, skäres	skärdes
ind. plural1	skära	skärde	skäras	skärdes
subjunctive2	skäre	skärde	skäres	skärdes
present participle		skärande
past participle		skärd

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Synonyms

• (to perform an incision): snitta

Derived terms

• avskära
• förskärare
• knivskära
• nedskärning
• skära av
• skära igenom
• skära ner
• skära till
• skära upp
• skära ut
• skärning
• skärseld
• skärsår
• skärtorsdagen
• tillskära
• uppskära
• utskära

See also

• cutta
• hugga
• skiva
• sprätta upp

Etymology 2

From the verb.

en skära (etymology 2 sense 1)

Noun

skära c

2. a sickle (tool)

   hammaren och skäran

   the hammer and [the] sickle

3. a crescent, a sickle (sickle shape)

   månskära

   crescent moon, moonsickle

Declension

Declension of skära

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	skära	skäras
	definite	skäran	skärans
plural	indefinite	skäror	skärors
	definite	skärorna	skärornas

Derived terms

• månskära

See also

• halvmåne
• lie (“scythe”)

Etymology 3

Adjective

skära

1. inflection of skär:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

References

• “skära”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “skära”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “skära”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Anagrams

• räkas, säkra