Present, past and future tense

Verb conjugation in Norwegian is fairly easy (and in my opinion, easier than many other languages). Unlike languages like Spanish, Norwegian only conjugates for time, not also for person. There are regular and irregular verbs, and unfortunately with irregular verbs, the only option is to simply memorize them.

Present Tense (Presens)

Most verbs in Norwegian have an -r added to the end to form the present tense of the verb. Of course, there will always be some exceptions.

Infinitive	Present Tense	Norwegian	English
Å lese	Leser	Lukas leser ei bok.	Lukas reads a book.
Å bo	Bor	Isabella bor i Trondheim.	Isabella lives in Trondheim.
Å kjøpe	Kjøper	Hun kjøper pizza hver uke.	She buys pizza every week.

Infinitive

Present Tense

Norwegian

English

Å lese

Leser

Lukas leser ei bok.

Lukas reads a book.

Å bo

Bor

Isabella bor i Trondheim.

Isabella lives in Trondheim.

Å kjøpe

Kjøper

Hun kjøper pizza hver uke.

She buys pizza every week.

Some exceptions are the modal verbs.

Infinitive	Present Tense	Meaning	Norwegian	English
Å kunne	Kan	To be able to	Vi kan gå til parken.	We can walk to the park.
Å måtte	Må	To have to	Du må øve til eksamen.	You must study for the exam.
Å skulle	Skal	To have to; to be going to	Jeg skal spise pizza til frokost.	I’m going to eat pizza for breakfast.
Å ville	Vil	To want	Jeg vil besøke Norge.	I want to visit Norway.

Infinitive

Present Tense

Meaning

Norwegian

English

Å kunne

Kan

To be able to

Vi kan gå til parken.

We can walk to the park.

Å måtte

Må

To have to

Du må øve til eksamen.

You must study for the exam.

Å skulle

Skal

To have to; to be going to

Jeg skal spise pizza til frokost.

I’m going to eat pizza for breakfast.

Å ville

Vil

To want

Jeg vil besøke Norge.

I want to visit Norway.

And of course there are other irregulars; two common ones are “være” and “vite.”

Infinitive	Present Tense	Norwegian	English
Å være	Er	Kattene mine er søte.	My cats are cute.
Å vite	Vet	Hun vet svaret.	She knows the answer.

Infinitive

Present Tense

Norwegian

English

Å være

Kattene mine er søte.

My cats are cute.

Å vite

Vet

Hun vet svaret.

She knows the answer.

Present tense in Norwegian is used similarly as in English. In Norwegian, there are 5 ways that present tense is used.

Usage	Norwegian	English
Instantaneous present - What’s happening here and now	Jeg ser på TV nå.	I am watching tv now.
States present - Emphasizes something general / timeless; “eternal truths.”	Solen står opp i øst.	The sun rises in the east.
Habitual present - Emphasizes regular repetition over time	Skolen begynner kl. 8.	School begins at 8.
Future action (This will be covered more below)	De ankommer på lørdag.	They are arriving on Saturday.
Historic or dramatic present - Often used in newspaper headings / reports or used to summarize the content of a book or film.	Tusenvis demonstrerer for fred.	Thousands demonstrate for peace.
Hannibal hjelper FBI med å fange en seriemorder.	Hannibal helps the FBI to catch a serial killer.

Usage

Norwegian

English

Instantaneous present -

What’s happening here and now

Jeg ser på TV nå.

I am watching tv now.

States present -

Emphasizes something general / timeless; “eternal truths.”

Solen står opp i øst.

The sun rises in the east.

Habitual present -

Emphasizes regular repetition over time

Skolen begynner kl. 8.

School begins at 8.

Future action

(This will be covered more below)

De ankommer på lørdag.

They are arriving on Saturday.

Historic or dramatic present -

Often used in newspaper headings / reports or used to summarize the content of a book or film.

Tusenvis demonstrerer for fred.

Thousands demonstrate for peace.

Hannibal hjelper FBI med å fange en seriemorder.

Hannibal helps the FBI to catch a serial killer.

NOTE: There is no real present continuous verb conjugation in Norwegian like in English. Most of the time, what is the present continuous tense in English just becomes the present tense in Norwegian. However, sometimes “sitter,” “ligger,” or “står” + another present tense verb can be used with a conjunction when one wants to emphasize something is happening right now.

Norwegian	English
Jeg sitter og skriver.	I’m (sitting and) writing.
Jeg ligger og leser.	I’m (lying down and) reading.
Jeg står og maler.	I’m (standing and) painting.

