återkalla en 30 secondes
- Återkalla is a formal Swedish verb meaning to revoke, recall, or take back.
- It is commonly used for product recalls (consumer safety) and revoking licenses (legal/official).
- It can also mean to recall a memory or retract a statement formally.
- Do not use it for calling someone back on the phone; use 'ringa tillbaka' instead.
The Swedish verb återkalla is a versatile and essential term for intermediate and advanced learners, primarily functioning as a formal way to describe the act of taking something back or voiding a previous decision. At its core, it combines 'åter' (back/again) and 'kalla' (to call), mirroring the English etymology of 'recall'. However, its application spans several distinct domains, from legal procedures to consumer safety and even the inner workings of human memory.
- Legal and Official Context
- In a legal sense, it is used when a permit, license, or right is officially withdrawn by an authority. For example, if someone loses their driving privileges, the transport agency will återkalla their license.
- Product Safety
- When a company discovers a defect in a product and asks customers to return it, they are performing a product recall. In Swedish, this is described as the company choosing to återkalla produkten.
Transportstyrelsen beslutade att återkalla hans körkort efter händelsen.
Beyond these physical or legal withdrawals, the word also touches on the abstract. In formal or literary Swedish, it can mean to 'summon back' a memory or a feeling. While 'minnas' or 'komma ihåg' are more common for everyday remembering, återkalla i minnet suggests a more conscious, effortful act of reconstruction or evocative recollection. It is also used when a witness or a speaker retracts a statement they previously made, effectively 'calling it back' from the public record.
Företaget tvingades återkalla tusentals bilar på grund av ett bromsfel.
- Memory and Reflection
- Used with 'minnet' (the memory) to describe the act of visualizing or bringing back a past event into one's consciousness with detail.
Understanding the nuance between 'återkalla' and similar words like 'ta tillbaka' is key for B2 learners. While 'ta tillbaka' is neutral and can be used for physical objects or words, 'återkalla' carries a weight of formality and officiality. You wouldn't 'återkalla' a borrowed book to a friend; you would 'be om att få tillbaka den'. You 'återkalla' something when there is a formal record or a serious safety implication involved.
Using återkalla correctly requires matching the word to the appropriate level of formality. It is most frequently used in the active voice when an authority or company is the subject, but it also appears in the passive voice (återkallas) in news reports and legal documents.
- The Product Recall Pattern
- [Subject: Company] + återkallar + [Object: Product]. Example: 'IKEA återkallar en barnstol på grund av fallrisk.'
Vi måste tyvärr återkalla alla sålda enheter omedelbart.
When dealing with licenses or permits, the structure is similar. It implies that a right that was previously granted is now being removed. This is common in administrative law (förvaltningsrätt). If a restaurant fails a hygiene inspection, the municipality might återkalla deras serveringstillstånd (revoke their serving permit).
- The Retraction Pattern
- [Subject: Person] + återkallar + [Object: Statement/Promise]. This is used when someone officially says 'I didn't mean that' or 'I am taking that back'.
Vittnet valde att återkalla sitt tidigare erkännande under rättegången.
Finally, the reflexive or mental use involves the phrase återkalla i minnet. This is a sophisticated way to say 'recollect'. It suggests a cinematic quality to the memory, as if you are projecting a past image onto the screen of your mind. It is often used in literature to describe a character reflecting on their past.
Hon försökte återkalla bilden av sin far i minnet, men dragen var suddiga.
You are most likely to encounter återkalla in formal environments. In the Swedish news (SVT, Sveriges Radio), it is the standard term used for product recalls. If a batch of eggs is contaminated with salmonella, the news anchor will say: 'Producenten återkallar nu partiet från butikerna.'
- In the Workplace
- In a corporate setting, a manager might 'återkalla ett uppdrag' (revoke an assignment) or 'återkalla en fullmakt' (revoke a power of attorney). It signals a professional and definitive change in status.
