höra efter

Swedish

Alternative forms

efterhöra (formal)

Etymology

höra (“hear”) +‎ efter (“after”).

(obey): Compare Danish høre efter, Norwegian Bokmål høre etter, Norwegian Nynorsk høyra etter. The verb to hear is commonly used in many other languages in the world to form verbs related to obedience.

Verb

höra efter (present hör efter, preterite hörde efter, supine hört efter, imperative hör efter)

to check, to inquire (by asking or the like)
Jag hörde efter hur de vill ha den levererad
I checked / asked them how they want it delivered

Vår journalist hörde efter med folk på stan för att se vad de tycker
Our journalist checked with people in the city to see what they think
(archaic) to obey

Usage notes

Often synonymous with höra, sometimes implying more active inquiry. Also less likely to be misinterpreted as "hear" in some cases. "Hörde" in the first example above is likely to be misunderstood.

References