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 |
Markus kjøpte en bil i går. |
Markus bought a car yesterday. |
Sofia hadde en kanin da hun var ung. |
Sofia had a rabbit when she was young. |
|
V2 |
I går kjøpte Markus en bil. |
Yesterday, Markus bought a car. |
Da Sofia var ung, hadde hun en kanin. |
When Sofia was young, she had a rabbit. |
Verb Conjugation
Conjugating present tense of verbs in Norwegian is fairly simple. Most present tense verbs just add an -r to the end of the infinitive.
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Infinitive |
Present |
English |
Å lese |
Leser |
Reads |
Å skrive |
Skriver |
Writes |
Å kjøpe |
Kjøper |
Buys |
Å løpe |
Løper |
Runs |
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 |
Er |
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 |
1 |
Å snakke |
Snakket |
Talked |
Å ønske |
Ønsket |
Wished |
|
2 |
Å lære |
Lærte |
Learned |
Å kjøpe |
Kjøpte |
Bought |
|
3 |
Å leve |
Levde |
Lived |
Å pleie |
Pleide |
Used |
|
4 |
Å bo |
Bodde |
Lived |
For future tense, typically the present tense verb is used with a time adverbial to clarify it is a future action.
Eksempel |
English |
De kommer på søndag. |
They are coming on Sunday. |
Leksjonen starter snart. |
The lesson starts soon. |
Adjective Basics
Adjectives typically have to agree with the gender and the number of the noun.
| Singular Indefinite | Plural Indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
En stor sirkel |
A big circle |
Store sirkler |
Big circles |
En ny pensel |
A new paintbrush |
Nye pensler |
New paintbrushes |
|
Neuter |
Et stort rektangel |
A big rectangle |
Store rektangler |
Big rectangles |
Et nytt material |
A new material |
Nye materialer |
New materials |
|
When the noun is in the definite form, the adjective takes an -e ending (like in the plural indefinite above).
| Singular Definite | Plural Definite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
English |
|
Masculine |
Den store sirkelen |
The big circle |
De store sirklene |
The big circles |
Denne nye penselen |
This new paintbrush |
Disse nye penslene |
These new paintbrushes |
|
Neuter |
Det store rektanglet |
The big rectangle |
De store rektanglene |
The big rectangles |
Dette nye materialet |
This new material |
Disse nye materialene |
These new materials |
|
Arts & Crafts
If you travel (or move) to Norway, you can find many types of art https://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/art-culture/museums/top-art-museums/museums], from classic art to modern art; from architecture to photography. One of the most well-known Norwegian artists is the painter Edvard Munch, who created the iconic piece titled, “The Scream.” In fact, the location that inspired the painting is Ekebergskrenten in Oslo.
In the mid-1700s, a popular form of artistic expression was rose painting (rosemaling). The styles vary greatly from region to region, but typically it includes organic patterns, flowers, scrollwork, and geometric designs on furniture and other household items, such as utensils. The designs were often painted on wood. During WWII, when Norway was occupied by Nazi forces, King Haakon VII was exiled and Norwegians flying the Norwegian flag could be imprisoned. What many Norwegians began to do, instead, was to incorporate the royal cypher (an “H” overlapping a “7”) in their rosemaling designs without getting in trouble by the Nazis. Many Christmas cards displayed the royal cypher in the center of rosemaling designs.
While “architecture” is not typically something that comes to mind when one hears the word “art,” when one looks at the Norwegian stave churches (stavkirker), it’s difficult to ignore the artistic beauty in their design. Stave churches are elaborately carved wooden churches that used to be found in many areas of northwestern Europe, however they are mostly only found in Norway now. The reason they are called “stave” churches is because they all feature corner posts (known as “staves”). The walls are made from planks standing on sills; these walls are called “stave walls.” The door frames and window frames feature ornamental carvings, typically in the patterns of dragons, leaf patterns, and tendrils. There are 28 stave churches in Norway, with the largest one, Heddal stave church, located in Telemark.
Many people enjoy doing different types of arts and crafts, whether to make money, just as a relaxing hobby, or something fun to do with your kids / siblings / nieces / nephews, etc. While this lesson is not an exhaustive list of craft terminology, it will provide a good foundation.
