Complex sentences

The previous lesson went over basic sentence structure. This lesson goes over more complex sentences in Norwegian.

Grammar Review

Sentence Structure

While most Norwegian sentences use the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, like English does, Norwegian does have the V2 (verb second) rule. If an adverbial phrase or subordinate clause is at the front of the sentence, the subject and the verb have to switch places (this is called “inversion”) so that the verb stays in the second position.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Marius spiste lefse med lunsj i dag.	Marius ate lefse with lunch today.
Sofia jobbet hjemmefra under pandemien.	Sofia worked from home during the pandemic.
V2	I dag spiste Marius lefse med lunsj.	Today, Marius ate lefse with lunch.
Under pandemien jobbet Sofia hjemmefra.	During the pandemic, Sofia worked from home.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Marius spiste lefse med lunsj i dag.

Marius ate lefse with lunch today.

Sofia jobbet hjemmefra under pandemien.

Sofia worked from home during the pandemic.

I dag spiste Marius lefse med lunsj.

Today, Marius ate lefse with lunch.

Under pandemien jobbet Sofia hjemmefra.

During the pandemic, Sofia worked from home.

If a sentence has more than one verb, the second verb will be in a nonfinite form (e.g. å finne). If the sentence has inversion, then the subject will come between the finite (i.e. conjugated) verb and the nonfinite verb.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Hun prøvde å lage vafler i går.	She tried to make waffles yesterday.
Erik begynte å spille det nye spillet hver dag etter jobb.	Erik began to play the new game after work.
V2	I går prøvde hun å lage vafler	Yesterday, she tried to make waffles.
Etter jobb begynte Erik å spille det nye spillet	After work, Erik began to play the new game.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Hun prøvde å lage vafler i går.

She tried to make waffles yesterday.

Erik begynte å spille det nye spillet hver dag etter jobb.

Erik began to play the new game after work.

I går prøvde hun å lage vafler

Yesterday, she tried to make waffles.

Etter jobb begynte Erik å spille det nye spillet

After work, Erik began to play the new game.

Verb Conjugation

Conjugating the present tense of verbs in Norwegian is fairly simple. Most present tense verbs just add an -r to the end of the infinitive, and drop the infinitive marker (å).

Infinitive	Present	English	Infinitive	Present	English
Å male	maler	Paints / Painting	Å tegne	tegner	Draws / Drawing
Å spise	spiser	Eats / Eating	Å drikke	drikker	Drinks / Drinking

Infinitive

Present

English

Infinitive

Present

English

Å male

maler

Paints / Painting

Å tegne

tegner

Draws / Drawing

Å spise

spiser

Eats / Eating

Å drikke

drikker

Drinks / Drinking

There are some exceptions / irregulars:

Infinitive

Present

English

Infinitive

Present

English

Å kunne

Kan

To be able to

Å måtte

Må

To have to

Å skulle

Skal

To have to; to be going to

Å ville

Vil

To want

Å være

To be

Å vite

Vet

To know

Past tense conjugation is a bit more difficult, however there are some guidelines (but keep in mind there are exceptions).

If the verb ends with a double consonant, consonant cluster, or voiced plosive (b / d), past tense will end in -et.
If the verb ends in a single consonant (except v / b / d), past tense ends in -te.
If the verb ends with v or diphthong, the past tense ends in -de.
If the verb has only one syllable with a long vowel, past tense ends in -dde.

Rule Number

Infinitive

Past Tense

English

Å danse

danset

Danced

Å blande

blandet

Mixed

Å kjøre

Kjørte

Drove

Å male

Malte

Painted

Å pleie

Pleide

Used

Å prøve

Prøvde

Tried

Å sy

sydde

Sewed

Å bo

bodde

Lived···

There are two ways to talk about future activities. Sometimes a present tense verb + a time adverbial is used. Another way to express future tense is with modal verbs.