Styrelsen har beslutat att återkalla vd:ns befogenheter med omedelbar verkan.
In the legal system, lawyers and judges use it constantly. A court can 'återkalla en dom' (vacate or recall a judgment), or a prosecutor might 'återkalla ett åtal' (withdraw a charge). If you are watching a Swedish crime drama (Nordic Noir), listen for this word during trial scenes or police briefings.
Kan du återkalla exakt vad som hände den kvällen?
In literature and poetry, återkalla is used to create a sense of nostalgia or haunting. An author might describe the wind 'återkallande' the voices of the past. This usage is much more evocative than the dry, legalistic usage found in consumer reports, showing the word's range from the bureaucratic to the beautiful.
The most common mistake for English speakers is using återkalla when they simply mean 'to call back' on the phone. In English, 'recall' and 'call back' overlap, but in Swedish, they are strictly separated.
- Mistake: Phone Calls
- Don't say 'Jag ska återkalla dig' if you want to call someone back. Use 'Jag ringer upp dig sen' or 'Jag ringer tillbaka'. 'Återkalla' would mean you are revoking the person's existence or legal status!
Fel: Jag måste återkalla min vän (Incorrect for 'call back'). Rätt: Jag måste ringa tillbaka till min vän.
Another mistake is confusing it with 'påminna' (to remind). While 'återkalla i minnet' is related to memory, it is an internal process. You cannot 'återkalla' another person to do something; you 'påminner' them. 'Återkalla' is about the object being withdrawn or the memory being summoned, not the person being prompted.
Finally, learners sometimes use 'återkalla' for returning a physical item to a store (like a shirt that doesn't fit). In that case, use 'lämna tillbaka' or 'returnera'. 'Återkalla' is only for when the *company* initiates the return for safety or legal reasons, or when a formal right is being cancelled.
To truly master återkalla, you should understand how it sits alongside its synonyms. Depending on the context, one might be more appropriate than the other.
- Återkalla vs. Upphäva
- Återkalla is used for specific items or individual rights (like a license). Upphäva is used for general rules, laws, or contracts. You 'återkallar' a driver's license, but you 'upphäver' a law.
- Återkalla vs. Ta tillbaka
- Ta tillbaka is the informal equivalent. You can 'ta tillbaka' a promise or a statement. 'Återkalla' is the version you would use in a formal letter or a courtroom.
Han ville ta tillbaka det han sa, men det var för sent.
In the context of memory, you have 'minnas', 'komma ihåg', and 'återkalla'. 'Komma ihåg' is the most common for facts. 'Minnas' is for personal experiences. 'Återkalla i minnet' is the most formal and literary, often implying a detailed visualization of the past.
Regeringen kan upphäva beslutet om det finns särskilda skäl.
How Formal Is It?
Le savais-tu ?
The prefix 'åter-' is a cognate with the English 'after', though their meanings have diverged significantly over the centuries. In Swedish, 'åter' almost always implies a return to a previous state.
Guide de prononciation
- Pronouncing 'å' like 'a' in 'apple'.
- Missing the double 'l' sound (it should be long).
- Putting equal stress on all syllables.
- Pronouncing the 'r' too harshly like an English 'r'.
- Confusing the pitch accent (Swedish tone).
Niveau de difficulté
Common in news and formal texts, easy to recognize once you know 'åter'.
Requires knowledge of formal contexts and correct collocations.
Tricky to use naturally without sounding overly formal in the wrong situation.
Clearly pronounced in formal broadcasts.
Quoi apprendre ensuite
Prérequis
Apprends ensuite
Avancé
Exemples par niveau
De vill ha tillbaka sin bil.
They want their car back.
A1 uses 'ha tillbaka' instead of 'återkalla'.
Kan du ringa mig sen?
Can you call me later?
A1 uses 'ringa' for phone calls.
Jag tar tillbaka det jag sa.
I take back what I said.
Simple phrasal verb.
Säg det igen.
