Prepositions (part 2)

   |  Dan

This lesson goes over some of the common prepositions used 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

Moren min kjøpte en katt i går.

My mom bought a cat yesterday.

Erik jobbet som servitør da han bodde i Oslo.

Erik worked as a waiter when he lived in Oslo.

V2

I går kjøpte moren min en katt.

Yesterday, my mom bought a cat.

Da Erik bodde i Oslo, jobbet han som servitør.

When Erik lived in Oslo, he worked as a waiter.

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

Indiana Jones prøvde å finne den mystiske steinen i 1935.

Indiana Jones tried to find the mystical stone in 1935.

Faren min begynte å lære norsk før han reiste til Norge.

My father began to learn Norwegian before he travelled to Norway.

V2

I 1935 prøvde Indiana Jones å finne den mystiske steinen.

In 1935, Indiana Jones tried to find the mystical stone.

Før faren min reiste til Norge, begynte han å lære norsk.

Before my father travelled to Norway, he began to learn Norwegian.

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.

Infinitive Present English Infinitive Present English

Å ringe

ringer

Rings / Ringing

Å savne

savner

Misses / Missing

Å støtte

støtter

Supports / Supporting

Å høre

hører

Hears / Hearing

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

  1. If the verb ends with a double consonant, consonant cluster, or voiced plosive (b / d), past tense will end in -et.

  2. If the verb ends in a single consonant (except v / b / d), past tense ends in -te.

  3. If the verb ends with v or diphthong, the past tense ends in -de.

  4. If the verb has only one syllable with a long vowel, past tense ends in -dde.

Rule Number

Infinitive

Past Tense

English

1

Å savne

savnet

Missed

Å støtte

støttet

Supported

2

Å høre

hørte

Heard

Å ringe

ringte

Called

3

Å kreve

Krevde

Demanded

Å eie

Eide

Owned

4

Å bo

bodde

Lived

Å tro

trodde

Believed

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

Eksempel English

Present Tense + Time Adverbial

Går du til parken senere?

Are you walking to the park later?

Modal Verbs

Ella skal besøke besteforeldrene sine.

Ella is going to visit her grandparents.

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 brun bamse

A brown teddy bear

brune bamser

Brown teddy bears

En høy lyd

A loud noise

høye lyder

Loud noises

Feminine

Ei brun bokhylle

A brown bookcase

brune bokhyller

Brown bookcases

Ei høy fløyte

A loud whistle

høye fløyter

Loud whistles

Neuter

Et brunt fjøs

A brown barn

brune fjøs

Brown barns

Et høyt dyr

A loud animal

høye dyr

Loud animals

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

Singular Definite Plural Definite

Norwegian

English

Norwegian

English

Masculine

Den brune bamsen

The brown teddy bear

De brune bamsene

The brown teddy bears

Denne høye lyden

This loud noise

Disse høye lydene

These loud noises

Feminine

Den brune bokhylla

The brown bookcase

De brune bokhyllene

The brown bookcases

Denne høye fløyta

This loud whistle

Disse høye fløytene

These loud whistles

Neuter

Det brune fjøset

The brown barn

De brune fjøsa / fjøsene

The brown barns

Dette høye dyret

This loud animal

Disse høye dyra / dyrene

These loud animals

Prepositions

Prepositions are words that describe the spatial relation between 2 things, for example: on, at, by, under, above etc. Prepositions tend to be difficult because their uses can vary from language to language and the relation is never 1:1. For example, in one language you might be in the train while in another language you’re on the train.

This is a general idea of how some of the prepositions are used:

NORWEGIAN

ENGLISH

NORWEGIAN

ENGLISH

1

av

by, of

motsatt av

opposite of

2

bak

behind

nær

near to

3

blant

among

ned

down

4

før

before, prior to

nedenfor

below

5

foran

in front of

opp

up

6

gjennom

through

ovenfor

above

7

hos

at (people)

på

at, on, to, in

8

i

in

over

over, of

9

i nærheten av

near, close to

på toppen av

on top of

10

inn

in

på tvers

across

11

innen

within

rundt

around

12

inni

inside

til

to, towards (person)

13

inn i

into

under

beneath, under

14

innsiden av

inside of

ut

out

15

langt fra

far from

utenfor

outside (of)

16

med

with (thing)

utover

beyond

17

mellom

between

ved siden av

next to

In this lesson, there are a few prepositions that we will go over a bit more in-depth.