	Eksempel	English
Present Tense + Time Adverbial	Moren min drar til Oslo i morgen.	My mother is going to Oslo tomorrow.
Modal Verbs	Gustav skal kjøpe spillet.	Gustav is going to buy the game.

Eksempel

English

Present Tense + Time Adverbial

Moren min drar til Oslo i morgen.

My mother is going to Oslo tomorrow.

Modal Verbs

Gustav skal kjøpe spillet.

Gustav is going to buy the game.

Adjective Basics

Adjectives typically have to agree with the gender and the number of the noun. If the noun is neuter gender, then in the singular indefinite form, the adjective takes a -t ending. In the plural indefinite, the adjective takes an -e ending. Note there are exceptions.

	Singular Indefinite	Plural Indefinite
	Norwegian	English	Norwegian	English
Masculine	En høy mann	A tall man	Høye menn	Tall men
En varm genser	A warm sweater	Varme gensere	Warm sweaters
Feminine	Ei høy bygning	A tall building	høye bygninger	Tall buildings
Ei varm årstid	A warm season	varme årstider	Warm seasons
Neuter	Et høyt tre	A tall tree	høye trær	Young trees
Et varmt teppe	A warm blanket	varme tepper	Warm blankets

Singular Indefinite

Plural Indefinite

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

English

Masculine

En høy mann

A tall man

Høye menn

Tall men

En varm genser

A warm sweater

Varme gensere

Warm sweaters

Feminine

Ei høy bygning

A tall building

høye bygninger

Tall buildings

Ei varm årstid

A warm season

varme årstider

Warm seasons

Neuter

Et høyt tre

A tall tree

høye trær

Young trees

Et varmt teppe

A warm blanket

varme tepper

Warm blankets

When the noun is in the definite form, the adjective takes an -e ending.

	Singular Definite	Plural Definite
	Norwegian	English	Norwegian	English
Masculine	Den høye mannen	The tall man	De høye mennene	The tall men
Denne varme genseren	This warm sweaters	Disse varme genserne	These warm sweaters
Feminine	Den høye bygninga	The tall building	De høye bygningene	The tall buildings
Denne varme årstida	This warm season	Disse varme årstidene	These warm seasons
Neuter	Det høye treet	The tall tree	De høye trærne	The tall trees
Dette varme teppet	This warm blanket	Disse varme teppa / teppene	These warm blankets

Singular Definite

Plural Definite

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

English

Masculine

Den høye mannen

The tall man

De høye mennene

The tall men

Denne varme genseren

This warm sweaters

Disse varme genserne

These warm sweaters

Feminine

Den høye bygninga

The tall building

De høye bygningene

The tall buildings

Denne varme årstida

This warm season

Disse varme årstidene

These warm seasons

Neuter

Det høye treet

The tall tree

De høye trærne

The tall trees

Dette varme teppet

This warm blanket

Disse varme teppa / teppene

These warm blankets

Complex Sentences

Before learning about more complex sentence structure, let’s take a moment to review some grammar terms:

Main Clause - Part of a sentence that can form a complete stand-alone sentence (sometimes called an “independent clause”).

Subordinate Clause - Part of a sentence that cannot form a complete stand-alone sentence (sometimes called a “dependent clause”).

Adverb - A word or phrase that describes an adjective, verb, or another adverb.

Time Adverbial - An adverb that specifically describes the time something happened.

Prepositional Phrase - A phrase that includes a preposition, its object, and sometimes words that modify the object.

Personal Pronoun - A pronoun used to substitute the proper name of a person.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin learning about more complex sentences in Norwegian.

Adding Adverbs

When adding adverbs to a sentence, such as “ikke,” word order becomes a little more tricky.

If the adverb is in the main clause:

SVO - The adverb is placed after the finite (i.e. conjugated) verb.
V2 - The adverb is placed after the subject.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk i dag.	I did not buy a coat today.
Liam leser ofte ei bok før han legger seg.	Liam often reads a book before he goes to bed.
Jeg liker ikke å drikke alkohol.	I don’t like to drink alcohol.
V2	I dag kjøpte jeg ikke en frakk.	Today, I did not buy a coat.
Før Liam legger seg, leser han ofte ei bok.	Before Liam goes to bed, he often reads a book.
I går møtte jeg vennen min.	Yesterday I met my friend.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk i dag.