Say it again.
Simple command.
Affären tar tillbaka maten.
The shop takes the food back.
Simple present tense.
Han minns sin mamma.
He remembers his mother.
Simple verb for memory.
Bilen är trasig.
The car is broken.
Simple adjective.
Vänta lite.
Wait a bit.
Common imperative.
Företaget måste återkalla produkten.
The company must recall the product.
Modal verb 'måste' + infinitive.
Polisen kan återkalla ditt körkort.
The police can revoke your driving license.
Introduction of the legal context.
De återkallar alla trasiga leksaker.
They are recalling all broken toys.
Present tense plural.
Han återkallade sitt löfte.
He withdrew his promise.
Past tense -ade (Group 1).
Varför återkallar de osten?
Why are they recalling the cheese?
Question structure.
Jag kan inte återkalla namnet just nu.
I cannot recall the name right now.
Mental use of recall.
Beslutet blev återkallat.
The decision was revoked.
Passive with 'blev'.
De skickade ett brev för att återkalla ordern.
They sent a letter to cancel the order.
Infinitive with 'för att'.
Myndigheten har rätt att återkalla tillståndet om reglerna inte följs.
The authority has the right to revoke the permit if the rules are not followed.
Conditional clause with 'om'.
Efter olyckan valde biltillverkaren att återkalla modellen.
After the accident, the car manufacturer chose to recall the model.
Prepositional phrase + main clause.
Det är svårt att återkalla händelsen i detalj efter så många år.
It is difficult to recall the event in detail after so many years.
Impersonal 'det är' construction.
Vittnet återkallade sina tidigare uppgifter under förhör.
The witness withdrew their previous information during interrogation.
Past tense, specific legal vocabulary.
Företaget gick ut med ett pressmeddelande för att återkalla varan.
The company issued a press release to recall the item.
Phrasal verb 'gå ut med'.
Om du inte betalar kan vi återkalla din licens.
If you don't pay, we can revoke your license.
Warning/threat structure.
Han försökte förtvivlat återkalla koden till kassaskåpet.
He desperately tried to recall the code to the safe.
Adverb 'förtvivlat' modifying the verb.
Beslutet att återkalla ambassadören väckte stor uppmärksamhet.
The decision to recall the ambassador attracted much attention.
Noun phrase as subject.
Transportstyrelsen kan återkalla körkortet vid grov vårdslöshet i trafik.
The Transport Agency can revoke the driving license in cases of gross negligence in traffic.
Formal administrative language.
Genom att återkalla sin fullmakt återtog hon kontrollen över sina tillgångar.
By revoking her power of attorney, she regained control over her assets.
Gerund-like 'genom att' construction.
Författaren lyckas återkalla barndomens dofter och ljud i sin nya roman.
The author succeeds in evoking the scents and sounds of childhood in their new novel.
Literary use of the verb.
Det finns strikta regler för när en kommun får återkalla ett serveringstillstånd.
There are strict rules for when a municipality may revoke a serving permit.
Subordinate clause with 'när'.
Han tvingades återkalla sitt påstående efter att motbevis lagts fram.
He was forced to retract his claim after counter-evidence was presented.
Passive construction 'tvingades'.
Partiet valde att återkalla sitt stöd för lagförslaget i sista stund.
The party chose to withdraw its support for the bill at the last minute.
Political context.
Kan du återkalla i minnet exakt var du befann dig klockan åtta?
Can you recall exactly where you were at eight o'clock?
The idiomatic 'återkalla i minnet'.
Företaget agerade snabbt för att återkalla de kontaminerade livsmedlen.
The company acted quickly to recall the contaminated food items.
Adverbial 'snabbt' and 'för att' purpose clause.
Rättens beslut att återkalla domen grundade sig på nya tekniska bevis.
The court's decision to vacate the judgment was based on new technical evidence.
Complex noun phrase 'Rättens beslut att...'.