Verbs:
English |
Norwegian |
English |
Norwegian |
To airbrush |
Å airbrushe |
To alternate |
Å bytte |
To attach |
Å feste |
To assemble |
Å sette samme |
To bend |
Å bøye |
To carve |
Å skjære |
To chisel |
Å meisle |
To chop |
Å hugge |
To colour |
Å farge |
To contour |
Å konturere |
To crochet |
Å hekle |
To cut |
Å kutte |
To dab |
Å dabbe |
To decorate |
Å dekorere |
To decrease |
Å redusere |
To design |
Å designe |
To detach |
Å løsne |
To dilute |
Å fortynne |
To draw |
Å tegne |
To dry |
Å tørke |
To embroider |
Å brodere |
To engrave |
Å gravere |
To etch |
Å etse |
To erase |
Å slette/fjerne |
To flatten |
Å flate |
To fold |
Å brette |
To fray |
Å fryke |
To gild |
Å forgylle |
To glaze |
Å glasere |
To glue / paste |
Å lime |
To hang up |
Å henge opp |
To hammer |
Å hamre |
To highlight |
Å markere |
To increase |
Å øke |
To join |
Å feste / Skjøte på |
To knit |
Å strikke |
To mark |
Å markere |
To measure |
Å måle |
To mix / blend |
Å blande |
To outline |
Å skissere |
To paint |
Å male |
- |
- |
To pull |
Å trekke |
To repeat |
Å gjenta |
To sand |
Å slipe / Pusse |
To scrape |
Å skrape |
To sew / stitch |
Å sy |
To shade |
Å sjattere |
To shape |
Å forme |
To sharpen |
Å skjerpe |
To sketch |
Å skissere |
To soften |
Å mykne |
To spread / smear |
Å smøre |
To stamp |
Å stemple |
To tape |
Å tape |
To trim |
Å trimme |
To turn over |
Å snu |
To weave |
Å veve |
To weld |
Å sveise |
Misc. Arts & Crafts Vocab:
| English | Norwegian | English | Norwegian |
|---|---|---|---|
Animation |
Animasjon (en) |
Art |
Kunst (en) |
Artisan / craft maker |
Håndverker (en) |
Artist |
Kunstner (en) |
Blacksmith |
Smed (en) |
Border |
Ramme (en) |
Calligraphy |
Kalligrafi (en) |
Cardboard |
Papp (et) |
Ceramic |
Keramikk!!? |
Chisel |
Meisel (en) |
Circle |
Sirkel (en) |
Clay |
Leire (et) |
Collage |
Collage (en) |
Colour |
Farge (en) |
Colouring book |
Fargebok (ei) |
Construction paper |
Kartong (en) |
Copper |
Kobber (et) |
Corner |
Hjørne (et) |
Craft |
Håndverk (et) |
Crayon |
Fargestift (en) |
Crease |
Fold (en) |
Creative |
Kreativ |
Creativity |
Kreativitet (en) |
Decoupage |
Decoupage (uncountable) |
Diagonal |
Diagonal (en) |
Dry |
Tørr |
Edge |
Kant (en) |
Enamel |
Emalje (en) |
Felt |
Filt (en) |
Flat |
Flat |
Forge |
Smi (en) |
Glass |
Glass (et) |
Glassblower |
Glassblåser (en) |
Glasswork |
Glassarbeid (et) |
Glaze |
Glasur (en) |
Glossy |
Blank |
Glue |
Lim (en) |
Gluestick |
Limstift (en) |
Graphic design |
Grafisk design |
Hammer |
Hammer (en) |
Hobby |
Hobby (en) |
Horizontal |
Horisontal |
Hue |
Nyanse (en) |
Ink pad |
Stempelpute (en) |
Instructions |
Instruksjoner |
Iron |
Jern (et) |
Iron smith |
Jernsmed (en) |
Line |
Linje (en) |
Material |
Materiale (et) |
Marker |
Markør (en) |
Masking tape |
Maskeringsbånd (en) |
Medium |
Medium (et) |
Mosaic |
Mosaikk (en) |
Paint |
Maling (en) |
Paint brush |
Pensel (en) / Malerpensel (en) |
Paper |
Papir (et) |
Paper mache |
Pappmasje (uncountable) |
Pattern |
Mønster (et) |
Pen |
Penn (en) |
Pencil |
Blyant (en) |
Pencil sharpener |
Blyantspisser (en) |
Pipe cleaner |
Piperenser (en) |
Point |
Punkt (et) |
Poster |
Plakat (en) |
Pottery |
Keramikk (en) |
Pottery bowl |
Keramikkskål (en) |
Pottery oven / Kiln |
Keramikkovn (en) |
Pottery wheel |
Keramikkhjul (et) |
Prism |
Prisme (en / et) |
Protractor |
Vinkelmåler (en) |
Proportion |
Proporsjon (en) |
Rectangle |
Rektangel (et) |
Rubber |
Gummi (en / et) |
Rubber stamp |
Gummistempel (et) |
Ruler |
Linjal (en) |
Safety |
Sikkerhet (en) |
Safety precautions |
Sikkerhetstiltak (en) |
Sandpaper |
Sandpapir (et) |
Scissors |
Saks (en) |
Scrapbook |
Utklippsbok (en) |
Scraper / Putty knife |
Sparkelkniv (en) |
Sculpture |
Skulptur (en) |
Shape |
Form (en) |
Silkscreen |
Silketrykk (et) |
Square |
Kvadrat (en) |
Stamp |
Stempel (et) |
Stapler |
Stiftemaskin (en) |
Step |
Trinn (et) |
Sticker |
Klistremerke (et) |
String / Thread |
Streng / Tråd (en) |
Style |
Stil (en) |
Surface |
(Over)Flate (en) |
Tape |
Teip (en) |
Tapestry |
Tapet (en) |
Tool |
Verktøy (et) |
Triangle |
Triangel (en) |
Vertical |
Vertikal |
Visual arts |
Visuell kunst (en) |
Wax |
Voks (en / et) |
Weaver |
Vever (en) |
Wood |
Tre (et) |
Woodwork |
Trearbeid (et) |
Yarn |
Garn(tråd) (et) |
- |
- |
NOTE: If you’re interested in more specific vocabulary related to drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, or crocheting, you can find it here: Extra Vocab
**If the lesson was beneficial, please consider buying me a virtual coffee. Thanks.**
Resources:
Exercise: Write a paragraph, either about your favorite piece of artwork, or your favorite hobby, or give instructions on how to make something.