I did not buy a coat today.

Liam leser ofte ei bok før han legger seg.

Liam often reads a book before he goes to bed.

Jeg liker ikke å drikke alkohol.

I don’t like to drink alcohol.

I dag kjøpte jeg ikke en frakk.

Today, I did not buy a coat.

Før Liam legger seg, leser han ofte ei bok.

Before Liam goes to bed, he often reads a book.

I går møtte jeg vennen min.

Yesterday I met my friend.

If the adverb is in the subordinate clause, the adverb comes before the finite verb, regardless of whether there is inversion.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Jeg kjøpte en frakk, siden den ikke var dyr.	I bought a coat since it was not expensive.
Karin besøker ofte moren sin, siden hun ikke bor langt unna.	Karin visits her mother often, since she doesn’t live far.
Vennen min var sulten siden han ikke spiste i dag	My friend was hungry since he didn’t eat today.
V2	Siden den ikke var dyr, kjøpte jeg frakken.	Since it was not expensive, I bought the coat.
Siden hun ikke bor langt unna, besøker Karin ofte moren sin.	Since she doesn’t live far, Karin visits her mother often.
Siden vennen min ikke har spist i dag, var han sulten.	Since my friend didn’t eat today, he was hungry.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Jeg kjøpte en frakk, siden den ikke var dyr.

I bought a coat since it was not expensive.

Karin besøker ofte moren sin, siden hun ikke bor langt unna.

Karin visits her mother often, since she doesn’t live far.

Vennen min var sulten siden han ikke spiste i dag

My friend was hungry since he didn’t eat today.

Siden den ikke var dyr, kjøpte jeg frakken.

Since it was not expensive, I bought the coat.

Siden hun ikke bor langt unna, besøker Karin ofte moren sin.

Since she doesn’t live far, Karin visits her mother often.

Siden vennen min ikke har spist i dag, var han sulten.

Since my friend didn’t eat today, he was hungry.

If the sentence contains a compound verb (i.e. har brukt; har besøkt, etc),

SVO - The adverb comes after the finite verb in the compound.
V2 - The subject comes after the finite verb of the compound, followed by the adverb, then the second verb in the compound.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Jeg har ikke brukt den nye frakken min ennå.	I have not used my new coat yet.
Martin har ikke kjøpt det nye spillet.	Martin has not bought the new game.
Jeg har ikke spist frokost i dag.	I have not eaten breakfast today.
V2	Siden det var deilig ute, hadde jeg ikke tatt med meg frakken min.	Since it was nice outside, I had not brought my coat (with me).
Siden Martin ikke har penger, har han ikke kjøpt det nye spillet.	Since Martin doesn’t have money, he has not bought the new game.
Siden jeg våknet (opp) sent i dag, har jeg ikke spist frokost.	Since I woke up late today, I have not eaten breakfast.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Jeg har ikke brukt den nye frakken min ennå.

I have not used my new coat yet.

Martin har ikke kjøpt det nye spillet.

Martin has not bought the new game.

Jeg har ikke spist frokost i dag.

I have not eaten breakfast today.

Siden det var deilig ute, hadde jeg ikke tatt med meg frakken min.

Since it was nice outside, I had not brought my coat (with me).

Siden Martin ikke har penger, har han ikke kjøpt det nye spillet.

Since Martin doesn’t have money, he has not bought the new game.

Siden jeg våknet (opp) sent i dag, har jeg ikke spist frokost.

Since I woke up late today, I have not eaten breakfast.