Ovenfor vs Overfor

Ovenfor translates to “above” while overfor translates to “opposite” but can also mean “facing.”

Eksempel English

Ovenfor

Teksten ovenfor bildet beskrev det.

The text above the picture described it.

Christian bodde i leiligheten ovenfor Isabellas.

Christian lives in the apartment above Isabella’s.

Vi bor ovenfor en butikk.

We live above a shop.

Overfor

Det blå huset overfor biblioteket tilhører tanten min.

The blue house across from the library belongs to my aunt.

Folket står overfor et vanskelig valg.

The people are facing a difficult choice.

Broren min bor overfor parken.

My brother lives across from the park.

NOTE: Usually, “over” can be used instead of “ovenfor” in sentences. “Ovenfor” and “Overfor” help specify if something is vertical or horizontal, when one says “over,” but typically one can tell that information based on context.

Innen vs Innenfor

Both “innen” and “innenfor” mean “within” but are used in different contexts.

  • Innen is used only for concepts and abstract things

  • Innenfor is used for physical spaces, but can also be used for concepts and abstract things.

Eksempel English

Innen

Drømmen hennes er innen rekkevidde.

Her dream is within reach.

Marie kommer innen en time.

Marie will arrive within the hour.

Jeg må gratulere Fanny innen et minutt. :D

I must congratulate Fanny within a minute. :D

Innefor

Marianne sto innenfor saltsirkelen.

Marianne stood within the salt circle.

Emils blodtrykk er innenfor parametrene.

Emil’s blood pressure is within the parameters.

Han kjører innenfor fartsgrensen.

He drives within the speed limit.

Om

There are many ways in which “om” is used in Norwegian, however the most common uses are for “about” and “if”. It can also be used in the following phrases:

  • Som om - “as if”

  • Selv om - “even though,” “even if”

  • It is also used when referring to something that happens repeatedly.

Eksempel English

About

Hva er filmen om?

What is the movie about?

Forskningen min handler om positiv forsterkning.

My research is about positive reinforcement.

Vet du om det?

Do you know about it?

If

Det ville være flott om jeg kunne besøke Norge.

It would be great if I could visit Norway.

Det ville være kult om vi bare automatisk kunne et nytt språk.

It would be cool if we could just automatically know a new language.

As if

Markus latet som om han ikke kjente meg.

Markus acted as if he didn’t know me.

Sofia prøvde å late som om alt var okay.

Sofia tried to act as if everything was okay.

Vi spiste som om vi sultet.

We ate as if we were starving.

Even though /
Even if

Vi er venner selv om vi ikke har møttes personlig.

We are friends even though we haven’t met in person.

Vi kan ikke gi opp nå, selv om det virker håpløst.

We can’t give up now, even if it seems hopeless.

Jeg er med på søndagschatten selv om jeg er 2600 kilometer hjemmefra.

I am taking part in the Sunday call even though I am 2600 km away from home.

Every

Familien min drar på camping om sommeren.

My family goes camping every summer.

Nora spiser frokost om morgenen.

Nora eats breakfast every morning.

Jeg spiller dataspill om ettermiddagen.

I play games every evening.

Av

This preposition often means “of” but can also be used to mean “off.” It’s also used in the phrases:

  • Ved hjelp av - “By means of”

  • På grunn av - “Because of”

Eksempel English

Of

Denne skjorten er laget av bomull.

This shirt is made of cotton.

Hjernen og hjertet består av 73% vann.

The brain and heart are composed of

Menneskekroppen er laget av vann.

The human’s body is made of water.