Norwegian

English

Jeg sitter og skriver.

I’m (sitting and) writing.

Jeg ligger og leser.

I’m (lying down and) reading.

Jeg står og maler.

I’m (standing and) painting.

Past Tense (Preteritum)

Past tense in Norwegian can be a little challenging however there is a sort of rule of thumb on how to conjugate the verbs. Of course, there are some irregular past tense verbs as well, and unfortunately, all one can do with those is memorize them. (I still think they are easier than in many other languages.)

Rule	Infinitive	Past Tense	Norwegian	English
If verb ends in double consonant, consonant cluster, or a voiced plosive (b or d) followed by -e Past tense ends in -et	Å snakke	Snakket	Sofia snakket med Tobias.	Sofia talked with Tobias.
Å ønske	Ønsket	Barnet ønsket seg en ny sykkel.	The child wished for a new bike.
Å bade	Badet	Moren badet babyen.	The mother bathed the baby.
If verb ends in single consonant (except v or voiced plosives) followed by -e Past tense ends in -te	Å lære	Lærte	Jenta lærte alfabetet.	The girl learned the alphabet.
Å kjøpe	Kjøpte	Mannen kjøpte en ny bil.	The man bought a new car.
If verb ends in v or with diphthong followed by -e Past tense ends in -de	Å leve	Levde	Frosken levde lenge.	The frog lived a long time.
Å pleie	Pleide	Gutten pleide å spille fiolin.	The boy used to play the violin.
If verb has only one syllable with a long vowel Past tense ends in -dde	Å bo	Bodde	Moren min bodde i Bergen.	My mother lived in Bergen.

Rule

Infinitive

Past Tense

Norwegian

English

If verb ends in double consonant, consonant cluster, or a voiced plosive (b or d) followed by -e

Past tense ends in -et

Å snakke

Snakket

Sofia snakket med Tobias.

Sofia talked with Tobias.

Å ønske

Ønsket

Barnet ønsket seg en ny sykkel.

The child wished for a new bike.

Å bade

Badet

Moren badet babyen.

The mother bathed the baby.

If verb ends in single consonant (except v or voiced plosives) followed by -e

Past tense ends in -te

Å lære

Lærte

Jenta lærte alfabetet.

The girl learned the alphabet.

Å kjøpe

Kjøpte

Mannen kjøpte en ny bil.

The man bought a new car.

If verb ends in v or with diphthong followed by -e

Past tense ends in -de

Å leve

Levde

Frosken levde lenge.

The frog lived a long time.

Å pleie

Pleide

Gutten pleide å spille fiolin.

The boy used to play the violin.

If verb has only one syllable with a long vowel

Past tense ends in -dde

Å bo

Bodde

Moren min bodde i Bergen.

My mother lived in Bergen.

As with any language, there are irregular verbs in the past tense. Here are some examples.

Some Irregulars

Infinitive	Present	Past	English
Å være	Er	Var	To be
Å gjøre	Gjør	Gjorde	To do
Å skrive	Skriver	Skrev	To write
Å finnes	Finnes	Fantes	To exist
Å si	Sier	Sa	To say
Å spørre	Spør	Spurte	To ask
Å synes	Synes	Syntes	To think
Å vite	Vet	Visste	To know

Infinitive

Present

Past

English

Å være

Var

To be

Å gjøre

Gjør

Gjorde

To do

Å skrive

Skriver

Skrev

To write

Å finnes

Finnes

Fantes

To exist

Å si

Sier

To say

Å spørre

Spør

Spurte

To ask

Å synes

Synes

Syntes

To think

Å vite

Vet

Visste

To know

Future (Futurum)

There is no actual way to conjugate verbs in Norwegian to form a future tense. Instead, in order to express a future event, either the present tense is used (as mentioned above), usually combined with a time adverbial, or skal / kommer til å / vil + infinitive is used.

Using the present tense to refer to a future event is more commonly used in Norwegian than in English. It is often used to refer to a near future event and a time adverbial is usually included so as not to cause confusion with a present time reference.

Norwegian	English
Jeg reiser i morgen.	I am leaving / traveling tomorrow.
De ankommer på søndag.	They are arriving on Sunday.
Byggearbeidet begynner en gang i neste uke.	The building work starts sometime next week.

Norwegian

English

Jeg reiser i morgen.

I am leaving / traveling tomorrow.

De ankommer på søndag.

They are arriving on Sunday.

Byggearbeidet begynner en gang i neste uke.

The building work starts sometime next week.