Additional Adverbs

Aldri

Never

Alltid

Always

Sannsynligvis

Probably

Allerede

Already

Muligens

Possibly

Kanskje

Maybe

Ofte

Often

Sikkert

Probably

Sjeldent

Seldom / Rarely

Snart

Soon

Vanligvis

Usually

Virkelig

Really

Senere

Later

Sist

Last

Noen ganger

Sometimes

Av og til / Iblant

Occasionally

Adding Personal Pronouns

SVO - The personal pronoun comes between the verb and the adverb.
1. If the personal pronoun is part of a prepositional phrase, the preposition + the personal pronoun are moved to after the object.
V2 - The personal pronoun is placed between the subject and adverb.
1. If the personal pronoun is part of a prepositional phrase, the preposition + the personal pronoun are moved to after the object.

	Eksempel	English
SVO	Jeg ringte henne ikke i går.	I did not call her yesterday.
Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk til henne i dag.	I did not buy a coat for her today.
Hun lagde ikke pizza til oss i dag	She did not make pizza for us today.
V2	Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg henne ikke i går.	Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her yesterday..
Siden frakken ikke var til salgs i dag, kjøpte jeg den ikke til henne.	Since the coat was not on sale today, I didn’t buy it for her.
Siden hun var syk i dag, så laget hun ikke pizza til oss	Since she was sick today, she didn’t make pizza for us.

Eksempel

English

SVO

Jeg ringte henne ikke i går.

I did not call her yesterday.

Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk til henne i dag.

I did not buy a coat for her today.

Hun lagde ikke pizza til oss i dag

She did not make pizza for us today.

Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg henne ikke i går.

Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her yesterday..

Siden frakken ikke var til salgs i dag, kjøpte jeg den ikke til henne.

Since the coat was not on sale today, I didn’t buy it for her.

Siden hun var syk i dag, så laget hun ikke pizza til oss

Since she was sick today, she didn’t make pizza for us.

NOTE: The first sentence in both the SVO and V2 sections can have “ikke” before “henne” which then emphasizes “henne."

Eksempel	English
Jeg ringte ikke *henne* i går.	I didn’t call her* yesterday.*
Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg ikke *henne* i går.	Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her* yesterday.*

Eksempel

English

Jeg ringte ikke henne i går.

I didn’t call her yesterday.

Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg ikke henne i går.

Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her yesterday.

Two Main Clauses

When there is more than just one main clause and…

A subordinate clause
The sentence begins with one main clause

Then inversion will be in the second main clause

	First Main Clause	Subordinate Clause	Second Main Clause
Eksempel	Jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år	men da jeg var ung	pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver vinter.
English	I haven’t gone skiing in many years	but when I was young	I used to go skiing with my family every winter.
Eksempel	Nora bor i Oslo nå	men da hun gikk på universitetet	bodde hun i Trondheim.
English	Nora lives in Oslo now	but when she was in university	she lived in Trondheim.

First Main Clause

Subordinate Clause

Second Main Clause

Eksempel

Jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år

men da jeg var ung

pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver vinter.

English

I haven’t gone skiing in many years

but when I was young

I used to go skiing with my family every winter.

Eksempel

Nora bor i Oslo nå

men da hun gikk på universitetet

bodde hun i Trondheim.

English

Nora lives in Oslo now

but when she was in university

she lived in Trondheim.

BUT… if the sentence begins with the subordinate clause then…

Inversion happens in the first main clause
Inversion does not happen in the second main clause

	Subordinate Clause	First Main Clause	Second Main Clause
Eksempel	Da jeg var ung	pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter	men jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år.
English	When I was young	I used to ski with my family every single winter	but I haven’t gone skiing in many years.
Eksempel	Da Nora gikk på universitetet,	bodde hun i Trondheim	men hun bor i Oslo nå.
English	When Nora was in university,	she lived in Trondheim	but she lives in Oslo now.

Subordinate Clause

First Main Clause

Second Main Clause

Eksempel

Da jeg var ung

pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter

men jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år.

English

When I was young

I used to ski with my family every single winter

but I haven’t gone skiing in many years.