Off

“Jeg må gå av ved neste stopp”, sa mannen til bussjåføren.

“I need to get off at the next stop,” said the man to the busdriver.

Ta av deg skoene når du kommer inn i huset

Take off your shoes when you enter the house.

Ta katten av treet, vaer så snill

Take the cat off the tree, please.

Because of

Treet falt ned på grunn av den sterke vinden.

The tree fell because of the strong wind.

Jeg har mange planter på grunn av byens stygghet.

I have many plants because of the city’s ugliness.

By means of

De hjalp folket å rømme ved hjelp av underjordiske tunneler.

They helped the people escape by means of underground tunnels.

Jeg skrev til Lars Helge ved hjelp av Instagram.

I wrote to LH by means of Instagram.

Ved

This preposition usually refers to proximity (in time or space) or if something is adjacent. It is also used in other ways, to include some specific phrases:

  • Ved nærmere behandling - “On closer consideration”

  • Ved ankomst - “On arrival”

  • Ved hjelp av - “By means of” (discussed above)

  • Ved siden av - “Next to,” “beside”

Usage Eksempel English

By

Ser du hunden ved treet?

Do you see the dog by the tree?

Martin bor i blokken ved parken.

Martin lives in the apartment building by the park.

Han var ved hennes side i vanskelige tider.

He was by her side in difficult times.

At

Fuglene begynner å synge ved soloppgang.

The birds begin to sing at sunrise.

Barna sitter ved kjøkkenbordet.

The children are sitting at the kitchen table.

Vennene mine sitter ved bålet.

My friends are sitting at the campfire.

Near

Flyplassen ligger ved hovedveien.

The airport is located near the highway.

Byen ligger ved kysten.

The town is located near the coast.

TV-en er ved bordet.

The TV is near the table.

On

Ved nærmere behandling bestemte folket seg for å stemme mot endringsforslaget.

On closer consideration, the people decided to vote against the amendment.

Ved ankomst må du gå gjennom tollen.

On arrival, you will have to go through customs.

Ved ankomst må du være i karantene.

On arrival you must be quarantined.

About

Atmosfæren har noe forstyrrende ved seg.

The atmosphere has something unsettling about it.

Det var noe ved boka som fikk meg å føle urolig.

There was something about the book that made me feel uneasy.

Next to / Beside

Gutten satt ved siden av vennen sin.

The boy sat next to his friend.

Kattene ligger ved siden av hverandre

The cats are laying beside each other.

Henrik ligger ved siden av Lars Helge, men Lars Helge synes at det er for rart.

Henrik is laying beside Lars Helge but Lars Helge thinks it is too weird

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Resources:

Exercise: Ovenfor, overfor, innen, innenfor, om, av, ved

Write the correct preposition in the following sentences.

  1. Elevene lærte ___ evolusjon.

  2. Leketøyet er ___ babyen sin rekkevidde.

  3. Politikeren snublet over ordene sine som ___ han glemte hva han sa.

  4. Fangen sendte en melding ___ hjelp av en hemmelig kode

  5. Sengetøyene er laget ___ sateng.

  6. Under en stirrekonkurranse sitter to personer ___ hverandre og prøver å ikke blunke.

  7. Paret sto ___ siden ___ hverandre i kø.

  8. Soldatene sto side ___ side i formasjonen.

  9. Når du farger, hold deg ___ linjene.

  10. Karine har katter selv ___ hun er allergisk.

  11. De bryter fasten sin ___ solnedgang.

  12. Jenta tok ___ seg frakken mens hun lekte ute.

  13. Foreldrene hadde en fest ___ datterens ankomst.

  14. Vi har svar ___ to timer.

  15. Pass på! Det er en edderkopp ___ døra!

  16. Det ville være fint ___ du laget middag i kveld.

  17. Faren sendte meldingen ___ hjelp ___ brevdue.

  18. Tusenvis ___ mennesker i byen har ikke elektrisitet på grunn ___ uværet.

  19. Verden står ___ en klimakrise.

Answer Key