Han förmådde inte återkalla den känsla av hopp som han en gång hunit känna.
He was unable to summon back the feeling of hope he had once felt.
Abstract usage, 'förmådde inte' (was unable).
Att återkalla ett medgivande i efterhand kan vara juridiskt komplicerat.
Revoking a consent in hindsight can be legally complicated.
Infinitive phrase as subject.
Läkemedelsverket beslutade att återkalla försäljningstillståndet för preparatet.
The Medical Products Agency decided to revoke the marketing authorization for the preparation.
Specific institutional subject.
I dikten försöker jag återkalla stämningen från den där sista sommaren.
In the poem, I try to evoke the atmosphere from that last summer.
Artistic/Literary context.
Regeringen kan under vissa omständigheter återkalla ett medborgarskap.
The government can under certain circumstances revoke a citizenship.
Parenthetical 'under vissa omständigheter'.
Hon återkallade tacksamt minnet av deras första möte.
She gratefully recalled the memory of their first meeting.
Adverb 'tacksamt' adding nuance.
Det är en svår balansgång att veta när man bör återkalla en delegation av ansvar.
It is a difficult balancing act to know when one should revoke a delegation of responsibility.
Metaphorical 'balansgång' + indirect question.
Preklusion innebär att rätten att åberopa en viss omständighet återkallas.
Preclusion means that the right to invoke a certain circumstance is revoked.
Highly technical legal terminology.
Den ontologiska osäkerheten gjorde det omöjligt för honom att återkalla en stabil självbild.
The ontological uncertainty made it impossible for him to recall a stable self-image.
Philosophical/Psychological context.
Historikerns uppgift är att återkalla det förflutna utan att förvränga det.
The historian's task is to summon the past without distorting it.
Professional/Academic duty.
Man kan inte godtyckligt återkalla ett gynnande förvaltningsbeslut.
One cannot arbitrarily revoke a beneficial administrative decision.
Legal principle 'gynnande förvaltningsbeslut'.
Språket fungerar som en länk för att återkalla förlorade kulturella identiteter.
Language functions as a link to recall lost cultural identities.
Sociolinguistic metaphor.
Skulden verkade återkalla varje misslyckande han någonsin upplevt.
The guilt seemed to summon back every failure he had ever experienced.
Personification of guilt.
Att återkalla en diplomatisk beskickning är ett av de starkaste stegen före krigsförklaring.
Recalling a diplomatic mission is one of the strongest steps before a declaration of war.
Geopolitical context.
Genom att återkalla det givna ordet raserade han hela sitt anseende.
By revoking his given word, he demolished his entire reputation.
Strong verb 'raserade' (demolished).
Synonymes
Antonymes
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
— To revoke something immediately without delay.
Licensen återkallades med omedelbar verkan.
— To recall something due to a safety hazard.
Leksaken återkallas på grund av säkerhetsrisk.
— To revoke something after the fact or retroactively.
Det är svårt att återkalla ett beslut i efterhand.
— To withdraw one's consent or permission.
Du har rätt att när som helst återkalla ditt samtycke.
— To recall something so it can be completed or fixed.
Ansökan återkallades för komplettering.
— To recall a product back to the physical stores.
Varorna återkallas till butik för kontroll.
— To remove a product from the available selection permanently.
Produkten har återkallats ur sortimentet.
— To uninvite someone or cancel an invitation.
Hon kände sig tvungen att återkalla inbjudan.
Expressions idiomatiques
— To visualize or bring back a memory in great detail.
Han försökte återkalla doften av tallskog i minnet.
Literary— To break a solemn promise or retract a vow.
En riddare fick aldrig återkalla det givna ordet.
Formal/Archaic— To call someone back to order (common in meetings).
Ordföranden fick återkalla mötet till ordningen.
Formal— To bring back to life (metaphorical or literal).
De gamla traditionerna återkallades till livet.
Literary— To save something from total destruction or failure.
Företaget återkallades från avgrunden i sista stund.