Eksempel

Da Nora gikk på universitetet,

bodde hun i Trondheim

men hun bor i Oslo nå.

English

When Nora was in university,

she lived in Trondheim

but she lives in Oslo now.

BUT… if you add a time adverbial (such as “siden da”) into the second main clause then

Inversion will happen in both main clauses
Same applies if you add a prepositional phrase

	Subordinate Clause	First Main Clause	Second Main Clause
Eksempel	Da jeg var ung	pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter	men siden da har jeg ikke gått på ski.
English	When I was young	I used to ski with my family every single winter	but since then, I have not gone skiing.
Eksempel	Da Nora gikk på universitetet	bodde hun i Trondheim,	men etter endt utdanning, flyttet hun til Oslo.
English	When Nora was in university	she lived in Trondheim	but after finishing school, she moved to Oslo.

Subordinate Clause

First Main Clause

Second Main Clause

Eksempel

Da jeg var ung

pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter

men siden da har jeg ikke gått på ski.

English

When I was young

I used to ski with my family every single winter

but since then, I have not gone skiing.

Eksempel

Da Nora gikk på universitetet

bodde hun i Trondheim,

men etter endt utdanning, flyttet hun til Oslo.

English

When Nora was in university

she lived in Trondheim

but after finishing school, she moved to Oslo.

Overview

Type of Sentence	Norwegian	English
SVO	Jeg kjøpte en frakk.	I bought a coat.
V2	I dag kjøpte jeg en frakk.	Today, I bought a coat.
V2	Siden været er dårlig, kjøpte jeg en frakk.	Since the weather is bad, I bought a coat.
SVO With 2 verbs	Jeg prøvde å finne en ny frakk.	I tried to find a new coat.
V2 With 2 verbs	I går prøvde jeg å finne den gamle frakken min.	Yesterday, I tried to find my old coat.
SVO With adverb	Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk.	I did not buy a coat.
V2 With adverb	I dag kjøpte jeg ikke en frakk.	Today, I did not buy a coat.
SVO Adverb in subord. clause	Jeg kjøpte en frakk, siden den ikke var dyr.	I bought a coat since it was not expensive.
V2 Adverb in subord. clause	Siden den ikke var dyr, kjøpte jeg frakken.	Since it wasn’t expensive, I bought the coat.
SVO With compound verb and adverb.	Jeg har ikke brukt den nye frakken min ennå.	I have not used my new coat yet.
V2 With compound verb and adverb	Siden det var deilig ute, hadde jeg ikke tatt med frakken min.	Since it was nice out, I had not brought my coat.
SVO With personal pronoun and adverb	Jeg ringte henne ikke i går.	I did not call her yesterday.
SVO With prepositional phrase and adverb	Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk til henne i dag.	I didn’t buy a coat for her today.
V2 With personal pronoun and adverb	Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg henne ikke i går.	Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her yesterday..
V2 With two adverbs and prepositional phrase	Siden frakken ikke var til salgs i dag, kjøpte jeg den ikke til henne.	Since the coat was not on sale today, I didn’t buy it for her.
With 2 main clauses Inversion in second main clause	Jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år, men da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver vinter.	I haven’t gone skiing in many years but when I was young, I used to go skiing with my family every winter.
With two main clauses But subordinate clause starts sentence	Da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter, men jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år.	When I was young, I used to ski with my family every single winter, but I have not gone skiing in many years.
With two main clauses Subordinate clause starts sentence Has a time adverbial	Da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter, men siden da har jeg ikke gått på ski på mange år.	When I was young, I used to ski with my family every single winter, but since then, I have not gone skiing in many years.
With two main clauses, Subordinate clause starts sentence Has a prepositional phrase	Da Nora gikk på universitetet, bodde hun i Trondheim, men etter endt utdanning, flyttet hun til Oslo.	When Nora was in university, she lived in Trondheim, but after finishing school, she moved to Oslo.

Type of Sentence

Norwegian

English

SVO

Jeg kjøpte en frakk.