The present tense is also used in temporal clauses as well:

Norwegian	English
Når du kommer, skal vi spise.	When you arrive, we will eat.
Når vi er ferdige, (så) kan vi ta en kopp te.	When we are finished, we can have a cup of tea.
Etter at du blir medlem av treningsstudioet, vil du kunne bruke bassenget.	After you become a member at the gym, you will be able to use the pool.

Norwegian

English

Når du kommer, skal vi spise.

When you arrive, we will eat.

Når vi er ferdige, (så) kan vi ta en kopp te.

When we are finished, we can have a cup of tea.

Etter at du blir medlem av treningsstudioet, vil du kunne bruke bassenget.

After you become a member at the gym, you will be able to use the pool.

NOTE: When a conditional clause expresses that something must be done in order for something else to occur, present tense cannot be used. In these instances, “må + infinitive” must be used.

Norwegian	English
Conditional Clause	Condition	Conditional Clause	Condition
Hvis du skal lære norsk,	må du gå på et kurs.	If you are going to learn Norwegian,	you must take a course.
Hvis du skal bli med til byen,	må du først gjøre leksene dine.	If you are going to town with me,	you have to do your homework first.
Hvis du vil kjøpe en ny bil,	må du jobbe hardt.	If you want to buy a new car,	you must work hard.

Norwegian

English

Conditional Clause

Condition

Conditional Clause

Condition

Hvis du skal lære norsk,

må du gå på et kurs.

If you are going to learn Norwegian,

you must take a course.

Hvis du skal bli med til byen,

må du først gjøre leksene dine.

If you are going to town with me,

you have to do your homework first.

Hvis du vil kjøpe en ny bil,

må du jobbe hardt.

If you want to buy a new car,

you must work hard.

Skal + infinitive

Skal + infinitive is used when the future event is within the speaker’s control. It is also used when implying an agreement, arrangement or promise..

Norwegian	English
Jeg skal skrive et brev til moren min.	I will write a letter to my mother.
De skal gifte seg i morgen.	They are getting married tomorrow.
Jeg skal være der kl. 10.	I have to be there at 10. (promise)

Norwegian

English

Jeg skal skrive et brev til moren min.

I will write a letter to my mother.

De skal gifte seg i morgen.

They are getting married tomorrow.

Jeg skal være der kl. 10.

I have to be there at 10. (promise)

Vil + infinitive

Vil + infinitive is used when one assumes an event will most likely happen, but they have no control over the event; there’s a little uncertainty whether it will occur; very neutral way of expressing a future event.

Norwegian	English
Oljeprisen vil snart gå opp.	The price of oil will go up soon.
De vil sikkert arrestere ham.	They will probably arrest him.
Du vil bli høyere enn faren din.	You will be taller than your dad. (most likely)

Norwegian

English

Oljeprisen vil snart gå opp.

The price of oil will go up soon.

De vil sikkert arrestere ham.

They will probably arrest him.

Du vil bli høyere enn faren din.

You will be taller than your dad. (most likely)

NOTE: A good rule of thumb is that if the sentence could start with “Jeg regner med at…” (I reckon that….), then “vil” is the verb to use.

Ex: Ekspertene regner med at oljeprisen vil gå opp.

The experts assume that the price of oil will go up.

Kommer til å

“Kommer til å” can be helpful to use instead of “vil,” when it’s not clear if “vil” would mean “will” or “want.”

Norwegian	English
De kommer til å besøke Norge i juli.	They are going to visit Norway in July.
Du kommer til å bli syk hvis du går ut uten en jakke.	You will become sick if you go outside without a jacket.
Han kommer til å spise kake etter middag.	He will eat cake after dinner.

Norwegian

English

De kommer til å besøke Norge i juli.

They are going to visit Norway in July.

Du kommer til å bli syk hvis du går ut uten en jakke.

You will become sick if you go outside without a jacket.

Han kommer til å spise kake etter middag.

He will eat cake after dinner.

Let’s look at how one can express the same thing, using the 4 ways discussed above:

Form	Norwegian	English
Present tense + time adverbial	Hva skjer med henne i morgen?	What will happen to her tomorrow?
Skal + infinitive	Hva skal skje med henne?	What is going to happen with her?
Vil + infinitive	Hva vil skje med henne?	What will happen to her?
Kommer til å	Hva kommer til å skje med henne?	What will happen to her?

Form

Norwegian

English

Present tense +

time adverbial

Hva skjer med henne i morgen?

What will happen to her tomorrow?

Skal + infinitive

Hva skal skje med henne?

What is going to happen with her?

Vil + infinitive

Hva vil skje med henne?