Metaphorical— To hold back or suppress a sigh.
Hon återkallade en suck av frustration.
Literary— To look away quickly after making eye contact.
Han återkallade snabbt sin blick när hon såg på honom.
Literary— To dismiss a thought or take it back mentally.
Jag återkallar den tanken, den var dum.
Neutral— To bring someone back to consciousness.
Läkaren lyckades återkalla patienten till medvetande.
Formal/MedicalFamille de mots
Noms
Verbes
Adjectifs
Apparenté
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Think of 'Åter' as 'Auto-Return' and 'Kalla' as 'Call'. You are 'Auto-Returning' a bad product by 'Calling' it back to the factory.
Association visuelle
Imagine a giant magnet pulling a defective car back into a factory. On the magnet, the word 'ÅTERKALLA' is written in bright red letters.
Word Web
Défi
Try to write three sentences: one about a dangerous toy, one about a driving license, and one about a memory using 'återkalla'.
Origine du mot
The word is a compound of the Swedish prefix 'åter-' (back, again) and the verb 'kalla' (to call). This structure is common in Germanic languages, directly paralleling the Latin-derived English 'recall' (re- + call).
Sens originel : To call someone or something back to its place of origin.
North Germanic / Indo-EuropeanContexte culturel
Be careful when using this word regarding people (e.g., 'återkalla en person'). It can sound like you are treating them as an object or a legal entity unless the context is very clear (like a diplomat).
In English, 'recall' is used for both products and phone calls. In Swedish, 'återkalla' is NEVER used for phone calls.
Pratique dans la vie réelle
Contextes réels
Consumer Safety
- återkalla produkten
- farlig vara
- återbetalning
- varningsmeddelande
Traffic Law
- återkalla körkortet
- fortkörning
- rattfylleri
- spärrtid
Corporate Law
- återkalla fullmakt
- styrelsebeslut
- vd:ns befogenheter
- avtal
Literature/Writing
- återkalla i minnet
- evokativt språk
- det förflutna
- skildring
Government/Politics
- återkalla ambassadör
- diplomatiska relationer
- regeringsbeslut
- protest
Amorces de conversation
"Har du någonsin ägt en produkt som blev återkallad av företaget?"
"Vad tycker du om reglerna för att återkalla ett körkort i Sverige?"
"Kan du återkalla ditt allra första barndomsminne i detalj?"
"Tror du att det är för lätt eller för svårt för staten att återkalla tillstånd?"
"Har du någonsin behövt återkalla ett löfte du gett till någon?"
Sujets d'écriture
Beskriv en gång när du var tvungen att återkalla ett beslut du fattat. Varför gjorde du det?
Summary
Återkalla is the 'official' way to say 'take back'. Whether it is a dangerous toy, a driver's license, or a witness's statement, this word implies a formal and definitive cancellation. Example: 'Företaget återkallar produkten' (The company recalls the product).
- Återkalla is a formal Swedish verb meaning to revoke, recall, or take back.
- It is commonly used for product recalls (consumer safety) and revoking licenses (legal/official).
- It can also mean to recall a memory or retract a statement formally.
- Do not use it for calling someone back on the phone; use 'ringa tillbaka' instead.
Contenu associé
Plus de mots sur law
advokat
B1Un avocat est un professionnel du droit qui conseille les clients sur les questions juridiques et les représente dans les procédures judiciaires.
anmoda
C1Enjoindre ou prier formellement quelqu'un de faire quelque chose.
anspråk
B2Une revendication ou une prétention à un droit ou à une qualité.
avsiktlig
C1intentional, deliberate, or purposeful
avskräckande
C1deterrent or discouraging
avsägelse
C1renunciation, resignation or waiver
avtala
B2Convenir de quelque chose de manière formelle.
avtalsbrott
B2the failure to perform a contractual obligation
avtalsenlig
B2in accordance with a contract
avtalsrätt
C1contract law