I bought a coat.

I dag kjøpte jeg en frakk.

Today, I bought a coat.

Siden været er dårlig, kjøpte jeg en frakk.

Since the weather is bad, I bought a coat.

SVO

With 2 verbs

Jeg prøvde å finne en ny frakk.

I tried to find a new coat.

With 2 verbs

I går prøvde jeg å finne den gamle frakken min.

Yesterday, I tried to find my old coat.

SVO

With adverb

Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk.

I did not buy a coat.

With adverb

I dag kjøpte jeg ikke en frakk.

Today, I did not buy a coat.

SVO

Adverb in subord. clause

Jeg kjøpte en frakk, siden den ikke var dyr.

I bought a coat since it was not expensive.

Adverb in subord. clause

Siden den ikke var dyr, kjøpte jeg frakken.

Since it wasn’t expensive, I bought the coat.

SVO

With compound verb and adverb.

Jeg har ikke brukt den nye frakken min ennå.

I have not used my new coat yet.

With compound verb and adverb

Siden det var deilig ute, hadde jeg ikke tatt med frakken min.

Since it was nice out, I had not brought my coat.

SVO

With personal pronoun and adverb

Jeg ringte henne ikke i går.

I did not call her yesterday.

SVO

With prepositional phrase and adverb

Jeg kjøpte ikke en frakk til henne i dag.

I didn’t buy a coat for her today.

With personal pronoun and adverb

Siden telefonen min ikke fungerte, ringte jeg henne ikke i går.

Since my phone wasn’t working, I didn’t call her yesterday..

With two adverbs and prepositional phrase

Siden frakken ikke var til salgs i dag, kjøpte jeg den ikke til henne.

Since the coat was not on sale today, I didn’t buy it for her.

With 2 main clauses

Inversion in second main clause

Jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år, men da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver vinter.

I haven’t gone skiing in many years but when I was young, I used to go skiing with my family every winter.

With two main clauses

But subordinate clause starts sentence

Da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter, men jeg har ikke gått på ski på mange år.

When I was young, I used to ski with my family every single winter, but I have not gone skiing in many years.

With two main clauses

Subordinate clause starts sentence
Has a time adverbial

Da jeg var ung, pleide jeg å gå på ski med familien min hver eneste vinter, men siden da har jeg ikke gått på ski på mange år.

When I was young, I used to ski with my family every single winter, but since then, I have not

gone skiing in many years.

With two main clauses,

Subordinate clause starts sentence
Has a prepositional phrase

Da Nora gikk på universitetet, bodde hun i Trondheim, men etter endt utdanning, flyttet hun til Oslo.

When Nora was in university, she lived in Trondheim, but after finishing school, she moved to Oslo.

HUGE THANK YOU TO VEGARD, HENBRUAS, AND ARTHEMAX FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS LESSON!

**If the lesson was beneficial, please consider buying me a virtual coffee. Thanks.**

Resources:

Exercise: Rewrite the following sentences.

Put the adverb, that is in ( ), in the proper space:
1. Jeg trenger en frakk fordi det er varmt ute. (ikke)
2. Siden solen skinner, trenger jeg en paraply. (ikke)
3. Moren min er gammel men hun jobber hver dag. (fortsatt)
4. Hun har sett den nye filmen ennå. (ikke)
5. Siden jeg har hodepine, tar jeg medisin. (ofte)
Put the personal pronoun, that is in ( ), in the proper location:
1. Moren leste ei bok i går. (til ham)
2. Siden jeg ikke hadde penger, kjøpte jeg ikke ringen. (henne)
3. Han sendte ikke et brev i dag. (henne)
Combine the sentences to form a single sentence:
1. Normalt drikker hun ikke kaffe. Hun drakk kaffe ofte da hun jobbet på kaffebutikken.
2. Da hun bodde i Oslo, jobbet hun hver dag. Hun har ikke jobbet siden hun flyttet.

Answer Key